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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n An inner-city terrace wrapped in living greenery and an understated beach cottage hiding a luxury interior are two properties transformed by the architects who live in them.<\/p>\n In 2021, Sydney architect Nick Bell, of his eponymous agency,<\/a> bought a Surry Hills terrace for $1.71 million.<\/p>\n \u201cThe house itself was really unpleasant, \u201d Bell said. \u201cIt was very dark. Even though it faced north \u2026 basically the bathrooms were blocking the north aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n It also had a strange floor plan. His two daughters would have to go through one bedroom to get to the other.<\/p>\n Related Article However, Bell decided that the property had the bones he was looking for because it was north-facing at the rear, and unusually for the suburb, had enough room for parking and a garden for entertaining.<\/p>\n As the terrace was the fourth house he would design for himself, the initial process was about working out what was necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to try and cram in ideas because you\u2019ve got a stack of them,\u201d he said. \u201cI was much more disciplined this time in treating myself like a client. \u201d<\/p>\n The most striking feature is the exterior, which has become a popular selfie background for tourists passing by the inner-city property. The rear facade and the rooftop are made of living plants.<\/p>\n Bell wanted to create a \u201cgreen, lush garden feel\u201d and instead of being limited to the horizontal confines of the garden, made the house itself green.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very much about trying to \u2018greenify\u2019 the inner city, I suppose, in a tight space,\u201d he said of the plant system<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually a really good insulator for that wall as well, in terms of reducing any heat gain.\u201d<\/p>\n Working with a 51-square-metre footprint, Bell\u2019s main goal was to create space, light and warmth, but he also wanted to streamline the small space so it didn\u2019t feel cluttered.<\/p>\n There are no visible handles, the joinery is concealed and sliding doors cover a coffee nook and the television. The home has been reconfigured to have three good-sized bedrooms, this time separate from each other. It also has eight solar panels and fresh filtered air.<\/p>\n The house produces about 70 per cent of the electricity used, and bills are under $100 a month, which includes electrical vehicle charging. Bell had the property valued this year and was pleasantly surprised to be told upwards of $3.5 million.<\/p>\n While Bell focused on greening the inner city, architect Chris Howe took a different approach for his coastal home in Palm Beach.<\/p>\n Howe and his wife, international tax lawyer Betsy Howe, bought the five-bedroom home at 95 Pacific Road<\/a> in 2021.<\/p>\n The architect, who has won an award for best use of glass in a residential project for a home in Vaucluse, said the Palm Beach property had undergone several renovations over the decades before he reimagined it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted something quintessential, Australian \u2026 understated, comfortable, lots of light<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Howe said the home sits within a sheltered U-shaped valley that gets northern sea breezes but is protected from southerly winds.<\/p>\n His redesign focused heavily on passive ventilation and structural integrity, and he even welded the steel framework beneath the weatherboard exterior himself.<\/p>\n \u201cVery, very rarely do we ever use the air conditioning,\u201d Howe said.<\/p>\n \u201cI use a system which goes back to the days of the Romans, where you bring in [air], you expel hot air at the top of the building. And that\u2019s the Venturi effect.\u201d<\/p>\n The renovated beach house features painted weatherboard, floating stairs designed to protect native plants on neighbouring council land, white quartz pebbles in the swimming pool and one of Howe\u2019s signature inclusions: a glass floor above the wine cellar.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery house I\u2019ve done for 30 years has had a glass floor in it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"Architect](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/46645c99d2b577d3c7bb0b542bcb42bcdcf8c302.jpeg\")
Architect Nick Bell with daughter Charlie at the re-imagined Surry Hills property.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n![\"Brothers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d3ec2062a94d4395988125c91d186b592d1b56e4.jpeg\")
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The home\u2019s rear facade and the rooftop are made of living plants.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n![\"Bell](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0816f806fe09fc3a571d9810f363a5773517de59.jpeg\")
Bell wanted to avoid clutter in the small space.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n![\"Architect](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7d6d2f0fec8630ad335cd6e3c7714db70f913f15.jpeg\")
Architect Chris Howe transformed his Palm Beach house.James Brickwood<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2756c95385d14d6af965bbd9a8ab320d2a3471d4.jpeg\")
The renovated beach house features floating stairs designed to protect native plants on neighbouring council land and white quartz pebbles in the swimming pool.James Brickwood<\/p>\n
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Howe\u2019s redesign focused heavily on passive ventilation and structural integrity.James Brickwood<\/p>\n