Custom kitchen details include an island in Calacatta Vagli and joinery in polyurethane and Corian, with Fredericia Spine wood stools adding warmth to the surrounding stone.
Full of light and shaped by restraint, Veil is a sculptural response to its coastal site. Designed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects, it balances openness with intimacy, drawing landscape, volume and movement into quiet alignment.
Defined by sculptural forms and spatial sequences, the triangular site became a key driver of the brief. Rather than resist its geometry, Madeleine Blanchfield Architects worked with it, allowing the form to widen toward the garden and ocean beyond, creating a sense of openness within a constrained footprint.
Materially, the Sydney home draws from its coastal setting, with sandstone, concrete and timber reflecting the landscape. “The design evolved from the site itself, its geometry, light and orientation and a desire to strengthen the connection between inside and out,” architect and founder Madeleine Blanchfield says.
The tone of the project was established early through the entrance sequence, which “became unexpectedly pivotal” according to Blanchfield, carrying the emotional weight of the home. Developed in response to overshadowing constraints from the southern neighbour, the domed entry and sculptural stair emerged through carving into the upper-level form. What began as a highly technical exercise required careful resolution of an unusual internal geometry deliberately left pure, “resisting the urge to over-program it, which ultimately gave it a calmness and clarity,” Blanchfield reflects.
The living room is anchored by a custom Fanuli Furniture Keely sofa, set across from a Baxter Nairobi coffee table, DePadova Erei daybed, DePadova Silvia chair and Pierre Yovanovitch Flare wood floor lamp.
Materially, stone blade walls, concrete and sandstone core give way to glazed and timber-screened exteriors. “We worked with sandstone, concrete and timber to reflect the surrounding geology and bushland, creating a sense of continuity between architecture and landscape,” Blanchfield says. Inside, the kitchen island sits as a freestanding object within the living pavilion, uniting the space while remaining visually light through adaptable openings. Inspired in part by Spanish architect Josep Antoni Coderch, known for his stepped facades, interlocking forms and humanist approach, the project draws parallels between site, climate and lived experience. Upstairs, timber screening softens private rooms, maintaining connection to light and landscape. Light, breeze and movement are drawn through the interiors, extending to views of the ocean beyond.
The journey through the home shifts from intimate moments into light-filled spaces. “There is a sense of discovery in how each space is encountered,” Blanchfield reflects, “with thresholds, screens and shifts in volume shaping perception.” Together, these moments create a subtle theatricality, where the very act of experiencing the home and its sweeping views becomes just as meaningful as the spaces themselves.
A Skupa slatted bench in American black walnut under the staircase which softens the home with a sculptural sweep, layering atmosphere and movement between spaces. Also pictured: GUBI Pacha chair and Servomuto Giardino floor lamp.
The main bathroom opens to the sky, centred on a custom vanity and mirror in Esmerelda quartzite. Astra Walker Icon tapware in brushed platinum is paired with a Tanika side table by Jellis and Studio Gardner.
Custom Accoya screens open the bedroom to layered views and filtered light, with a custom headboard and Cassina 1 Fauteuil dossier basculant armchair and Cassina 524 Tabouret Méribel stooloriented toward the water beyond.
The bright garden complements the tonal Beaufort sandstone paving, contrasted by aluminium windows by Enviro Window Designs.
An aluminium front door by Enviro Window Designs forms a generous entry, offset by irregular Foster sandstone walling by Aussietecture and Beaufort sandstone paving by Eco Outdoor.
