Bellevue Hill House

Romello Pereira

• Architects

Set in Sydney’s harbourside suburb of Bellevue Hill, this multi-generational home—once comprising two separate apartments—crafts a calm and private retreat, elevated by sweeping views across the city skyline, Harbour Bridge, and Rose Bay.

Identifying the potential to combine the two dwellings into a generous three-level family home, the clients engaged Mathieson to bring cohesion to the property. In defining the project brief, Design Director, Phillip Mathieson, invited the client to visit a previous project delivered by the studio. “The clients were inspired by the home’s calm and private feel and wanted a similar atmosphere for their own property,” recalls Phillip.

photo_credit Romello Pereira — Romello Pereira

Given this pursuit, a key challenge lay in home's positioning—bound on three sides by neighboring properties and sharing a driveway with the rear residence. To address privacy concerns, Mathieson shrouded the two levels of curtain glazing facing this thoroughfare with a series of angled aluminium blades. “Each element was carefully positioned on site to curate views of Sydney Harbour, while minimising the presence of the neighbouring house,” describes Project Architect Ariel Ophir-Verheyden, resulting in randomised patterning that creates a sense of movement. A secondary screen buffers the upper-level bedrooms from the street, casting ephemeral, filtered light into each space. Supported by freshly rendered facades, these screening elements balance privacy and openness, while unifying the building’s expression as a cohesive, singular residence.

Internally, the building was significantly replanned to operate as a family home with logical circulation. The ground floor now serves as the primary living area, opening onto a tranquil northfacing terrace. At the home’s heart, a generously appointed chefs kitchen accommodates multiple people cooking together, featuring a fully welded stainless-steel bench and flamed black granite island, bridging durability and refinement. Blackened timber veneer cabinetry balances the monumental stainless-steel Sub-Zero fridge and freezer. A dedicated niche, wrapped in stainlesssteel, houses the clients’ much-loved Chinese condiments. Pivot doors allow the space to transition effortlessly, offering privacy for formal entertaining, or an open, connected setting for everyday living.

To the rear, dining and lounge spaces scale the full width of the property, seamlessly extending to the rear terrace. Here, a new boundary wall screens the driveway from view, creating a private, inward focus for outdoor recreation and entertaining. An existing lap pool is relined with deep nho.agency turquoise mosaic tiles and complemented by a Japanese maple tree and landscaped lawn area, inspired by the client’s travels in Japan and designed in collaboration with Bates Landscape.

Above, the primary bedroom suite claims the home’s northern edge, capturing striking harbour views. Its open-plan arrangement unites the bedroom and ensuite—containing a steam room, sauna and powder room—connected to a private terrace, offering a calm, hotel-inspired experience. This ambience is accentuated by a bespoke timber vanity and bathtub, crafted by Emanuel Oppliger of Wood & Water, “adding a Japanese-inspired elegance that elevates daily rituals,” describes Phillip. Completing the suite is a generous dressing room, clad in dark timber veneer, enhancing the sense of warmth and refinement.

A versatile family lounge and study space seamlessly connects to the ancillary bedrooms, creating a multi-functional area that adapts to the needs of the growing family and their visiting relatives. On the rooftop, a secondary lap pool, terrace and guest pavilion celebrate the site’s elevated positioning, capturing exceptional district views over Bellevue Hill, towards Sydney’s city skyline, harbour, and bay. A self-contained studio on the lower ground floor provides an additional guest suite, ensuring the house accommodates longer stays of extended family.

Throughout, Bellevue Hill House is unified by a minimalist yet layered material palette, combining white terrazzo floors, plastered walls, blackened timber veneer and soft linen curtains, lending deep contrasts in tone. Mathieson’s thoughtful curation of furniture, art and décor extends this sensibility, with accents of chrome and warm timber complementing the terrazzo’s muted tones.

The calm feeling that results is celebrated on arrival, where a dramatic art installation by Sydney artist, Hugh McCarthy, encourages occupants to meander through a scattered array of stacked timber totems; a transition from the outside world to the oasis-like home beyond. “Some might call it quiet luxury, but for us, it’s about balance—natural light, refined proportions, and tactile materials coming together to create a sense of ease and sophistication,” suggests Phillip.