Houzz Tour: Brood Spreads Its Wings in Art-Filled Addition

With gorgeous Bronte Beach just a 10-minute walk from their house, these Sydney homeowners had no issue with their home’s location. But with four children at home, they wanted more room. The busy professionals love design, clever architecture and art, so one of their first requests was for a bigger living area with space to hang their art collection. They also wanted more bedrooms, an abundance of natural light and better air circulation. “They pretty much left the architect to run with that, and he has done more than they could ever have imagined,” says Liam Flood, director of construction company To the Mil, which worked on the project. While Andrew Schultz of ASA Architects designed the addition, To the Mil built it with care. Many of the home’s features were handcrafted and laid by hand.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 4 children, ages 7, 14, 18 and 21
Location: Bronte Beach, Sydney, Australia
Size: 3,875 square feet (360 square meters); 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms

Fine craftsmanship and beautiful detailing are visible from the street. The steel balustrade leading to the entrance provides security, but its design also makes the strong structure look visually light.

“A sculptured garden from 20 years of planting and a 200-year-old fig tree give you the feel of a tropical oasis in the heart of the city,” Flood says.


The colors of the hand-laid stone wall siding, wood bridge and front door, as well as in the landscaped gardens, create a simple but defined palette that works well against the charcoal and white paint.


Open the front door and you enter a wide hallway filled with the couple’s artworks and flooded with natural light from clerestory windows.

Find out how to make the most of your hallway


The bedrooms and bathrooms in the home’s new upper story capture the heating from the lower section of the house, but cleverly placed windows create a natural cooling airflow through these rooms in the warmer months.


A master bedroom and an en suite in the rear give the owners their own private tropical outlook and personal oasis.

Curtains: Australian Shutters & Blinds



The en suite tub, from ACS Designer Bathrooms, is positioned to take in the leafy outlook.

Wall tiles: Amalfi; floor tiles: Teranova


Yellow chairs on the balcony add a pop of color against the lush green backdrop.

Chairs: Domayne


A handmade handrail leads down the curved stairs into the main living area, composed of the kitchen, living room, dining room and back deck.


The artworks take center stage in the living and dining areas; the furnishings and accessories complement rather than compete with them.

Pillows: The Gallery Shop


The flooring in the open-plan living-dining area is American oak from Austimber.








“This open-plan area is large enough for socializing and filled with natural light, but designed in a way that if you are on your own, it never feels cavernous,” Flood says. To the Mil made the dining table; the chairs are from Ikea.





In the kitchen the black granite countertop has a honed finish. The kitchen’s sleek lines and subtle color palette draw the eye toward the view outside.

Faucet: Winning Appliances; island seating: Harvey Norman


The powder room is dramatic and luxurious.

Wallpaper: eurowalls


The lower level houses a private area for visiting guests and relatives, complete with library, study, living room and bathroom. This level has hydronic underfloor heating, so in summer the cool concrete slab cools the house, and in winter the thermal mass from the heated concrete floor heats the house.

Sofa: Sofa Studio


The back deck leads out to a mosaic-tiled pool, rear decks (built around existing palm trees) and tropical-style gardens.


The stone-clad walls seen at the front of the house are echoed at the rear.


Engineering for the pool called for 18 piers that, because of tight access, had to be dug by hand. “It was the biggest challenge, not only for us but especially for the boys doing the digging,” Flood says. “Once this was completed, the rest was plain sailing.”

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