Sculptural Pearl Beach House balances rawness and refinement

Pearl Beach House by Polly Harbison is a sculptural brick home that elegantly offsets its leafy Australian setting

Terrace at Pearl Beach house.
(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Set deep amid scrubby woodland, rainforest species and ancient grass trees, Pearl Beach House is a sculptural modern brick home. Just moments away from the famed New South Wales strip of beach and eponymous village, the building's geometric masonry cuts an almost austere, contemporary figure among the leafy vegetation and the region's blue skies. The home is the brainchild of Sydney-based architect Polly Harbison. 

‘This project explores ways to maintain a connection with the landscape, but in a different type of building, that intrinsically protects from bushfires. The form is derived from the site. Vertical elements face the street, reflecting the surrounding tree trunks. The long western “buffer” wall is a calm element within the bush, protecting from fire and providing privacy from the neighbouring walking trail,' Harbison says.

Exterior of Pearl Beach house, Australia.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

The house, conceived as a holiday home, was designed to sharply and effectively frame views of the natural environment surrounding it. This is reflected in the many outdoor areas and the strategically punctured windows across the circulation core – corridors and the main stairway – which look out to picture-perfect vistas. The living spaces have been elevated to the top floor to make the most of the tree-canopy views. 

The main, light-grey brick skin, is complemented by heavily grained blackbutt timber joinery and ironbark floorboards that bring in a sense of the surrounding nature. Meanwhile, carefully selected detailing, fittings and home electricals – think cast in-situ concrete benchtops and splashbacks, Lindsey Wherrett sinks, Archier lights, Henry Wilson hardware and a sophisticated selection of Fisher & Paykel kitchen appliances – elevate the interior. 

‘The very raw and robust detailing celebrates the heaviness of the building,' says Harbison. At the same time, the immaculate execution, attention to detail and natural element that makes itself present in every corner of Pearl Beach House speaks of a lightness of touch and an ethereal experience of staying in this weekend home

Modern brickwork at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

House and log storage at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Outdoors areas at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Modern recliner and green views at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Kitchen at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Kitchen island detail at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Living space at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Modernist interior at Pearl Beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

Minimalist bedroom at pearl beach house.

(Image credit: Pablo Veiga)

INFORMATION

pollyharbison.com.au

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

With contributions from