Cover The sun deck of this Australian home allows one to soak in the views whilst lounging on yellow Jimmie Martin bean bags and Missoni cushions (Photography: Alicia Taylor)
The sun deck of this Australian home allows one to soak in the views whilst lounging on yellow Jimmie Martin bean bags and Missoni cushions (Photography: Alicia Taylor)
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Spanning Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and Queensland’s Sunshine Coast,these Australian homes reveal how location influences residential architecture across the country
Australian homes take on distinct characteristics across the country’s major cities and coastal regions. The projects featured here, spanning Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, demonstrate how geography, climate, and local building traditions influence contemporary design. From harbour-side sites to subtropical coastlines, these Australian homes address their specific contexts through considered approaches to light, landscape, and material selection. Together, they provide a snapshot of current residential architecture across the country.
1. A colourful holiday house made for pool parties in Noosa, Queensland
The idyllic coastal view from the other side of the kitchen of this modern Australian holiday home, designed by Jimmie Martin (Photography: Alicia Taylor)
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London-based design firm Jimmie Martin transformed this six-bedroom beachfront property in Noosa for Australian property lawyers who divide their time between London and Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Located in The Beaches gated community at Sunrise Beach, the residence has an open-plan layout with bold colours inspired by punk subculture and pop art.
The sun deck allows one to soak in the views whilst lounging on yellow Jimmie Martin bean bags and Missoni cushions (Photography: Alicia Taylor)
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Founder Jimmie Karlsson divided the light-filled interior into distinct gathering areas, using neutral walls and floors as a backdrop for vibrant furnishings and artworks. The property includes a 25-metre pool, multiple dining areas, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing coastal views. Each bedroom has its own character through colour and texture. The project was completed remotely during pandemic restrictions.
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2. An Art Deco-inspired house in Sydney with elegant pink rooms
Above The building facade was remodelled into the Art Deco style with round proportions and clean lines
Above This space also features a custom marble island by Greg Natale
The building facade was remodelled into the Art Deco style with round proportions and clean lines
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Australian designer Greg Natale transformed this single-level brick bungalow in Sydney’s inner west for longtime clients Vince and Melissa Ciolino and their three sons. Natale added a second storey, rear extension, and pool, remodelling the structure in Art Deco style. He developed a blush-pink palette, combined with grey tones and gold accents throughout.
In the living room, a modern chandelier from James Said mirrors the wall sconce from Jonathan Adler in this Sydney home
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A custom spiral staircase was installed via crane, while the bathroom features rose Moire glass mosaic tiles, designed by Natale for Bisazza. The Carrara marble fireplace anchors the living area. The layout provides communal family spaces for entertaining and private rooms for each of the three boys. Natale used pieces from his own collections with vintage and contemporary furniture.
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3. The Sydney home of Asian Style icon Bonnae Gokson
Panoramic vistas of Sydney Harbour take centrestage in Bonnae Gokson’s luxurious abode
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Hong Kong entrepreneur Bonnae Gokson owns this 212-square-metre, two-bedroom apartment in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, with views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The style maven uses the residence as a retreat when visiting her naturopath annually.
Fiery skies make for a fitting backdrop to skyscrapers aglow at dusk
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A grey-and-white palette runs throughout the living area, which opens to a sun-drenched terrace for entertaining. The master suite includes an en-suite bathroom clad in white marble and a mirrored dressing room. The second bedroom serves as a home office with access to a private balcony. Gokson frequently fills the apartment with flowers from local markets.
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4. An old Melbourne property turned into a courtyard house
Thanks to the way the new wing is built, the courtyard has a cocoon-like effect
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Hong Kong-based practice Beauty Bloody Bonza spent four years transforming this Edwardian home in Melbourne’s Cremorne suburb. Directors Greta Mak and Peter Scott demolished a 1990s addition and built a new wing with a courtyard and a pool. The 5,600-square-foot property has five bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms.
A shot of the new wing and part of the courtyard
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The original house contains the children’s bedrooms, whilst a new north-facing ground floor holds the kitchen, dining, and living areas. A master suite and guest suite sit in separate second-storey volumes built with brick and angled galvanised roofs. Mak and Scott restored timber fretwork, cast-iron fireplaces, and pressed metal ceilings. Fourteen-metre glazed doors connect interior and exterior spaces. The powder room features Verde Alpi marble.
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5. An extravagant Brisbane house inspired by Italian palaces
Above The De Gournay Namban wallpaper in metallic tones makes a statement in the open-plan living and dining area (Photo: Anson Smart)
Above The Knoll dining chairs by Eero Saarinen mirror the brick-red hue of the ceiling (Photo: Anson Smart)
The De Gournay Namban wallpaper in metallic tones makes a statement in the open-plan living and dining area (Photo: Anson Smart)
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Australian designer Greg Natale drew inspiration from Italian palazzos after seeing the arched facades of this three-storey Brisbane home. The clients run an art school in Florence, which led Natale to use arched elements throughout the residence. Grey stucco balances the dramatic curves, whilst brass finger tiles line the entrance arches.
Above An Occi console from Fornasetti peeks at visitors in the entryway, while echoing the curvature of the arched portals, the Tom Dixon Plane short chandelier and the Celeste chair by Lara Bohinc (Photo: Anson Smart)
Above A Willy Rizzo dining table sourced from 1stdibs.com is placed on the Delaunay rug by Greg Natale in the hall (Photo: Anson Smart)
An Occi console from Fornasetti peeks at visitors in the entryway, while echoing the curvature of the arched portals, the Tom Dixon Plane short chandelier and the Celeste chair by Lara Bohinc (Photo: Anson Smart)
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Jewel tones and patterns appear alongside vintage pieces and custom furniture, including Gigi Radice chairs and Gio Ponti designs. De Gournay wallpaper depicting cranes covers the dining room, whilst Gucci’s Heron wallpaper appears in the master bedroom. Fornasetti wallpaper showing Venice’s Saint Mark’s Square decorates another bedroom. The kitchen uses a grey-and-black palette. The owners, both painters, hang their collection on the walls.
Read more here
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6. A historic house along Sydney Harbour with a dual concept
A view of the river-facing modern facade (Photo: Pablo Veiga/ Photofoyer)
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Carter Williamson Architects renovated this 1881 sandstone cottage on Sydney Harbour, named Wurrungwuri in the Aboriginal Dharug language. Architect Ben Peake retained the late-Victorian facade and built a four-level extension with sinuous forms that reflect the harbour’s movement.
Above A view of the kitchen, which looks out to the river and views of Sydney Harbour (Photo: Pablo Veiga/ Photofoyer)
Above A colourful geometric pattern in the swimming pool makes the outdoor deck an eye-catching space (Photo: Pablo Veiga/ Photofoyer)
A view of the kitchen, which looks out to the river and views of Sydney Harbour (Photo: Pablo Veiga/ Photofoyer)
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The new structure sits on sandstone bedrock and is linked to the original cottage by a cylindrical staircase built of white bricks. A rooftop terrace overlooks the water. Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture created outdoor areas on each level. The home displays works by Joshua Yeldham, Del Kathryn Barton, Dion Horstmans, and Bridget Riley. An Adam Goodrum dining table sits beneath a Tom Dixon chandelier in the double-height dining
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Read more: Hoshinoya Karuizawa: two decades of biophilic design in practice
7. An artful penthouse in Melbourne with dual living spaces
The ‘morning’ living space overlooks Fawkner Park, the Botanic Gardens and the distant Dandenong Ranges (Photo: Sharyn Cairns)
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Melbourne designer Fiona Lynch split this five-bedroom penthouse on St Kilda Road into two wings. One side overlooks Fawkner Park and the Botanic Gardens, the other Melbourne City and Port Phillip Bay. Each wing has its own kitchen and living areas, letting the owners spend quiet mornings on the park side and gather with extended family on the city side.
Fiona Lynch Office achieved dynamic modernism in the penthouse located along Melbourne’s St Kilda Road (Photo: Sharyn Cairns)
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The interiors display the clients’ ceramics and art collection with a Vincenzo De Cotiis bookshelf and Christopher Boots’ Prometheus VII pendant light. Lynch created custom wall lights with draped leather, brass plates, and ceramic-glazed brick fragments. Patterned travertine, veined marble, hand-finished brass, and Vagli marble basins feature throughout. A blue-hued Whiskey Room offers a nocturnal space.
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See also: Peter Marino on the Hotel Cipriani renovation: bringing art and architecture to Venice
8. A grounded home in Perth inspired by the modernism greats
Designer furniture in the modernism-inspired space (Photo: Timothy Kaye)
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Interior designer Nickolas Gurtler collaborated with architect Dorian Morelli, builder Formview Building, and landscape architect Tristan Peirce on Vulcan House, a 6,135-square-foot residence in Woodlands, Perth, built for a family with two young boys. The project took six years. Gurtler referenced California modernist homes by Pierre Koenig, Rudolph Schindler, and John Lautner for their use of concrete and timber.
Above Timeless architecture modernism (Photo: Timothy Kaye)
Above A sense of serenity through earthy finishes (Photo: Timothy Kaye)
Timeless architecture modernism (Photo: Timothy Kaye)
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The three-level house wraps around a pool. Stone, timber, venetian plaster, and stainless steel appear in earthy shades of green, grey, tan, and red. Mid-century furniture by Le Corbusier and Mario Marenco is paired with Australian pieces by Daniel Boddam and a commissioned bronze-and-oak dining table by Jack Flanagan.
Read more here
Don’t miss: 7 distinctive mid-century modern hotels in Asia for design lovers
9. A timeless apartment in Potts Point, Sydney, infused with continental charm
Above The living room of the apartment in Potts Point, Sydney
The living room of the apartment in Potts Point, Sydney
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Interior designer Tamsin Johnson transformed this heritage-listed Victorian apartment in Potts Point, Sydney, for a family seeking an escape from the neighbourhood’s busy streets. Johnson excavated 200 square metres below ground to add a media room and wine cellar. The ground floor became an open space centred on the kitchen, with Rosso alpi marble against stainless steel hardware.
Above The kitchen
Above Details in the dining room
The kitchen
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The living room features marble architraves and French doors over parquetry flooring. Two girls’ bedrooms and the master bedroom occupy the second floor, each with a terrace overlooking the courtyard. Johnson combined design eras and textures, calling the result European in style with Victorian roots in an Australian setting.
Read more here
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
