Lurline Bay Residence
A Timeless Evolution by the Coast
Perched dramatically on the cliffs of Lurline Bay, this residence is a layered expression of enduring architecture, natural context, and the evolving needs of its long-term inhabitants. Originally designed by Wood Architecture over 20 years ago, the home has recently undergone a transformative second stage — a continuation that not only honours the spirit of the original design but redefines the home as a multi-generational coastal sanctuary.
The same clients who commissioned the original home returned with a future-focused brief: to enhance the home’s functionality, support ageing in place, and preserve its deep connection to land and sea. The resulting extension — conceived as a new “living” pavilion — cascades gently down the steep oceanfront site, integrating a new swimming pool and a network of carefully calibrated indoor and outdoor spaces that elevate the experience of coastal living.
Type
Houses
Location
Lurline Bay, NSW
Builder
Interior Designer
Photographer
Murry Wood & Nic Watt
An Expertly Crafted Expansion at Lurline Bay
Now a five-storey residence, the home balances architectural presence with environmental sensitivity. Built by One Up Construction, the new works extend the home’s liveable area with precision and care, using a lightweight steel structure that minimises ground disturbance and respects the site’s sandstone foundations and natural overland water flow. This prefabricated construction approach allowed for efficient assembly on a challenging site, ensuring minimal disruption to the land’s existing character.
Externally, the architecture is resolved through a refined material palette — robust natural stone, weathered timber, and expressed steel come together in a restrained coastal composition that resists the elements while ageing gracefully. Roof forms are choreographed to block the western sun and open towards the east, creating a dynamic interplay between privacy and openness.
A Seamless Connection Between Architecture and Interior
In collaboration with D’Cruz Design Group, the interiors mirror the architecture’s clarity and calm. Soft materiality, curved forms, and a coastal-informed colour palette imbue the interiors with a sense of grounded elegance. Large openings frame uninterrupted 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean — a daily connection to the horizon that draws in light, air, and the meditative rhythm of the waves.
A central two-storey atrium — or “lantern” — marks the entry sequence, leading through a gallery of art and sculpture, across a reflective pond, and finally toward panoramic ocean views. Water is not only an external condition of the site, but an internal motif — subtly linking the journey through the home.
Designed for Life’s Next Chapter
This second stage is more than an architectural addition — it is a spatial response to the future. Subtle interventions such as an internal lift and intuitive circulation strategies allow the owners to gracefully navigate across levels without sacrificing the spatial drama or integrity of the design. Private bedroom zones are located in the original solid masonry structure — a protective threshold facing the street. In contrast, the new steel-and-glass living pavilion opens entirely to the eastern views, forming a light-filled counterpart to the solidity of the original home. The two volumes are linked by a courtyard specifically oriented to capture the winter sun while being shielded from westerly winds — a seasonal refuge that strengthens the relationship between architecture and climate.
Honouring Site and Context
The residence responds holistically to its complex topography, prevailing breezes, solar patterns and deep sandstone strata. Its unique position — on the edge of the Pacific — informs every design decision. Rooflines are angled for privacy and protection, outdoor spaces are distributed to suit changing weather conditions, and every room offers a view to the sea.
Inspired by the owners’ love of Australian coastal life and their appreciation for Asian culture, the home integrates subtle Eastern design influences in its courtyards, furnishings, and landscaping — creating a layered, culturally nuanced home that reflects the personalities and history of its inhabitants.
A Sensitive and Sustainable Legacy
With its lightweight construction, passive design strategies, and minimal reliance on artificial heating and cooling, the home is as environmentally attuned as it is architecturally expressive. A large thermal mass wall absorbs winter sun, while the roof’s deep eaves and careful orientation prevent overheating in summer. Although plant areas were set aside for air conditioning, the owners — guided by the architecture — found no need for mechanical cooling even in warmer months.
Enduring, Evolving, and Entirely of Place
The Lurline Bay Residence is a project decades in the making — one that continues to grow with its owners while remaining resolutely anchored to its coastal setting. In its seamless blending of past and present, privacy and openness, architecture and landscape, the home stands as a testament to the possibilities of long-term design thinking.
It is a space where the sound of waves meets quiet interior calm, where whales pass by in full view, and where the architecture offers a measured response to time, tide, and the lives lived within.
Regional Architecture Expertise
With a profound understanding of regional architecture, WOOD Architecture crafts enduring spaces that respond to place while delivering a refined, modernist sensibility.
Recognised for excellence, the practice has won the Newcastle Architecture Award for Maitland Athletics Centre and serves as a respected voice on design juries.
As trusted advisers for galleries, small public buildings, and high-quality commercial projects in regional areas, WOOD Architecture balances precision with sensitivity—creating spaces that are both functional and deeply connected to their surroundings.