Quiet House living room with a white sofa and a timber framed window seat looking to the trees

Quiet House, Balmoral

Quiet House is north-facing on the Balmoral slopes, with direct beach access and protection from the wind, a rare position that the home's twisting geometry was designed to make the most of, framing two distinct views rather than settling for one.

The material palette is deceptively simple: sandstone reveals were custom-made as split-face 'coins' on the outside and honed on the inside, while the red ironbark used for windows, doors and cladding had to be specially sourced, milled and kiln-dried in Queensland before it could be shipped and built in on site.

Details
Site Area SQM
911
Built Area
473
Bedrooms
5
Bathrooms
6
Parking
4
Year Completed
2015
Sandstone walkway beside a timber batten screen, with bamboo alongside
Sandstone facade of Quiet House with stepping stones across the lawn
Hallway with two skylights, a timber batten screen and a red abstract artwork
Stone stair beneath a skylight with a timber batten screen
Timber framed window seat and pool edge at Quiet House with a view to the water
Timber front door and sandstone entry at Quiet House beneath a copper roof

Copper roofing and cladding and travertine flooring add to a material story built entirely around craft and specificity. Even the garage door was innovative in its design and build, made to look like a solid steel plate, achieved with an Axolotl metal-effect coating.

Built in partnership with MacCormick Architects, Quiet House went on to win the 2015 MBA Excellence in Housing Award and the 2015 MBA Excellence in Pools Award.

Quiet House garage with a timber door, sandstone walls and bamboo
Lawn and pool at Quiet House with the house stepping down the site
Pool terrace at Quiet House with white lounge chairs beneath a tree, the harbour beyond
Bedroom at Quiet House with a wide window to the water
Bathroom with a freestanding bath and a stone vanity, timber framed windows to the trees
White kitchen with a timber fronted island and a stone floor
Quiet House from the pool, its sandstone base and timber framed upper storey among the trees
Living room at Quiet House opening to a terrace over the water
Collaborators
  • Architecture by MacCormick Architects
  • Interiors by Zobel Interiors
  • DA Architecture by The RG Group P/L (Robert Grubb)
  • Landscape Design by Volker Klemm Landscape Design
  • Photography by Huw Lambert
Accolades
  • Winner MBA Excellence in Housing Award2015
  • Winner MBA Excellence in Pools Award2015
  • Winner Metal Roofing and Cladding Association of Australia (MRCAA) Award for Unique Metal Installation
  • Shortlisted Mosman Design Awards
Stone stair at Quiet House rising past a timber batten screen under a skylight
FS Hough