Pitt Point House by Ancher Mortlock & Woolley Architects

Perched within the trees at the water’s edge of Scotland Island, in Sydney’s Pittwater, The Pitt Point House, designed in 1985 by renowned architect Ken Woolley, is an icon of Australian design.

On arrival from the boat jetty, the house peaks out at the visitors, its green cedar weatherboards blending in surrounding coastal bush. The ostensibly simple structure holds surprises, comprised of a more complex than first thought series of interlocking buildings. The home was brought to life by builders Pettit and Sevitt, and was in fact designed for Brian Pettit, the architect’s long-time friend and collaborator.

The arrangement of the design appears as a series of blocks, built up to expand on the site to generate a maximum of light and space. The second house appears to ‘grow’ out of the first building, and gives space to the guest bedrooms, allowing it to be closed up when not in use. The first ‘block’ serves as the main house with an array of geometric angles in elaborate woodwork dividing the kitchen, living, bedrooms, study and bedrooms.

The house faces north on the water’s edge of Scotland Island on Sydney’s Pittwater.

The Pitt Point House features characteristics distinctive to Pettit and Sevitt’s work, such as split-level design, open-tread staircases, large picture windows, cathedral ceilings and Oregon timber woodwork. Ken Woolley and Brian Pettit used a team of German craftsmen to give the home the expertly crafted internal timberwork, for which the architect and builders became famed. The woodwork pulls the eye to the cathedral heights of the rooms, while giving contextual space within the narrow block.

Pitt Point House makes the most of its uninterrupted vistas over the Ku Ring Gai National Park, Longnose Point, Stokes Point, Clareville, Palm Beach and Barrenjoey Headland – with the historic twinkling across the distance at night. The living room in the main house brings the outside in, and a side door opens onto a patio to watch yachts and boats zip past on the lively water highway. Meanwhile, the northerly aspects avoid the westerly sun and give vantage to the sunrise through to the sunset, and in summer, the first hint of the cooling northeasterly winds, cooling down the home.

The house peaks out at the visitors.

Pitt Point features bespoke elements such as bookcase room dividers, a corner bar in the living room, and a large sunken circular bath upstairs – highlights of the unique relationship between builder and architect.