luigi rosselli designs classical villa under centennial peppertree in australia

atop bellevue hill in new south wales, australia, stands a centennial peppertree covering two homes: luigi rosselli’s oculus house and his latest design, the peppertree villa. the skilfully designed late 1920s home references the classical architecture that was popular in australia at the time. the mediterranean-style villa expressed the classicism through its grand entry portico on the side of the house, magnificent fireplaces and well-proportioned rooms in its interior.

all images © prue ruscoe

luigi rosselli architects created flowing, connected living spaces within the villa that open up to common areas. the architects added a new garden, a basement garage, an attic room and a backyard swimming pool. a new stair was also added to link the two levels to the rest of the house and to provide a more inviting ascension to the bedrooms on the upper floors. the newly added staircase results in a suspended sculptural ribbon, detached from the stairwell walls.

the minimal, yet contemporary, interior design and accessories complement the classical exterior architecture. every aspect of the design was carefully workshopped by the client (a renowned fashion designer), project architect jane mcneill and interior designer romaine alwill. romaine’s mastery of architectural finishes brought the introduction of lush, tactile elements such as the stucco lucido (polished plaster), brass metalwork, solid timber panelling, resin based wall claddings and bronze finishes to the cabinets.

on the ground floor, small timber windows have been replaced by larger, finely framed steel windows. they offer uncluttered openings onto a new myles baldwin designed garden where the peppertree still stands, casting a soft, dappled light across the walls and grounds of the reborn villa.