In the pocket
On an exposed corner site on a leafy Bondi street, find this layered, sculptural, semi-detached house. Copper-clad and streaming with light, the building offers a blueprint for compact multi-level living that combines clever quirks and thoughtful design with garden outlooks and privacy.
Originally one of a pair of inter-war semis, the narrow site adjoins a public walkway to its north-west and the adjoined neighbour to the east. In poor condition, the house was impossible to adapt, was dark, had rising damp, and was pretty well at the end of its useful life.
Demolition was the only option for owners Andrew and Kim, a sports media professional and teacher respectively, who had occupied the original single-storey semi for some years before deciding to rebuild something more interesting and flexible for the future.
Integral to the brief was the creation of a distinctive, sustainable house which needed to include a home office and accommodation for long visits by overseas parents. The slope of the site meant the public walkway presented a privacy challenge; plus, the owners wanted something a little bit out of the ordinary.
“It is great when an architect meets that type of person,” says Conrad Johnston, director of architecture group Fox Johnston. “The practicality was secondary to the overall form and expression of the building.”
Three distinct levels were carved across the site topography of just 153sq.m to engineer a house of 212sq.m. The small ground floor contains a private home office and guest accommodation, opening on to a front garden where there was once a car space.
Inside, extensive use of curves and soft edges promotes a sense of visual flow and ease. The challenge was to give the relatively compact interior an open atmosphere, without overlaying too many textures. The main living area used the full building area for a light-filled series of spaces with a central courtyard separating the kitchen from the living room, making it feel very generous.
Concrete floors pair with exposed timber ceiling beams, a natural timber staircase and western red cedar windows and doors. Kitchen joinery is quarter-cut timber veneer with marble benchtops. Curved futuristic windows wrap the internal courtyard and natural, softly coloured furnishings and furniture create an effortless feel and inviting space.
The bedroom up another level is wrapped in a curved wall of copper which screens for privacy both this floor and the living level.
“The copper wall is a big gesture for the setting and the street,” says Johnston. “Next to a traditional semi we’ve attached this bold, curved copper wall on a tiny block. This sculptural element crowns and connects the entire site. It’s full on, but in a gentle way.
“The budget for the project was tight, but after coming up with alternatives to remove the copper we analysed the numbers and proportionately it wasn’t that much. The one thing that made the client happy was the copper, so why would we cut that out?”
Part of the home’s success lies in its sustainable design: natural cross-ventilation provides low-cost cooling, solar access is maximised, and the use of exposed concrete floors helps maintain comfortable temperatures inside the home year-round. The north-east orientation maximises natural light, construction materials are locally sourced and native landscaping reduces water demand.
The end result is a lesson in how to utilise a small site and make it feel very generous, yet at the same time contribute to the neighbourhood.
“It’s been well-received due to its prominence next to the walkway and contribution to the street,” says Johnston.
Fringed by a row of paperbark trees in front of the house, the blend of copper and recycled sandstone excavated from the site seamlessly fits an eclectic area such as Bondi.
BONDI HOUSE
Architecture: Fox Johnston
Interior design: Fox Johnston
Build: Grid Projects
Styling: Sarah Ellison Studio
Photography: Dave Wheeler & Brett Boardman
