Inside A Family Home Designed To Feel Like A Sanctuary
BARDWELL PARK
Located in Sydney’s Bardwell Park, this family home designed sanctuary reflects an immersive understanding of its site, surroundings and the people who live within. Designed by 868 Architects and constructed by Hammercorp, Project Sole is shaped by a sense of calm, privacy and long-term liveability. From the first travertine pillar to the custom steel roofline, each detail is grounded in material richness and meaning, culminating in a home that invites its occupants to slow down, engage and stay connected.
Framed by leafy street trees on a corner block, the family home designed sanctuary makes an immediate impression through considered forms and layered thresholds. A large bronze pivot door signals arrival with deliberate weight, while the travertine, glass curves and open voids ease visitors into the rhythm of the interior. These design choices, including a central skylight and the playful integration of the pool into the architecture, balance grandeur with softness and movement. Curves throughout – gentle and consistent – help define the private and public zones without disruption, guiding inhabitants through their day at a gentler pace.
This is a family home designed sanctuary with intention. Interiors draw upon durable materials and tactile textures, not just for aesthetic longevity, but to meet the needs of a growing family. Joinery, bronze fixtures and Knotwood aluminium features are employed with both practicality and atmosphere in mind. Steel framing, used throughout, is expressed as both a visual feature and structural device, enabling large expanses of glazing and a floating roofline that brings in northern light across the living areas.
Throughout this family home designed sanctuary, the landscape complements the architectural gestures with lush planting and open air connections. While the pool serves as a visual and social axis for the home, more private garden moments are tucked into courtyards and transitional zones. Together, they evoke the emotional language of a holiday – a core inspiration shared by the clients when first engaging with 868 Architects. Their dream of creating a year-round sanctuary was grounded in real-life use: play, rest, connection and retreat.
As a family home designed sanctuary, Project Sole transcends trend to deliver something deeply personal yet universally resonant. It is an environment where materials express mood, space nurtures stillness, and design fosters long-term belonging. For the family who now calls it home, every morning begins with light, nature and the sense of pause – a luxury woven into the fabric of everyday life.
00:00 – Introduction to the Family Home
01:05 – Walking Through the Home
02:40 – Materiality and the Beauty of Durability
04:50 – Reflections on Design and Living
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Photography by Andreas Bommert.
Architecture and interior design by 868 Architects.
Build and development by Hammercorp.
Landscape design by Sydney City Landscapes.
Joinery by Joinery X.
Engineering by AE Consulting Engineers.
Aluminium profiles by Knotwood.
Filmed and edited by The Local Production.
Production by The Local Production.
Location: Bardwell Park, New South Wales, Australia
The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.
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