Grand vision

It can be easy being green or it is for this house -that cleverly combines lavish spaces and timeless style, while also being kind to the planet.

- CHRIS PEARSON

This handsome home in Sydney’s north west, an inspired collaboration between architect Julian Brenchley and interior designer Jase Sullivan, offers a beguiling blueprint on being green with elegance and style – while welcomingly eco-aware it never leaves glamour at the door. Grand yet intimate, modern yet timeless, it embodies intriguing paradoxes, not the least of being these vast and lavish spaces are almost self-sufficient in their energy and water needs, while also being a fully functional home for a family with four children.

The owners bought the large, north-facing block in 2019. “Backing onto a golf course and occupied by a dilapidated 1960s double-brick home, it was a blank canvas, allowing us to design a property from scratch,” says the owner. “We wanted open plan living to make the most of the northerly aspect and the views, with multiple living areas for our large family and a big central kitchen as the heart of the house.” Equally importantly, the house needed to be kind to the planet, using its northern orientation to warm it, crossventilation to cool it, banks of solar panels, massive water storage tanks and embody robust finishes made to last – and also handle children’s rough and tumble. “The owners asked for a forever home with 100 per cent sustainability so it won’t cost a cent to maintain and they can hand down the keys to their children when the time comes,” says Julian, principal at Group Architects.