HIGH TIDE

A LIGHT FILLED FRESHWATER HOME FOR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND BEACH LIFE

Materials Specification, Lighting and Furniture Curation

High Tide is a renovated family home in Freshwater, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, designed by architect Rachel Hudson and built by Reliant Constructions. For Britt White Studio, the project also marked a return to a part of Sydney we once called home.

Shaped by coastal light, relaxed living and layered materiality, the interiors were developed to feel warm, easy and deeply connected to the people who live there. Britt White Studio was engaged across materials specification, lighting and furniture curation, bringing cohesion and character to the architecture while keeping family life firmly at the centre.

The brief called for a home that felt generous, relaxed and easy to inhabit. Somewhere teenage children and friends could move freely through the day, entertaining could happen without ceremony and the beachside lifestyle could be felt without resorting to an overt coastal aesthetic.

High Tide freshwater exterior
Entrance and hall of High Tide
Light filled living room extending on to the front deck at High Tide Freshwater
Sandstone clad open fireplace in the living room of High Tide
The living room of High Tide Freshwater
Fireplace, vaulted ceiling and library nook at High High
The living room presents as a formal space at High Tide, with the TV hidden
The living room presents as a family space at High Tide, with the TV exposed for use
The High Tide living room features a custom Mark Tuckey table, custom Apparent chairs, Armadillo rug and Dalt pendant, defining the space in an open plan location
Apparent dinning chairs with Willie Weston fabric, custom designed by Britt White Studio for High Tide Freshwater
High Tide Freshwater kitchen and rear entertaining deck
The marble slab in the kitchen of High Tide Freshwater
The kitchen at High Tide is designed for effortless family living and entertaining
Stools by Rachel Donath in the kitchen of High Tide Freshwater
The gin bar of High Tide features the same marble slab as the adjacent kitchen
High Tide's gin bar is ideal for entertaining
Living and dining room from the kitchen of High Tide Freshwater
Rear entertaining deck at High Tide features furniture from Eco Outdoor
Children's bedroom featuring furniture from Inartisan
A bay window, in one of the kid's rooms at High Tide, frames the backyard beyond providing a strong connection to nature
Stairs to the basement level, featuring surfboard storage
In the lower ground floor of High Tide, the children have their own entertaining area, complete with kitchenette
The stairs linking each of the levels at High Tide are an architectural statement
Main suite bed with walk in robe concealed behind at High Tide Freshwater
The bed in the main suite at High Tide is anchored by custom joinery, with ocean views beyond
The ensuite at High Tide features an extended wet area with a luxurious bath
Double vanities and custom joinery provide a spacious feel for the ensuite of High Tide
Ensuite details, including benchtop, sink, tapware and mirror at High Tide
Ensuite green tile and light details at High Tide Freshwater
A study nook has been carefully curated within the parents' retreat on the first floor
High Tide front door in charred timber with bronze hardware
High Tide provides connection to nature and the outside world wherever possible

A consistent material language runs throughout the house. Whites, greens, greys, sandstone and light oak form the foundation, layered with richly veined green marble, handmade zellige tiles, rattan and brushed brass. Rather than changing the palette from floor to floor, the emphasis shifts. Materials appear in different quantities and combinations to create changes in mood while keeping the home connected as a whole.

On the main level, that palette feels light, open and social. The sandstone fireplace gives the living space weight and permanence, while oak, soft upholstery and natural texture bring warmth around it. Green marble brings energy to the kitchen and gin bar, with brass, rattan and tile adding another layer of richness without disturbing the calm.

Furniture was selected with the same sense of balance. A custom Mark Tuckey dining table sits with ebonised Apparent chairs upholstered in Willie Weston fabric beneath an aged gold and green Dalt pendant. Pieces from Rachel Donath, Apparent, Molmic, Armadillo and Eco Outdoor continue a distinctly Australian design thread, bringing strength, softness and personality to spaces designed to be used every day.

The lower ground floor draws more heavily on the deeper greens and robust finishes within the same palette, giving the children and their friends a space that feels casual, active and independent. Upstairs, oak, pale stone, green tile, rattan and brushed brass are handled more gently, creating a quieter and more restorative setting for the parents’ retreat.

What holds High Tide together is not a single feature or decorative idea, but a repeated sense of warmth and ease. Materials are tactile without feeling precious. Furniture has presence without overwhelming the architecture. Colour appears with confidence, but always in service of the wider atmosphere.

High Tide feels unmistakably at home in Freshwater. Calm, social and full of natural light, it has the polish of a considered interior and the looseness of a house designed for people to genuinely live in, gather in and return to.

Materials specification, lighting, furniture curation and styling by Britt White Studio.

Architect Rachel Hudson.

Built by Reliant Construction.

Photography by Chris Warnes.

“Britt played an important role in connecting all of these elements in a way that feels cohesive and considered. The end result is a home that feels calm, warm and genuinely suited to us. It’s a space we love living in and sharing with others.”

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