Located on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Babylon captures the essence of beautiful nature through a meticulous renovation that honours both architecture and landscape. Originally designed by Edwin Kingsbury, the residence has been reimagined by Casey Brown Architecture and Fiona Spence, creating a layered home deeply attuned to its place. The house sits atop a rock shelf with expansive views over Pittwater and the Pacific Ocean, its orientation maximising light from the north. The design prioritises a connection to setting and scale, immersing the structure in the unique qualities of its site. It becomes a home shaped not just by hands, but by terrain and time.
Guided by a deep respect for the original design, the renovation is not about erasure but evolution. Maintaining the spirit of the 70-year-old building, the team retained signature elements such as the experimental roof truss and sandstone walls, while upgrading key components for contemporary living. A new kitchen, study and bedroom suite have been added in sympathy with the home’s DNA, embracing a design ethos that is both additive and reflective. Every intervention responds to the natural topography, with the sandstone bedrock shaping the layout and anchoring the experience. This dynamic between built form and geological foundation adds emotional gravity to the architectural decisions.
This is a place where materiality and memory converge. The pivoting wall between the new kitchen and original bedroom wing demonstrates how the architecture leans into tactility and transformation, balancing enclosure with openness. Likewise, a guillotine window and large terrace door draw in the elements, extending the home into its surrounds. Here, beautiful nature is not viewed from afar – it is drawn in, touched and lived with daily. The architectural moves invite an intimacy with the landscape while maintaining a sense of monumentality. In every season, the house changes with the light, echoing the rhythms of the coast.
Integral to the project’s success is the collaboration between client, architect, builder and artisan. The hand-forged railings and extensive stonework exemplify the trust built between designer and craftsman. What began as a restoration grew into a layered process of shared authorship, with tradespeople contributing more than skill – they offered ideas. This collaborative atmosphere ensured that the final result was as emotionally resonant as it was physically refined. It’s in these details that the experience of beautiful nature is most tangible – not in grand gestures, but in subtle, enduring choices.
With its bespoke detailing, enduring material palette and sensitive reinterpretation, the home stands as a singular response to its coastal context. It doesn’t seek to be copied – its magic lies in its specificity. The combination of architectural intuition and restraint ensures that every space feels both grounded and ethereal. This is a house that speaks softly yet profoundly, embodying the possibilities of architecture in communion with beautiful nature. Surrounded by ocean, bushland and sky, the residence becomes a meditative threshold between the built and the natural. A lasting testament to the art of building within – not on top of – beautiful nature.
00:00 – Introduction to Australia’s Most Beautiful Nature Immersed Home
01:24 – Honouring a 70-Year Legacy
02:13 – Listening to the House
02:49 – Walking Through the Home and Additions
04:23 – Craft, Experimentation, and Detail
05:52 – Collaboration and Final Reflections
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Architecture by Casey Brown Architecture.
Original architecture by Edwin Kingsbury.
Interior design by Fiona Spence.
Build by David Campbell Building.
Filmed by The Local Production.
Edited by HN Media.
Production by The Local Production.
Location: Northern Beaches, New South Wales, 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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