Hideaway House

by Mark Szczerbicki Design Studio

Hideaway House is nestled into a sloping bushland site adjacent an existing heritage cottage, with views of the nearby creek. The house is tailored to its inhabitants, while maintaining a spirit of openness, homeliness and generosity towards friends and visitors through space, light, materials, and connection to landscape. Hideaway House is designed for a family wanting to escape the fast-paced Sydney lifestyle, without having to move far from the city. Located on a secluded bushland site, but only 8km from the city centre, the project aims to create the feel of a resort for everyday living. The brief was born out of the client’s appreciation for the natural aspects of this location. The house celebrates the site, which posed challenges including a steep slope, irregular shape with no recognisable front or back, and a mature gum tree which needed to be retained. Our response was to let the site, interiors and circulation inform the spatial layout. The result is a house which digs deep underground in one corner, while cascading down through a series of terraced levels across the length of the site, all the while facing the living spaces to towards north and the views of the nearby bay. Inspired by the surrounding landscape, the interiors create a sanctuary for everyday living. The moody colour scheme is inspired by the surrounding bushland, bringing the outside in. Windows, light wells, and skylights are designed as apertures for experiencing the landscape – framing views of gardens, water, the gum tree, and distant skies, and bringing those external elements inside.

A raw robust palette of materials includes cedar, timber veneer, brass, and is complemented by fabric curtains to soften the interiors. Large sliding doors and glazed facades allow for dissolved thresholds to the various external spaces. The project weaves a wide range of internal and external spaces and experiences throughout the house to allow the family of 5 to be alone and private, or to come together in various groups. The intimate bedrooms cater to the children’s ages (ranging from 8 to 18), while allowing connections to the garden. Teenagers can hang out in the home theatre, swimming pool or home gym area. The parent’s master bedroom occupies its own realm, with commanding views over the pool and bushland beyond. The living spaces can be open or closed to allow everything from intimate dinner settings, through the New Year’s Eve parties for a crowd of 100. The interiors are personalised with bespoke elements throughout – bedside tables cantilevered off the fabric bedhead, a floating TV unit, the built-in brass and glass top casual dining table, all add a touch of luxury and personal character to the home. The design allowing for a visceral experience of the surrounding natural elements:
Earth – Deep lightwells cut from the sandstone bring light down into subterranean rooms.
Water – A shallow reflective pond greets visitors, while the generous swimming pool and cedar-lined steam room celebrate water.
Fire – A fire pit creates a warm gathering space, while a wood-fired pizza oven replaces the standard gas BBQ.
Air – Large sliding doors disappear into cavities and external frames to maximise fresh air and ventilation.
A circular skylight above the dining table acts as a sun dial, tracking the daily ebb and flow of time.