Book in to a designer beach pad

One of our favourite awardwinning houses has just opened its doors as a luxury Airbnb in Sydney’s Bondi. And you can sleep here...

If design inspiration drives your holiday choices, this north-facing laneway hideaway needs to be your next destination. Bismarck House is not only award-winning, but is supremely beautiful and surprisingly comfortable, enjoying the kind of puritan design that has roused hundreds of mood boards for future projects.

The project team is pretty stellar, with architectural design by Andrew Burges Architects for owners Will and Julia Dangar, and construction and interiors by their own firm, Robert Plumb Build, along with creative direction from their great friends, power design couple David Harrison and Karen McCartney.

It’s basically a design unicorn: an unassuming Sydney semi from the front and a stunning sculptural structure at the back. The internal experience is one of space, light and deep calm. And the fact that we can now stay here is very exciting.

One of the big highlights of the home is its extraordinarily bold garden oasis, which makes delicious Instagram fodder with

its collection of extravagant mature succulents and a namesake Bismarck palm at the door.

Steel, glass and concrete are the main materials here, and some serious technical back-up has gone into the build, making it as sustainable as possible using natural and repurposed materials, hydronic thermal controls and breezy natural ventilation.

Which makes it sound like a high-brow destination, but the deeply luxurious interiors bring all the comfort with superstar pieces of Australian-sourced modern vintage furniture. It’s almost unthinkable that these pieces are left here on purpose for the pleasure of visiting guests. But that’s the joy of Airbnb – you get to dip into someone else’s home for a while, and this one just happens to be extraordinary.

THE DEEPLY LUXURIOUS INTERIORS BRING ALL THE COMFORT WITH SUPERSTAR PIECES OF AUSTRALIANSOURCED MODERN-VINTAGE FURNITURE

EXTERIOR (opposite) Concrete and corrugated metal together with face brick are used to great effect, with impeccable environmental credentials for the build. DINING AREA (this page) Slatted oak shutters keep things private at the laneway location. Oak shelving with Nera bowls by Zanat and Mel Lumb. Adam bar stools by Frama, available through Designstuff. LIVING (opposite inset) The internal walls of the temporary home are mortar washed to go with the design team’s calming palette of natural materials, timber joinery, woven pieces and mix of new and vintage furniture. Cork side table by Jasper Morrison for Vitra.

UPPER HALLWAY (below) A Formakami J3 paper pendant light by Jaime Hayon for &Tradition is just the right ‘weight’ for the semi-industrial scheme. GARDEN (below right) Native or succulent plants feature throughout. KITCHEN/DINING (bottom) More Formakami lights hang close to the Kotai table by Mario Ruiz for Expormim. Lightwood chairs by Jasper Morrison for Maruni. LIVING (opposite) Imagine yourself on the Braid sofa by Studio MK27 for Ariake. Vintage chairs by Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet. Tuareg rug from Morocco. Line Two floor light by Rune Krøjgaard and Knut Bendik Humlevik for Nor11.

BEDROOM (below) Original artworks and soft, cool linen feature in each of the guest rooms. The white curtain gives this one a breezy resort feel. BATHROOM (below right) Narrow pencil tiles on the lower part of the wall are a practical choice and highlight the simplicity of the predominantly white space. ROBE AREA (bottom) Open hanging space in metal piping set above a custom curved bench will make a display of your holiday wardrobe.