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Location
Hardys Bay, NSW
Builder
BBM Construction
Collaborators
Pangkarra Gardens
5QS Engineers
Central Coast Certifiers
Photographer
Luke Shadbolt
A call to the coast.
Perched above the still waters of Hardys Bay, with panoramic views across Brisbane Waters and the Bouddi National Park, this home is a retreat that both embraces and dissolves into its extraordinary natural setting. Designed to tread lightly, the architecture responds to its context through a restrained, tactile palette of materials that belong to the land.
A sandstone base draws up from the beach below, anchoring the home and echoing the bay’s soft, sandy shore. Above, a timber-clad volume nestles into the trees at the edge of Bouddi National Park. Over time, the timber will weather and silver, allowing the form to blend seamlessly into its bushland context. This gentle aging of material was integral to the design, creating a home that becomes increasingly harmonious with its environment.
The house balances weight and lightness: a grounded, earthy lower level supports a lightweight timber form above. Timber screens wrap the corners, blurring edges and filtering light and views. Inside, a palette of light, bright materials provides calm contrast, creating a backdrop that allows the landscape to take centre stage.
The design invites pause and perspective. A bench seat and generous window in the downstairs main bedroom offer a quiet moment overlooking the bay. As you move through the home, views are revealed in stages and glimpses through timber battens echo the experience of walking through the bush toward the beach. At the top, a raked ceiling lined in v-groove boards lifts the eye and opens to a sweeping outlook over moored boats and the distant ridgeline of Bouddi.
Every element of the home encourages connection — to nature, to each other, and to a slower rhythm of life. Sunlight, sea breezes, and outdoor living are prioritised. The layout fosters togetherness, with spaces designed for everyday family life and for future holidays. Just over an hour from Sydney, the house becomes an extension of the clients’ social lifestyle, designed for entertaining, hosting, and gathering.
A native, low-maintenance landscape by Pangkarra Gardens grounds the home in its coastal context, completing a place of quiet retreat that’s deeply attuned to the land and to the lives unfolding within.
We acknowledge the Darkinjung people, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Ironbark House stands. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
A call to the coast.
Perched above the still waters of Hardys Bay, with panoramic views across Brisbane Waters and the Bouddi National Park, this home is a retreat that both embraces and dissolves into its extraordinary natural setting. Designed to tread lightly, the architecture responds to its context through a restrained, tactile palette of materials that belong to the land.
A sandstone base draws up from the beach below, anchoring the home and echoing the bay’s soft, sandy shore. Above, a timber-clad volume nestles into the trees at the edge of Bouddi National Park. Over time, the timber will weather and silver, allowing the form to blend seamlessly into its bushland context. This gentle aging of material was integral to the design, creating a home that becomes increasingly harmonious with its environment.
The house balances weight and lightness: a grounded, earthy lower level supports a lightweight timber form above. Timber screens wrap the corners, blurring edges and filtering light and views. Inside, a palette of light, bright materials provides calm contrast, creating a backdrop that allows the landscape to take centre stage.
The design invites pause and perspective. A bench seat and generous window in the downstairs main bedroom offer a quiet moment overlooking the bay. As you move through the home, views are revealed in stages and glimpses through timber battens echo the experience of walking through the bush toward the beach. At the top, a raked ceiling lined in v-groove boards lifts the eye and opens to a sweeping outlook over moored boats and the distant ridgeline of Bouddi.
Every element of the home encourages connection — to nature, to each other, and to a slower rhythm of life. Sunlight, sea breezes, and outdoor living are prioritised. The layout fosters togetherness, with spaces designed for everyday family life and for future holidays. Just over an hour from Sydney, the house becomes an extension of the clients’ social lifestyle, designed for entertaining, hosting, and gathering.
A native, low-maintenance landscape by Pangkarra Gardens grounds the home in its coastal context, completing a place of quiet retreat that’s deeply attuned to the land and to the lives unfolding within.
Location
Hardys Bay, NSW
Builder
BBM Construction
Collaborators
Pangkarra Gardens
5QS Engineers
Central Coast Certifiers
Photographer
Luke Shadbolt
We acknowledge the Darkinjung people, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Ironbark House stands. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. Breathe acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Breathe stands. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
