Treetops House brings softness to contemporary concrete volumes in Sydney

Set in the verdant, eastern suburbs of Sydney, Treetops House is a careful balance of crisp concrete and soft lines. The creation of local architecture studio Tobias Partners, headed by Nick Tobias, the home, located in Woollahra, is carefully positioned in a street-facing plot, which, wrapped in foliage, does not reveal much of what's going on behind its verdant front. Here, minimalist architecture meets green nature, and unexpected, sweeping curves offer drama to the everyday. 

Treetops House: a curated experience

Treetops House was commissioned as a new home for a retired couple – and is set in Sydney’s traditional Gadigal lands. Curating the space around geometric forms and green views, the architects put an experiential element at the heart of their design. 

As the new home was conceived as a downsize from the client's previous residence, it was important it kept to a modest scale – yet still allow for the display of the owners' 'most treasured objects from a lifetime of travels and memorable occasions, including artwork, artefacts, objects, furniture and family mementoes'. 

Crafted among relatively tightly packed adjacent properties and set below street level, as the site accommodates a sharp fall, the project was designed as a two-level, two-pavilion structure in order to break down the overall volume of the house and blend it more effortlessly into the leafy garden. 

As a result, it remains largely hidden and discreet – as there are few external viewpoints where one can take in the entire structure at a single glance. 

The upper levels contain the public spaces – importantly the living room, which features a glass expanse that frames the tree canopy beyond. Next to it, a kitchen, accented by a deep blue wall and a curved, timber ceiling, adds to this level's dynamism. 

The home's private areas, including bedrooms (for the owners and guests), a library, and an artist's studio are arranged around a central courtyard on the lower level.

Treetops House makes the most of its site's challenges and serene landscape, creating a contemporary home that feels elegant and sharp – but at the same time thrives in the playfulness and softness gained through clever features, textures, shapes and the omnipresence of nature.

tobiaspartners.com