Pool Party

This harbourside home on Sydney’s lower North Shore was designed to create an indoor-outdoor setting that’s perfect for entertaining.

- Chris Pearson

Clean and crisp, this home might be Modernist in its inspiration, but brimming with sunshine and energy, it thinks way beyond the minimalist box. Its architect Shaun Lockyer labels his take “subtropical Modernism” and, with foliage seductively cascading from the roof, and light-soaked, airy, yet intimate spaces seamlessly blending inside and out, there’s nothing chilly and unwelcoming here.

The owners had been living in the same street on Sydney’s lower North Shore when they saw this property for sale. It was then occupied by a 1980s home, which failed to optimise the sloping site with its dress-circle harbour views. They hired architect Shaun Lockyer and interior designer Justine Hugh-Jones, both of whom they had worked with on previous projects, to design a brand-new three-level house that would blend with its setting, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor connection and offering year-round outdoor living.

“I love the modern Brazilian look of glass, steel, stone and rich woods, the inside-outside concept, with sliding doors that disappear and incredible gardens that look like part of the room,” says the owner. “I wanted a modern family house, sophisticated, but down to earth and liveable, and also for entertaining and dinner parties – super-glamorous at night, casual by day near the pool.”