Fine grain of detail: Mosman House

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Living takes up the middle level, bedrooms are upstairs and guest accommodation and lifestyle amenities downstairs.

Living takes up the middle level, bedrooms are upstairs and guest accommodation and lifestyle amenities downstairs. Image: Scott Burrows

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The timber-grain concrete ceiling, polished terrazzo floor and smooth concrete walls bring texture and detail to the living spaces.

The timber-grain concrete ceiling, polished terrazzo floor and smooth concrete walls bring texture and detail to the living spaces. Image: Scott Burrows

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The kitchen is flooded with natural light.

The kitchen is flooded with natural light. Image: Scott Burrows

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The master bedroom looks out to the harbour with a large walk-in-robe behind

The master bedroom looks out to the harbour with a large walk-in-robe behind Image: Scott Burrows

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The master en suite has a warm and neutral colour palette.

The master en suite has a warm and neutral colour palette. Image: Scott Burrows

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Black-stained oak joinery and French Oak ceiling and flooring foster warmth and richness in the wine cellar.

Black-stained oak joinery and French Oak ceiling and flooring foster warmth and richness in the wine cellar. Image: Scott Burrows

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The open-plan living and entertaining area has indoor and outdoor living and dining spaces.

The open-plan living and entertaining area has indoor and outdoor living and dining spaces. Image: Scott Burrows

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The courtyard at the front of the house catches the northern sun; the kitchen along the western side has a frameless window above the benchtop for garden views.

The courtyard at the front of the house catches the northern sun; the kitchen along the western side has a frameless window above the benchtop for garden views. Image: Scott Burrows

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The television room opens to the courtyard and an indoor garden and has a large 
void above.

The television room opens to the courtyard and an indoor garden and has a large void above. Image: Scott Burrows

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The informal courtyard entry offers a soft and gentle transition from the street; comfortable furniture and distinctive lighting create intimacy and personality within the strong architectural form.

The informal courtyard entry offers a soft and gentle transition from the street; comfortable furniture and distinctive lighting create intimacy and personality within the strong architectural form. Image: Scott Burrows

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Mosman House has a sense of transparency, allowing views of the water through the house.

Mosman House has a sense of transparency, allowing views of the water through the house. Image: Scott Burrows

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Mosman House looks out to Taylors Bay in Sydney Harbour; a series of green roofs offers a soft green foreground to the backdrop.

Mosman House looks out to Taylors Bay in Sydney Harbour; a series of green roofs offers a soft green foreground to the backdrop. Image: Scott Burrows

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This house balances generosity and intimacy with detailed craftsmanship and comfortable day-to-day living.

Sitting in a prominent position overlooking Sydney Harbour, Mosman House balances the generous proportions of the architecture and the monumentality of concrete construction with a focus on everyday living, comfort and informality. It is the result of a close collaboration between the architect, interior designer and client in which both the bigger picture and a fine grain of detail drove what they wanted to achieve.

“In designing a house of this size and in this location, there is a temptation to be over the top in terms of scale and formality so that it doesn’t feel human,” says Shaun Lockyer of Shaun Lockyer Architects. “Here, there is an intimacy to the scale of rooms while still being generous, and the natural and rawer materials, which one might not naturally associate with a house like this, give it a relaxed feel.”

The timber-grain concrete ceiling, polished terrazzo floor and smooth concrete walls bring texture and detail to the living spaces. Image:  Scott Burrows

Mosman House is home to a family with two teenage children. After approaching a number of Sydney architects, the client engaged Brisbane-based Lockyer, who designs houses described as ‘subtropical-inspired regional modernism’; that is, the architect draws inspiration from modernist architecture in regions such as South America and South-east Asia, which have similar climatic conditions to Australia.

Like these modernist houses, the client requested a concrete, timber and stone material palette and a strong focus on indoor–outdoor living. “In addition to the desire to realise an architectural idea that would have resonance, beauty and purpose, we wanted to create a house that was going to be a fantastic place for this family to live,” Lockyer says.

The informal courtyard entry offers a soft and gentle transition from the street; comfortable furniture and distinctive lighting create intimacy and personality within the strong architectural form. Image:  Scott Burrows

The house is composed of a series of concrete platforms and cantilevers that provide a strong horizontality, as well as protection from the sun and rain. Granite-stone walls complement the coastal landscape, weathered-timber cladding warms the concrete aesthetic, and black-framed glass doors and windows create transparency through the otherwise solid house, allowing for water views from the front garden.

A series of green roofs on top of the platforms offers a soft green foreground to the Sydney Harbour backdrop. “It feels like you’re looking through something rather than over something, and it creates a connection from built form to landscape to water,” Lockyer explains.

The master bedroom looks out to the harbour with a large walk-in-robe behind Image:  Scott Burrows

Family living and entertaining take place on the main level of the house, approached via an informal garden that provides a gentle and welcoming transition from the street. Here, an open-plan kitchen, living, dining and sitting area stretches the width of the house, extending out to the terrace, and a television room opens to the courtyard and internal garden.

The master bedroom upstairs looks out to the harbour while the children’s bedrooms are located closer to the street. Downstairs, guest accommodation, entertainment and lifestyle amenities include a family room, wine cellar, bedroom, steam room, sauna, swimming pool, deck and lawn.

The open-plan living and entertaining area has indoor and outdoor living and dining spaces.  Image:  Scott Burrows

As the concrete, timber and stone palette continues inside, meticulous attention has been given to creating texture and detail. The timber-grain concrete ceilings and staircase walls offer tactility and warmth in a material that’s traditionally cold, and the linearity and grain, which is somewhat visually deceptive, mediate the softer and harder materials throughout the house: French Oak floors and ceilings, smooth concrete walls and polished terrazzo floors.

Within this robust framework of the house, each room is comfortable and welcoming with its own distinct personality. “We wanted surprises in different rooms; to not be too predictable,” says interior designer Justine Hugh-Jones. “It was a way of creating a more intimate scale within a house that has strong architectural form.” Joinery is black stained in the living areas but varies in private and personal spaces, such as bedrooms and bathrooms.

The courtyard at the front of the house catches the northern sun; the kitchen along the western side has a frameless window above the benchtop for garden views.  Image:  Scott Burrows

The furnishings likewise introduce warmth, comfort and individuality with relaxed forms, jewel-toned hues, dramatic pendant lights and striking contemporary art to reflect the family’s style and personality. “The client is very stylish and adores drama and colour in her choices; but they’re a relaxed, fun and welcoming family,” Hugh-Jones explains.

Indeed, Mosman House has ultimately been designed for the family and with a focus on their day-to-day living. “Even the most menial task is celebrated in some way,” Lockyer says. For example, the laundry, kitchen and pantry are flooded with natural light, and a frameless window above the cooktop offers garden views.

“Good architecture heightens the experience of everyday living,” he continues. “If it’s done well, the architecture becomes subservient to the experience of living in the house rather than dictating or dominating how people live in a space. That’s when it’s really good.”


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