Set on the Sunshine Coast, this is a home that lives between the trees and the sea – a sanctuary raised subtly above the ground to honour both privacy and connection. Designed by Hive Architecture, the house responds to its context through a layout that draws the landscape in.
Anchored by a central courtyard, the residence introduces a spatial choreography that balances openness and seclusion. Each volume pivots around the garden core, offering visual and physical links to outdoor spaces while shielding inhabitants from the public eye. This is a home that lives between the trees and the sea by design, where the act of arrival is gently theatrical – beginning at the floating concrete stairs, passing beneath a palm that pierces the entry canopy, and opening into a grand living area that gestures skyward through high windows and layered glazing.
Natural light filters through skylights and clerestory apertures, and a restrained palette and elemental materiality allow the architecture to defer to its context. With automated systems for blinds, lighting and temperature, comfort is integrated seamlessly into the living and sleeping zones – particularly in the master suite. A retreat-like ethos frames the space as a centre for rest and recovery, which is exemplified through the inclusion of the Eight Sleep Pod for restorative sleep.
Circulation becomes experience as residents move along a glazed bridge linking the main pavilion to the bedroom wing. This momentary immersion in the landscape blurs the boundary between architecture and environment. The design continues outward with a suite of outdoor zones including a pool, lounge and pool house – all layered to support family life and relaxed hospitality. From alfresco moments to fireside evenings, the spaces engage with the subtropical climate while maintaining a sense of enclosure and calm.
When flood mapping requirements necessitated raising the structure, the design team used it as an opportunity to enhance the home’s sense of refuge. The result is a grounded, protective presence that remains porous to its surroundings. This architectural response not only resolves the practical but reinforces the emotive intent of the design – to create a home that lives between the trees and the sea, both metaphorically and literally.
The finished residence is layered and responsive. Materials feel tactile yet recessive, and transitions between inside and out are blurred with purpose. Every threshold is considered – not as an edge, but as an invitation to pause. This is a home that lives between the trees and the sea, not simply in position but in spirit. It offers a gentle stillness amid the pace of life, proving that connection to place is not just about what is seen, but how one feels within it.
Through its carefully articulated form and layered connection to landscape, this home reflects a shared vision between architect and client. It captures the serenity of its setting without succumbing to spectacle, and in doing so, achieves a rare kind of stillness. As a place shaped by nature, privacy and thoughtful living, it stands as a resonant expression of architecture as sanctuary.
00:00 – Introduction to a Home Between the Trees and Sea
01:13 – The Brief: Privacy, Family Living, and the Courtyard
02:06 – Walking Through the Home
04:40 – Elevation and Flood Resilience
05:24 – Favourite Moments and Reflections
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Photography by Pablo Veiga.
Architecture by Hive Architecture.
Build by Basalt Constructions.
Landscape design by Cos Design.
Filmed and edited by HN Media.
Production by The Local Production.
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.
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