A sanctuary sculpted from stone, light, and landscape.

This luxury duplex in Balgowlah balances bold architectural form with finely crafted detail and immersive landscape design. Clad in rich Abodo timber with operable battened screens, the façade creates a rhythmic interplay of privacy and openness, warmth and solidity. Inside, stone and terrazzo floors meet expressive marble surfaces, offset by refined timber detailing and skylights that bring softness and light to the interiors.

From the street, the duplex is designed to have the appearance of one grand single dwelling, landscaped with a central water feature.

Light is shaped and sculpted throughout the dwelling. Filtered through timber screens, bouncing across textured surfaces, and flowing through skylights and the central stair void.

Brass tapware, internal landscape planters, and verdant planted façades coupled with glazing fosters a constant connection to greenery and the natural world.

Spatial planning uniquely responds directly to the stepped site, rejecting conventional solutions which use a single vertical stairwell. Instead the design strategically splits levels to create intimacy, ease of movement, and moments of discovery. A media room and cellar are tucked into the lower ground, with even these spaces enjoying views to the central fern-filled lightwell. The stair becomes a moment of immersion, enclosed by a perforated glass façade alongside a lush courtyard garden. This layered vertical transition is animated by shifting light and changing weather, blurring boundaries between inside and out.

Landscaped gardens thread throughout the site, culminating in a forest-style planting zone that screens neighbours and nestles the home in its own private sanctuary. From the open living areas, views extend to this green horizon and the views over rooftops beyond, grounding the home in nature.

A plunge pool nestles into the garden, with a water feature at veranda level that connects the two bodies of water geometrically - completing a home that feels composed, and quietly luxurious. An elegant retreat embedded in the seasonal rhythms of the surrounding landscape.