Development of the Week: Otium Brings a New Level of Calm to Bellevue Hill Ōtium Bellevue Hill Overlooks Cooper Park

Luxury in Bellevue Hill has traditionally been measured through land, elevation and harbour outlooks. At Ōtium, a boutique residential development taking shape at 206B Victoria Road, the defining quality is quieter: a sense of separation from the city without leaving Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Positioned above Cooper Park, the development turns away from the movement of Victoria Road and towards the reserve’s dense green canopy. Its north-western rear orientation has been designed to capture natural light, parkland views and the Sydney skyline beyond.

The result is a collection of residences conceived around privacy, space and a close connection with the surrounding landscape.

Award-winning architecture practice MHN Design Union has designed the building, using its elevated setting to establish a distinctly different outlook from many of Bellevue Hill’s apartment developments. Rather than treating the park as a distant backdrop, the architecture draws it into the residences through broad openings, private terraces and living spaces oriented towards the trees.

The Victoria Road elevation uses brickwork to give the building a grounded, enduring street presence. To the rear, the architecture becomes more open, with the residences extending towards private outdoor areas overlooking Cooper Park.

Inside, Ennen & Co has developed a warm and restrained material palette influenced by the building’s architectural forms and natural setting. Clean lines are offset by stronger moments of colour and texture, including deep green tiling, natural stone, marble and bespoke joinery.

The approach is deliberately understated. Instead of relying on conspicuous finishes, the interiors have been designed as a flexible backdrop for furniture, art and the individual preferences of each owner.

Ōtium comprises just eight homes; a garden residence, six upper-level residences and an expansive penthouse. The garden residence offers the most direct relationship with the landscaping, while the penthouse takes advantage of the development’s elevation with views across the parkland canopy towards the city.

A communal rooftop terrace provides another perspective over Bellevue Hill and Sydney. The space has been planned for quiet morning use as well as private gatherings, giving residents access to an elevated outdoor area beyond their individual terraces.

Construction is being undertaken by Ultra Building Co for developer Concretive. Ultra describes the development as a $16 million project and says its work has focused on natural stone, custom joinery, bespoke tiling, acoustic and thermal performance, and carefully resolved transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces.

The location places residents close to several distinct neighbourhood centres. Bellevue Road Village provides local cafés, shops and daily services, while Plumer Road, Double Bay and Bondi Junction extend the dining, retail and transport options. Cooper Park itself offers walking trails and tennis courts, with Sydney’s eastern beaches and the Royal Sydney Golf Club also within easy reach.

It is a location that allows daily life to remain highly connected while creating a more secluded atmosphere at home.

Ōtium is being marketed by Ray White Double Bay Projects, with agent Daniel Ungar noting the development’s strong appeal among buyers.

“Ōtium has resonated strongly with buyers because it offers a combination that is increasingly difficult to find in Bellevue Hill, generous, house-like proportions, privacy and a genuine connection to nature, without the maintenance of a freestanding home,” Ungar says

Above Cooper Park, Ōtium makes stillness itself part of the proposition, an increasingly valuable quality in one of Sydney’s most tightly held residential markets. It offers the security and lower-maintenance qualities of apartment living, but with larger interiors, private terraces and a natural outlook more commonly associated with a freestanding home.

Project details

Project: Ōtium
Address: 206B Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW
Developer: Concretive
Architect: MHN Design Union
Interior design: Ennen & Co
Builder: Ultra Building Co
Status: Under construction
Selling agents: Daniel Ungar & Zorick Toltsan | Ray White Double Bay Projects
Contact: 0400 112 202 | 0411 227 784

The Sydney developer-builder, which typically retains its projects, is offering 54 residences off the plan on Spencer Street, with prices starting at $3.9 million.

HSN Property Group has launched Maison Jolene in Rose Bay, giving buyers a rare opportunity to purchase off the plan from a developer-builder that has spent more than two decades building a predominantly build-to-hold portfolio in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. HSN values that portfolio at $4 billion.

Located at 2–16 Spencer Street, Maison Jolene comprises 54 residences, including house-sized two- and three-bedroom apartments, sub-penthouses and penthouses. Prices start at $3.9 million, according to HSN, with many residences designed to capture views across Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.

James Nixon, head of projects at The Rubinstein Group, is handling the sales campaign alongside agency founder Gavin Rubinstein. He says the launch is an unusual opportunity for buyers who have followed the developer’s work.

“HSN is renowned for building entire projects and rarely selling a single apartment to the open market, so Maison Jolene really is a first for potential buyers who have been following the brand across previous projects,” Nixon says.

HSN worked with architecture practice MHN Design Union and interiors studio The Unlisted Collective on the development. A rhythm of arches and deep-set openings gives the building its presence on Spencer Street, while the residences are positioned to make the most of natural light, privacy and outlook. Landscaping frames the arrival and carries through to the shared outdoor spaces.

“Maison Jolene was conceived to bring a touch of European elegance to Rose Bay, drawing on the understated charm of Mayfair and the romance of Paris while remaining grounded in the relaxed character of Sydney’s eastern suburbs,” says Rafi Assouline, founder and director of HSN Property Group.

The apartments were designed with established Rose Bay downsizers in mind. Large kitchens, generous storage and flexible living areas are intended to ease the move from a family home, with layouts that can also accommodate families and professionals looking for more space in an apartment.

The shared amenities are designed as an extension of those homes. Residents will have access to a lounge, private dining room and landscaped alfresco entertaining area. A wellness retreat brings together a magnesium pool, cold plunge, sauna, steam room and heated stone recovery bench, alongside a gym and dedicated space for Pilates and yoga.

Inside the apartments, the curves of the façade recur in the cabinetry and balustrades. Custom wall sconces, tapware and patterned parquetry sit alongside carved marble basins, hammered-glass shower screens and recessed stone niches. Timber veneer wardrobes have leather-clad drawers, while an Art Deco-inspired motif appears in the raised ceiling detail, joinery and built-in velvet bedheads.

“Maison Jolene is at once contemporary and old world, with custom-designed parquetry flooring and an art deco-inspired motif juxtaposing with the curvature of the arched facade, balustrade and internal cabinetry,” Assouline says.

The kitchens bring several of those ideas together in a sculptural, bubble-shaped island. Assouline helped design and engineer the curved form and personally selected the marble, which is bookmatched so the veining mirrors across adjoining pieces.

“With each of our projects, I look for symmetry in design,” he says. “Crafting the apartments is like solving a puzzle of one thousand pieces; one little detail wrong could mean the picture doesn’t translate correctly once it’s finished.”

HSN will develop and build Maison Jolene, overseeing the project from design through to construction. The family-owned company says it has delivered more than 270 homes, has 200 apartments under construction and has a 100 per cent completion record.

“As a private, integrated developer-builder, we maintain close control over every stage of a project,” Assouline says. “We see our projects as collaborative partnerships with our architects, interior designers and specialist trades with whom we have refined a very unique aesthetic, to ensure every detail is considered for those who will live there.”

For Nixon, the developer’s involvement in both design and construction is part of the pitch to buyers. “The attention to design excellence, combined with HSN’s proven track record in delivering ultra-high-end developments, ensures a level of rarity and enduring quality seldom seen in today’s market,” he says.

“To purchase an HSN property is to acquire a property that will not just hold its value but stand the test of time as a timeless piece of Sydney real estate.”

The Spencer Street address puts residents close to Rose Bay’s village cafés and restaurants, foreshore walks and ferry service, with beaches, golf courses and schools nearby. Maison Jolene is now selling off the plan through James Nixon and Gavin Rubinstein.