Petersen Kolumba™ K91 bricks add to the calm, timeless palette at Lavender Bay.

Front row to Sydney Harbour, the Lavender Bay House is a feast of delights. Not surprisingly, framing the views and engaging with the setting was key; its sweeping vistas captured Sydney’s favourite icons – the Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, and the Sydney Opera House. But the Lavender Bay House is not only about the views.

The ingenious team at Tobias Partners has created both expansive and introspective outlooks, comfortably accommodating a family of five – including a guest room and home office. And the proportion of space simply sets it apart, creating a light and uplifting, yet beautifully tranquil home.

Following a deep excavation of the incredibly steep site – extending 16m from the street front to the water’s edge – the five-level home reads as a single-level dwelling from the street. A jaw-dropping welcome is a mere taste of the delights to come inside, the front entrance framing the view of the Harbour Bridge’s northern pylon. And from here to the water’s edge, no detail is left unturned.

“Our clients wanted to understand all of the options and they really did invest in making good decisions. The house is built so well it is going to be there for a long time because they didn’t cut any corners,” says Richard Peters, project designer, and Principal, Tobias Partners.

The palette is simple and understated: concrete, Petersen bricks, polished raw plaster, Brazilian granite, and White Oak timber. Gently and beautifully tying the house together. “We have Luna Park across the road so there’s enough going on; we wanted to create something calm and timeless,” Richard comments.

Off-form concrete frames the building, and a huge in-situ concrete spine runs the entire length of the interior, connecting all five levels. It’s monolithic, yet delicately soft. The bedrooms run off this spine, and the open-plan living areas sit across the lower levels, which lead outside to the garden, pool, and water’s edge.

Handmade Petersen Kolumba™ bricks (K91) were a textural choice to contrast with the concrete on the southern façade creating the perfect backdrop to tranquil courtyards laden with greenery. Richard explains, “The Petersen K91 brick has that nice variation to it and we liked the way natural light played on their surface during the day. Our clients also like the texture of the Paterson bricks and felt strongly about using them after visiting our Deepwater House project in Bondi.”

The White Oak flooring inside is magnificent, beginning at the front door and running down in a gallery staircase to the lower garden. The White Oak branches off the spine into the bedrooms, kitchen, and living areas, sharing the remaining floor spaces, wet areas, and all the external terraces with a brilliant Brazilian granite, called White Ice. Finally, polished raw plaster creates a soft patina in the light that plays off the walls. It’s simple, elegant, and timeless.

Excitingly for the team, Lavender Bay House has been shortlisted for Best Residential Design in the 2022 Australian Interior Design Awards, with results to be announced on 17 June.

Architect: Tobias Partners
Product: Petersen Kolumba™ (K91) bricks
Builder: Pacific Plus Constructions
Bricklayer: J&O Bricklaying
Landscaper: Miles Baldwin Design
Photographer: Justin Alexander (except where indicated)