Fiona Zielinski and family have owned this expansive 5300 square metre block in Castle Cove (on Sydney’s Lower North Shore) for 18 years, but they didn’t embark on building their dream home here until 2013.
The family hoped to create a truly special home that would stand the test of time. ‘We’re big fans of architecture – Oscar Niemeyer, John Lautner, and the gardens of Roberto Burle Marx – and we thought, we want to create something that’s not massive, but sits on the land and connects with what’s around it,’ Fiona explains.
A friend recommended the new architecture firm Terroir for the project, while Pascale Gomes-McNabb was engaged for the interiors.
‘We met with Terroir and we liked them, and I think that’s always a good thing, because it’s such an intimate thing building a house – you need to have a good relationship with those people.’
‘With Pascale… I quite like her edgy style that’s not too high end, and I think she makes comfortable and interesting spaces. We approached her, and she’d never done residential before, but she was excited about that.’
Fiona requested the house connect closely to nature, and not take up the entire site. The garden was also a major emphasis, designed mostly by Somewhere Landscape Architects, with additional areas by Dangar Barin Smith.
‘I spend a lot of my time in the garden and it’s opened up a whole new world for me,’ Fiona says.
The build of this house took five long years to perfect (due to the complex nature of the home’s angles and use of in situ concrete), but was finally completed in 2018.
With all the kids having moved out, it’s now time for a new family to enjoy this stunning five-bedroom, five-bathroom property. Fiona will miss its peaceful surroundings, the chef-approved kitchen (‘We run it like a restaurant,’ she says) and meticulously planned layout.
‘It’s the first time I’ve lived in a house where everything’s got a place, and everything works,’ she says. ‘When you come up to it it looks quite bulky and big and brutal, but internally it feels very cocooned. It’s a home.’
View the full real estate listing for 25 Neerim Road, Castle Cove NSW. The property is being sold via expressions of interest.
