Though ideally located with breath-taking views of Sydney Harbour, this enviable site posed a challenge: how to embrace that bright, sparkling vista while ensuring privacy and a protective feeling of enclosure. In crafting this expansive home, architects Fearon Hay used natural stone to embed a theme of contrast and contradiction with a design that is both private and open, sheltered yet connected to nature.

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Our terrazzo-like, custom-made Ceppo di Gré forms the flooring of the interior as well as the courtyard and terrace, flowing through the home’s voluminous spaces. The continuity of flooring not only blunts the shift between inside and out but also gives the house a feeling of connection with nature.

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Another type of stone, sheets of onyx, are set into blackened steel frames that wrap around the dwelling and are suspended – seemingly weightless – off the roofline. Though solid slabs, the onyx was chosen for its translucency; like Japanese rice paper, it glows in the sunlight, screening the home from outside view while allowing dappled light to filter through onto the Ceppo di Gré flooring.

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Lead architect Piers Kay explains, “The Ceppo di Gré has a strong grey tone but it’s warm and earthy and textured at the same time, which we loved. The tone tied in nicely with the onyx and the plaster. We always try and incorporate natural materials to provide a house that fits into its environment.”

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The stone is also the perfect complement in both texture and colour to the ingenious landscape design by Paul Bangay. The design not only creates privacy but allows light to stream into the residence, focusing a natural spotlight on Ceppo di Gré’s inherent beauty.

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Rose Bay House stands as a testament to the power of natural materials, seamlessly blending architecture, landscape, and light to create a private sanctuary deeply connected to its harbourfront setting.

Project details

Project: Rose Bay House

Location: Sydney

Architecture: Fearon Hay

Landscape Design: Paul Bangay

Product: Ceppo di Gré flooring

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Architecture & Design Team

Eco Outdoor

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