Bellevue Hill House 1

Single-Residential

Optimising a small and narrow allotment, Bellevue Hill House is a series of modern forms that express a linear connection, utilising a collection of modern amenities to elevate the everyday and ensure the resulting home both captures the personalities within and becomes a peaceful retreat.

The building is conceived as two distinct pavilions separated by a circulation zone and central courtyard, providing natural light and ventilation to the centre of the house. The front pavilion contains service areas and children’s bedrooms, whilst the rear pavilion contains living areas and the master bedroom zone.

Creating an open generosity throughout was a driver for the otherwise long and restrictive site. By using a restrained palette, minimal finishes, increased internal ceiling heights and reduced partitions within, the home feels perceptively larger. A central courtyard allows for both a buffer and connection to the natural elements. An open stair also encourages natural light to be shared between the levels whilst cleverly integrated joinery offers functionality and continues the same language as the architecture and tactile features throughout.

Bellevue Hill House is shaped for the past, present and future. Replacing an existing California bungalow style home already on the site, the new residence sits in contrast to its predecessor, capturing the fundamentals of contemporary family life with an enduring sensibility. It is a home that is family-friendly yet modern, functional, stylish and grounded in place.

Photography by Tom Ferguson

Completed: December 2022

Builder: Cumberland Constructions

Landscape: Myles Baldwin Design

Street façade of Bellevue Hill House 1 with dark glazing, stone boundary wall and landscaped entrance
Rear garden and swimming pool facing the two-storey stone and white façade of Bellevue Hill House 1
Rear stone pavilion opening to the lawn and outdoor dining area at Bellevue Hill House 1
Open-plan living room with curved sofa, timber joinery and sliding glass doors at Bellevue Hill House 1
Living room opening to the garden and swimming pool at Bellevue Hill House 1
Kitchen with marble island, timber cabinetry and dark fluted rangehood at Bellevue Hill House 1
Dining room with round table and upholstered chairs beside the courtyard at Bellevue Hill House 1
Kitchen detail showing marble splashback, timber cabinetry and fluted rangehood at Bellevue Hill House 1
Built-in study desk with timber storage and a horizontal window at Bellevue Hill House 1
Study nook seen through dark framed glass doors at Bellevue Hill House 1
White hallway with display shelves beside the dining room at Bellevue Hill House 1
Hallway with recessed display shelving and stone bench at Bellevue Hill House 1
Open timber staircase with glass balustrade beside the central courtyard at Bellevue Hill House 1
Timber stair treads above a stone landing beside courtyard glazing at Bellevue Hill House 1
Glazed door overlooking stepping stones in the planted courtyard at Bellevue Hill House 1
View down the timber staircase beneath courtyard glazing and external louvres at Bellevue Hill House 1
Street view of the white upper pavilion, dark screens and stone boundary wall at Bellevue Hill House 1
Bathroom vanity beneath a tall mirror and high windows at Bellevue Hill House 1
Built-in television joinery beside full-height curtains at Bellevue Hill House 1
Marble console beneath a tall hallway mirror at Bellevue Hill House 1
Bedroom with upholstered bedhead and integrated bedside table at Bellevue Hill House 1
Stone entry gate and covered path beside the front garden at Bellevue Hill House 1
Bathroom vanity with mirrored cabinet and open display shelves at Bellevue Hill House 1
Shower with dark fittings and pale stone wall tiles at Bellevue Hill House 1
Freestanding bath beneath a screened window beside a long vanity at Bellevue Hill House 1
Bedroom with integrated cabinetry and pale upholstered bedhead at Bellevue Hill House 1
Wall-mounted basin beneath mirrored bathroom storage at Bellevue Hill House 1
Walk-in wardrobe with timber shelves, drawers and hanging rails at Bellevue Hill House 1
Dark framed glass doors enclosing the study nook at Bellevue Hill House 1
Double bathroom vanity with timber cabinetry beside a bath at Bellevue Hill House 1
Hallway connecting the staircase and living room overlooking the garden at Bellevue Hill House 1