Award winning Glebe home breaks tradition
A bold, white vision of modern design, this award-winning Glebe home breaks from tradition with futuristic curves, arched windows and a $5.5m price tag.
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Straddling Sydney’s city fringe and the inner west, Glebe is known for its architectural heritage and peppering of period terrace houses.
This Ferry Rd house is none of that. It’s a boldly white, contemporary residence that merges futuristic curves and striking arches. The adventurous departure from the neighbourhood’s historic streetscape paid off for the innovative architects, snagging the top Australian design award.
In 2020, Surry Hills-based firm Chenchow Little earned the Wilkinson Award for Residential Architecture for Glebe House.
Now the rare real estate find is on the market with Harriet France of Sotheby’s International Realty, set to go to auction on June 3 with a price guide of $5.5m.
Tony Chenchow and Stephanie Little didn’t have much to work with, just a small 374 sq m site surrounded by Victorian terraces and modern apartment blocks.
Their goal was to maximise the capacity of the tight block and create a functional, liveable space for a growing family. The result is a head-turning two-storey home with curves in all the right places.
Unlike its traditional Victorian neighbours, number 38 is a modern marvel that is as remarkable as it is practical. The signature white-clad four-bedroom house is a grand design in a pint-sized spot.
A dilapidated cottage on the site was demolished to make way for the award-winning home, which the architects crafted to be sympathetic to the existing built environment. The arched openings and windows have been created to pay homage to the grand portico entrance of the Victorian house next door.
The ground floor houses the main living areas framed by vast arched windows and polished concrete floors. A multipurpose rumpus or work-from-home space features bespoke cabinetry. The Corian and oak kitchen has integrated appliances, and the open-plan lounge and dining room spill out onto a covered terrace and rock garden.
There is also a concealed powder room and laundry, plus a store room all on the lower level, further showcasing the savvy use of space.
Complementary to the external sculpted lines, a central curved staircase connects the two levels, while the double-height void allows for an abundance of natural light.
Inverted-arch windows upstairs create a scalloped framework to capture the Anzac Bridge and city skyline views while providing privacy for the upper-level bedrooms and bathrooms.
In the main bedroom, there is a shower en-suite with a skylight and built-ins, and the three remaining bedrooms share a full, family-friendly bathroom with a freestanding tub.
Additional features of the Glebe property include off-street parking, underfloor heating, Sonos sound system, double glazing, ceiling fans, and air conditioning.
Sitting less than 300m from the light rail and Glebe Rowing Club, the award-winning home is close to waterfront parklands, the eateries of Glebe Point Rd, as well as the University of Sydney and Broadway within easy reach.
Glebe House at 38 Ferry Rd, Glebe is listed with Harriet France of Sotheby’s International Realty, and will be auctioned on on June 3 with a price guide of $5.5m
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A Vaucluse masterpiece by MHNDU with interiors by Poco Designs brings architectural ambition and breathtaking ocean outlook to the auction block.
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There are ocean views, and then there is this.
Positioned on a dramatic clifftop in Vaucluse, 8 Ray Street doesn’t just face the Pacific, it commands it. With nothing between the home and the horizon but open water, this is the kind of outlook that buyers spend decades searching for and rarely find.
The residence itself is the work of MHNDU, one of Sydney’s most respected architectural practices, with interiors conceived by Poco Designs.
Together, the collaboration has produced a home that is as thoughtfully resolved inside as it is spectacular in its setting.
Soaring ceilings and expansive glazing open every principal room to the ocean panorama, while a series of indoor-outdoor transitions dissolve the boundary between interior life and coastal landscape. Light arrives differently here depending on the season — sharp and glittering in summer, golden and low in the cooler months.
Across five bedrooms and six bathrooms, the home offers scale without sacrifice. The brief has clearly been to create a property that functions as a family residence without ever retreating into mere functionality. Two car spaces complete the picture.
Vaucluse has long been synonymous with Sydney’s most coveted residential addresses, and Ray Street occupies one of the suburb’s most elevated and protected positions. The clifftop location is permanent — no development will interrupt this outlook — a fact that buyers at this level understand immediately and price accordingly.
The suburb’s median for five-bedroom homes currently sits at $11.725 million, with 50 transactions recorded this year and an average of 43 days on market. At that level, the properties that generate the most sustained buyer interest are those with something genuinely unrepeatable about them. A never-to-be-built-out ocean position qualifies on every measure.
8 Ray Street is listed with David Malouf, Director, Double Bay at Highland Property, and Steven Chen of The Agency, and will go to auction. Private inspections are available by appointment, with a scheduled open on Thursday 18 June at 5:30 pm.
Contact David Malouf (Highland) on 0411 073 882 or Steven Chen (The Agency) on 0412 959 959.
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