London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

See why this Australian home – with internal ponds and 'rivers' – has gone viral

See why this Australian home – with internal ponds and 'rivers' – has gone viral

Plants and fish ponds weave between four bedrooms, a dream pool and a marble kitchen in this modern oasis in Sydney

A strikingly modern house in Australia that takes indoor/outdoor living to the next level has been shared around the world.

Formerly a 1920s cottage, it's been completely transformed and is now a spectacular oasis through which plants and fish ponds weave between four bedrooms, a dream pool and a luxury kitchen.

                                

Named 'Iron Maiden House', the design by CplusC architects was given its name for being the first steel-clad house in the neighbourhood.

                                

Founder and lead architect Clinton Cole spent three years designing this home, inspired by the shape of a natural gorge.

Located in Sydney’s lower North Shore, this modern house draws on it’s local context and history to create a unique, contemporary home. It's consistent with the immediate neighbours in terms of setbacks and maximum height. However, the form is a modern re-interpretation of the gable houses typically found in the area.

                                

The house was designed for a family of five who wanted a home which celebrated the Sydney climate after returning from many years living in Hong Kong. They wanted an inside-out house after twenty years of apartment living.

A key aspect of their brief to the architects was for a home that had a strong relationship to nature and space to entertain and grow with the family.

                                

The interiors feature generous living and entertaining areas which flow between indoors and out, while an elevated external corridor connects the children’s bedrooms with views over the garden and swimming pool.

                                

But Clinton Cole's pièce de résistance is the fish pond that divides the home into two pavilions, a clever feature that cools warm breezes and drowns the sound of passing traffic with a blissful white noise from its bubbling fountain.

                                

The house's shape was inspired by a natural gorge, in which water cuts through rock to form secluded spaces. The house was sliced through the middle, with a long pond forming a 'stream' that runs through the middle of the home.

                                

Slender, cathedral-like spaces were formed around this central thoroughfare with ponds running parallel to walkways to link the spaces.

                                

Large floor-to-ceiling windows frame postcard-worthy views in different directions, and generous stair treads form a place to sit opposite the largest window.

                                

Garden courtyards and ponds weave between rooms, seamlessly blurring the lines between indoors and out.

                                

There's also a sunken pool, fire pit and an enormous kitchen with two kitchen islands.

The kitchen is dominated by two marble-top islands, which the owners envisaged as the perfect spot for entertaining guests and serving food.

                                

A corner sofa at the back of the kitchen provides space for lounging, watching TV, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper in the morning.

                                

The owners' willingness to experiment with the avant-garde enabled Clinton Cole to design the kind of daring structure he had always wanted to create, one where bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways spill out into the open air.

Shrouded in a corrugated metal sheet, the house is so-called for being the first steel-clad house in Longueville, a neighbourhood characterised by conservative gabled houses which makes the 'Iron Maiden' all the more striking.

                                

The distinctive cladding is a nod to the iconic Australian vernacular material which is intended to age over time, developing rusted edges.

                                

The cladding is a traditional material used in Australian construction for the past 200 years. The galvanised metal sheet that fronts the house is still manufactured in the same way it was when it was imported by British settlers in the 1800s.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×