House Tour Harbourview House: A Custom New Build in Fairlight

Join us as we explore Heliconia’s latest project: Harbourview House. The lead interior designer on this project, Nicole, shares her insights into the design process. This stunning architecturally designed home was created in collaboration with Bourne Blue Architects , built by Stratti Building and landscape design by The Garden Social. Heliconia curated the exterior and interior foundations, including colours, materials, lighting, fixtures, and finishes throughout the home, and furnished and styled each space to reflect a seamless blend of bold design and inviting comfort. Nestled in Fairlight, on the Northern Beaches, this custom-built, luxury home represents the pinnacle of modern beach house living, expertly designed on a cosy 468m² block.

A Home Designed for Return Clients

Harbourview House was commissioned by our lovely returning clients, for whom we previously designed a fabulous holiday home.
Their continued trust in our vision is the highest compliment. They engaged Heliconia for their main residence—a knockdown rebuild.

The Visionary Design Brief

Our clients envisioned a contemporary and modern beach house distinct from their coastal holiday home on the South Coast. With a love for the beach, natural and pure materials, this was always going to be the main inspiration for all the exterior and interior details. The homeowners wanted to create a home that felt large and airy, celebrating breezy spaces rather than filling each space to the max. To balance the hard surfaces and clean lines, there was a strong focus on organic shapes and silhouettes, using nature-inspired colours, textured tiled flooring and timber finishes to bring warmth and atmosphere. As a social couple who love to entertain, they envisioned a home that felt spacious, warm, and inviting—perfect for popping in. They sought to maximise the space with a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living, creating an ideal environment for hosting gatherings and enjoying precious family time with their adult children.

Design Features That We Love

Harbourview House is full of fabulous details—starting with the offset kitchen island design, which then balances out with cabinetry and taller elements on the opposite side. The stunning Taj Mahal quartz stone works beautifully with the timber cabinets to create a warm and inviting kitchen area despite it’s open plan position and high ceilings. This stunning Taj Mahal quartz was also pulled through into some of the bathroom selections juxtaposing honed and textured tiles with its polished finish.

Each of the bathroom designs boasts its own unique wall tile colour inspired by nature while maintaining a cohesive shape, complemented by brushed nickel fixtures for a timeless palette.

The curve of an ocean wave inspired the stunning ceiling design, accentuated by eight metre ceilings that conjure the graceful movement of water—a nod to the owners’ love for water sports and the coast.

The ‘hit and miss’ brick lay design in the outdoor entertaining area creates an interesting design feature, as well as practical benefits of airflow and privacy without feeling too solid.

Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights flood the space with natural light, while timber batten features throughout add warmth and interest to the incredible curved ceilings, bringing softness and cohesion through the repetition of the battens.

Heliconia custom designed and hand-selected furniture pieces to perfectly fit each space, giving it that elevated and finished final look that evokes a feeling of homeliness for the clients despite its minimalist approach.

Architectural & Landscaping Harmony

The exterior of the house curves on one side to gently follow the road, creating a feeling of cohesiveness with its surroundings. Given the home's bold brutalist and modern exterior, the landscaping played a crucial role in framing and enhancing its striking design. Asher from The Garden Social shares their approach:

“As we had a worked with the clients previously they were incredibly trusting of our approach to the design and really left the brief open for us to present to them what we felt was required. The building and site lead the brief which called for scale in planting to ground the front of the building. The silver muted tones complement the tones of the exterior and interior palette. The rear presented a challenge in terms of the reduced depth to the garden but need for privacy from the overlooking properties above. We chose to use palms to create a privacy canopy above without impeding on the space. The layered planting below will eventually create the illusion of depth.”

Harbourview House exemplifies the innovative collaboration between a team of talented architects, interior designers, landscape designers and builders, and the importance of engaging your full team from the beginning of the project.

Still want more of The Harbourview project? See more imagery here

Get In Touch with Heliconia for your New Build Today

If you’re looking to build a new home or renovate in Sydney, we invite you to reach out for a chat with us about how we can transform your dream home into reality. Crafting exceptional spaces like Harbourview House is our passion, and we’re ready to help you embark on your journey.