Set within an unassuming Neo-Georgian facade, this contemporary home reveals the versatility of Travertine Lait within a simple, calming material palette. Here, a sense of timelessness and quality abounds.
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Tobias Partners’ design of this contemporary home maximises natural light and a tranquil courtyard garden, within the densely terraced streets of Woollahra Village in inner city Sydney. Its humble proportions and forms complement the adjoining terrace houses, while its modest footprint and two-storey height is designed to maximise natural light.
The clients, returning to Sydney from time spent living overseas, brought with them a beloved collection of art, books and belongings from their travels. The carefully designed plan divides the house into two parts with a private library to the front of the home. This leads to main living and dining, with the kitchen situated along the southern wall. The communal spaces open into a courtyard garden which features a mature Chinese elm tree.
A central stair with floating treads, and portals with opening panels, controls and filters the natural light into the centre of the house across its two levels, with ensuite bedrooms located upstairs.
The simple, calm material palette promotes a timeless design approach with Travertine Lait (20 millimetre slabs) used on the kitchen benchtops, bathroom vanities, and flooring. This is complemented by the Oak skylights, flooring and joinery, and soft lime mottled plaster for walls and ceilings. Handmade bricks in the courtyard garden feel both ageless while also distinctively beautiful.
The living area looks out across the courtyard to a self-contained studio for visitors and guests. Its simple form connects to the rear laneway, clad in zinc and steel between brick parapets – a new interpretation of the area’s well-established architectural vernacular.
Photography by Justin Alexander.