Moon House in Sydney takes design cues from neighbouring period properties

Sweeping arches define this all-white house in Sydney, designed by Australian practice James Garvan Architecture to reference nearby neoclassical and Federation-style properties.

The house is located in the suburb of Waverley and belongs to a young couple. Having recently had a baby, the owners asked James Garvan Architecture to redesign the home with a more open layout that could accommodate their growing family, as well as visiting friends and relatives.

They also wanted the interiors to feel bright, airy and organic in appearance.

Before construction works started, it emerged that the house, built at the turn of the 20th century in Australia's Federation architecture style, had completely unsound foundations.

The practice made the decision to rebuild the home from scratch, taking stylistic inspiration from local properties.

The resulting Moon House is composed of a rectangular brick volume, from which protrude three zinc-lined arches.

While the brick element references the simple geometric form of the neighbourhood's neoclassical residences, the arches are meant to be a contemporary take on the steeply gabled roofs that can be seen on other Federation-era homes nearby.

The entire facade is a crisp shade of white, save for the greenery spilling over a planter that runs through the middle of the largest arch.

"The diverse streetscape gave us licence to be more expressive and representative of [the owner's] fun and optimistic personalities," said studio founder James Garvan.

"However, we still wanted to be contextual to the style and scale of the neighbouring houses."

Upon entering the house, inhabitants come through a slender corridor to a large kitchen and dining area featuring oak veneer joinery.

This is followed by a double-height living room where the practice has created a barrel-vaulted ceiling, continuing the arch motif. Within one of the vaults is a window that provides a visual connection to the upper floor.

A sliding glazed door in the living room grants access to the back garden and pool area, which James Garvan Architecture has surfaced with the same pale limestone pavers that run throughout the interior.

The practice has also created deep arched recessions on the home's rear facade so it looks like the inverse of the front.

To minimise Moon House's overall mass, its two bedrooms, nursery, bathroom and study were built just half a storey up.

The restrained colour and material palette of the ground floor was also applied to these upstairs rooms; almost all of them have been rendered in white and finished with oakwood furniture.

James Garvan Architecture's Moon House joins a number of other aesthetically striking residences in Sydney.

This includes Bondi House by Nick Kent Design, which is fronted by translucent polycarbonate screens, and Terrace Mirage House by Alcami Architecture, which is arranged around an openable courtyard.

The photography is by Katherine Lu. 

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