Lavender Bay House by Tobias Partners

Positioned along the North Shore with Sydney’s key icons in plain view, Lavender Bay House by Tobias Partners is a timeless home that takes cues from the harbour and city beyond. Though brutal and raw in its appearance, the family home emphasises its connection to the outdoors and embraces the importance of everlasting connections.

With a lingering love for Harry Seidler & Associates’ Glen Street office building – situated across the bay and directly opposite the site – the client had dreamed of one day emulating the rawness of the renowned concrete structure with his own home. Lucky enough to secure this site, he approached Tobias Partners to create an abode of equal qualities for himself and his family. “It was a very collaborative exercise with us and our client,” says Richard Peters, principal architect at Tobias Partners. “The site was pretty unique – it had all of the drawcards that the quintessential Sydney site would have, but then, at the same time, there was a lot of built urban context we had to navigate around.” As such, Tobias Partners introduced gardens to edit out neighbouring eyes and preserve view corridors. Additionally, the creation of spaces that were introspective and extroverted allowed the architecture firm to deliver a single-sided home with a focused outlook. “We’ve worked hard to create internal spaces, courtyards and gardens, whether they be on ground or on the roof. These are all the devices we’ve used to try and shape the space in that location,” explains Peters.

It is the connectivity between these elements and the drawing of natural light deep into the home that ties everything together.

Mirroring what stood on the site beforehand, Lavender Bay House gave Tobias Partners a unique opportunity to expand upon the original dwelling size to create a voluminous home that spans several levels. “For us, every project is another iteration of our practice in terms of thinking and evolution,” says Nick Tobias, founder and principal of Tobias Partners, “and having a client who was excited about exploring scale, modernity and doing something that was quite out there and not constrained by preconceptions of what a home in Sydney should be helped to push us.” For the arrangement of the home’s footprint, landscaping and views were underpinned by the functional use of space. However, it is the connectivity between these elements and the drawing of natural light deep into the home that ties everything together.

Connected to the city by more than just its unparalleled views, Lavender Bay House boasts an inspired material palette that draws from the harbour itself. “For the house, we included a lot of brass detailing throughout and a lot of that was inspired by the Opera House – its concrete and brass form and how it weathers in that location,” explains Tobias. “These [factors] were things that we drew from, not necessarily literally, but more in material appropriateness and longevity and how they patina over time.” In addition to concrete, brass lends a heritage feel to the dwelling, realised in a very contemporary interpretation, while granite and solid oak timber encourages warmth throughout the interior.

Connected to the city by more than just its unparalleled views, Lavender Bay House boasts an inspired material palette that draws from the harbour itself.

For the home’s floor plan, there is a certain formula to the set-up. At the southern side, the home unfolds from the entry before opening level by level. “We frame the view as we descend the stairs, and that sort of becomes almost like a public space that then gives you more of a theatrical arrival at the living level, along with the framing of views,” says Peters. To further emphasise the presence of the harbour, skylights draw in light from above. The bedrooms, bathrooms and family room have been tucked away and designed in a smaller scale to add intimacy while also acknowledging the surroundings. “It was extremely important for each of those spaces to have some connection to the outdoors,” confirms Peters, “and that’s generally bringing in light or offering views and using landscaping to keep your feet on the ground.”

Though monumental in its form and material edit, Lavender Bay House provides a long-lasting home for a family that values ties to each other and the enviable location. “We embraced the idea of timelessness in the design, in the experience, the durability and the longevity of the building, the structure and all the detailing,” says Tobias. His team has designed the home to stand the test of time. “We like to think of our projects as buildings that probably aren’t going to be renovated or changed or touched for many years,” continues Tobias, “and in our mind, this is going to be a 100-year-plus building.”

Architecture by Tobias Partners. Build by Pacific Plus Constructions. Landscape design by Myles Baldwin Design. Engineering by Partridge. Windows by Vitrocsa.