When you are blessed with views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline, orientating your living space to best take in the sight is the order of the day. But what if that means your house will be facing due west?

When Julian and Judy Emery decided to renovate their two-bedroom Dover-Heights home, their priority was to create a design that allowed them to enjoy the multi-million dollar view.

“We had lived in the house for a few yeas prior to the renovation, so I was clear on what we wanted,” Julian says.

“The old house got lots of sunlight during daylight saving hours, so much that we couldn’t enjoy the view.”

Julian was clear with his design brief. The new house would need an external louvre structure so the view could be enjoyed, even during the hot summer months. Another important consideration was looking after the changing needs of Julian’s two sons, Zen, 9 and Marco, 8.

Private wing

“I designed their rooms to have external keyless access so that they can maintain their privacy as they get older,” Julian says.

Bi-fold doors open living area up to an enclosed veranda

“The have their own wing on the ground floor.”

Julian and Judy found their builder, David Edelstein, via a mailbox drop, and he in turn recommended an architect for the job. Although the new three level house shows no evidence of the original, it was always going to be a renovation job rather than a knock-down rebuild.

“We retained some of the footings so we could keep the original footprint,” Julian says. If they had built from scratch, current council regulations would have stipulated a smaller building envelope.

The exterior of the house is a combination of cement and render, which Julian says is a requirement of the environment they live in.

“It’s a high- wind area that stipulates the use of render,” he says.

“We have views of the Harbour and Bondi is our backyard so we wanted the exterior to have a beach-house feel.”

The main bedroom offers extensive views of the Harbour and city skyline

Exterior louvre shutters allow the family to enjoy the view in all weather.

“We designed the huge 3m x 10m balconies with bi-fold doors and rather than putting the louvres on the windows, we put them on the exterior of the house so we just adjust their angle depending on where the sun is,” Julian says.

“It saves us a fortune in air conditioning.”

In the backyard, a heated saltwater 7m swimming pool was an extravagance Julian says has paid for itself in the amount of fun his sons get out of it.

“We use gas to heat the pool so it doesn’t take too long to heat up,” Julian says. “They love it.”

The heated saltwater swimming pool

Dare to be different

Inside, plenty of thought went into the kitchen, which features an unusual green-toned splashback.

“We designed the kitchen around the views, which are straight out to the Harbour,’’ Julian says.

“We put in a 3m wide black granite bench top, which you can use to sit at and eat and for preparation. I bought the fridge and other appliances first and then had the cabinetmakers design the kitchen around their dimensions.”

The renovated house also includes smart-wiring. Julian says the element they use the most is sound.

“Each room has its own control so you can be listening to something different in each room or you can have it on in party mode, which means the same music is channelled to every room,” he says.

“We also put in the latest high-definitions TVs and Foxtel and the control panel is hidden in a cupboard- you don’t see any of the equipment which is a prerequisite.”

For the colour selection, an interior designer was called in.

“She selected the ceiling and wall colours and the exterior wall palette,” Julian says.

“Inside it’s a combination of whites; the ceiling is different to the walls. Then we went with a feature wall throughout the core of the house. It’s brown. We painted half of the kitchen and the stairwell in that colour. It gives you definition in terms of space and breaks it up.”

Left: The kitchen was designed around appliances Right: The ground floor terrace

A Louvre shutters control the amount of heat and light flowing into the house B Bi- fold doors open the living area up to an enclosed veranda C Judy and Julian Emery D and E The louvres can be adjusted depending upon the direction of the sun F The main bedroom offers extensive views of the Harbour and city skyline G The kitchen was designed around the appliances H The position of the double garage was retained I The lower ground floor opens on to a garden and the pool area J The ground floor entrance

A The living area B The ensuite in the main bedroom is located on the top floor C Glass balusters allow in light and give a feeling of space D The 7m lap pool has been a huge hit with the children

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