This stunning Sydney home takes residential living to ultra-luxurious new heights
Bellevue Hill offers all the perks when it comes to Sydney living — close proximity to the city, stunning streetscapes, and a melange of cafes and restaurants to tantalise the most discerning of tastebuds. For homeowners Joseph and Maria Del Vecchio, it was high time to update their single-storey four-bedroom home and give it a serious dash of style with an eco twist. Using their original property as a footprint for the new design, Joseph and Maria worked with architect Alexander Theodore Michael and builder MG Property to achieve their vision of a low-maintenance open-plan house. Requiring four bedrooms, the design was to feature easily accessible spaces, incorporate as much natural light as possible, and take energy efficiency and passive solar design principles into consideration.
The house features multiple levels connected by staircases and a glass elevator. The top level is home to the private quarters and includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms. “A more formal living and dining area is located on level one, along with a bar, powder room, kitchen, butler’s pantry, informal living and dining space, laundry, library and TV room,” says homeowner Joseph. The lower level features a pool room, cellar, media room, a bathroom with a shower stall and a storage area — a must-have for a family of five.
The palette of the home is timeless, revolving around grey, black and white, ensuring the interior will never date. Polished concrete flooring and timber-clad walls and ceilings link the rooms in the house and generate contrast. Thanks to the monochrome palette, the furniture and furnishings take centre stage in this home, with different materials and textures creating a unique atmosphere in each space. “My favourite thing about the house is the way it flows from the front to the back and appears smaller than it really is — also the flow from indoors to out,” says Joseph.
Sustainability was key to the design of this home, and Joseph and Maria were keen to create a residence that was stylish and energy efficient. “We have solar floor heating, three-phase fans to circulate air, as well as strategically placed louvres and doors to increase airflow,” says Joseph. “All glass is 10.5mm tinted and laminated to control heat/cold insulation. All internal walls are acoustic rated, with wool insulation all around. Externally, the panels are aluminium panels [more often] used in high-rise buildings.”
The end result is a home that ticks all the boxes, from the quality of the build to the seamless interior design. This is a residence that will serve the family of five for many years to come.
Written by Annabelle Cloros
Photography by Marian Riabic
Originally in Home Design Volume 20 Issue 2