June 3, 2026 — 5:00amAn inner-city terrace wrapped in living greenery and an understated beach cottage hiding a luxury interior are two properties transformed by the architects who live in them.In 2021, Sydney architect Nick Bell, of his eponymous agency, bought a Surry Hills terrace for $1.71 million.Architect Nick Bell with daughter Charlie at the re-imagined Surry Hills property.Steven Siewert“The house itself was really unpleasant, ” Bell said. “It was very dark. Even though it faced north … basically the bathrooms were blocking the north aspect.”It also had a strange floor plan. His two daughters would have to go through one bedroom to get to the other.However, Bell decided that the property had the bones he was looking for because it was north-facing at the rear, and unusually for the suburb, had enough room for parking and a garden for entertaining.As the terrace was the fourth house he would design for himself, the initial process was about working out what was necessary.“It’s very easy to try and cram in ideas because you’ve got a stack of them,” he said. “I was much more disciplined this time in treating myself like a client. ”The home’s rear facade and the rooftop are made of living plants.Steven SiewertThe most striking feature is the exterior, which has become a popular selfie background for tourists passing by the inner-city property. The rear facade and the rooftop are made of living plants.Bell wanted to create a “green, lush garden feel” and instead of being limited to the horizontal confines of the garden, made the house itself green.“It was very much about trying to ‘greenify’ the inner city, I suppose, in a tight space,” he said of the plant system. “It’s actually a really good insulator for that wall as well, in terms of reducing any heat gain.”Working with a 51-square-metre footprint, Bell’s main goal was to create space, light and warmth, but he also wanted to streamline the small space so it didn’t feel cluttered.There are no visible handles, the joinery is concealed and sliding doors cover a coffee nook and the television. The home has been reconfigured to have three good-sized bedrooms, this time separate from each other. It also has eight solar panels and fresh filtered air.Bell wanted to avoid clutter in the small space.Steven SiewertThe house produces about 70 per cent of the electricity used, and bills are under $100 a month, which includes electrical vehicle charging. Bell had the property valued this year and was pleasantly surprised to be told upwards of $3.5 million.While Bell focused on greening the inner city, architect Chris Howe took a different approach for his coastal home in Palm Beach.Howe and his wife, international tax lawyer Betsy Howe, bought the five-bedroom home at 95 Pacific Road in 2021.The architect, who has won an award for best use of glass in a residential project for a home in Vaucluse, said the Palm Beach property had undergone several renovations over the decades before he reimagined it.Architect Chris Howe transformed his Palm Beach house.James Brickwood “We wanted something quintessential, Australian … understated, comfortable, lots of light.”Howe said the home sits within a sheltered U-shaped valley that gets northern sea breezes but is protected from southerly winds.His redesign focused heavily on passive ventilation and structural integrity, and he even welded the steel framework beneath the weatherboard exterior himself.“Very, very rarely do we ever use the air conditioning,” Howe said.“I use a system which goes back to the days of the Romans, where you bring in [air], you expel hot air at the top of the building. And that’s the Venturi effect.”The renovated beach house features floating stairs designed to protect native plants on neighbouring council land and white quartz pebbles in the swimming pool.James BrickwoodThe renovated beach house features painted weatherboard, floating stairs designed to protect native plants on neighbouring council land, white quartz pebbles in the swimming pool and one of Howe’s signature inclusions: a glass floor above the wine cellar.“Every house I’ve done for 30 years has had a glass floor in it,” he said.Despite its elegant and luxurious interior the house is intentionally modest from the street.“It’s painted weatherboard, which is the old-style Palm Beach ... in fact, it only appears to be a cottage from the street.”A sum of $150,000 was offered to rent the property over the three-week Christmas period, although the owners declined the offer.“It’s very private, yet we have very expansive views out to the sea. And it’s a really comfortable house to live in,” Howe said.Howe’s redesign focused heavily on passive ventilation and structural integrity.James BrickwoodHe said his wife loves the home, but they need to relocate closer to the city to shorten her work commute.The home is listed with LJ Hooker Palm Beach with an expressions-of-interest guide at $9.5 million.Agent BJ Edwards said natives and palms frame the property, creating a canopy feel within the home. “It’s been quite sustainably done,” he said.“ Guest bedrooms have substantial en-suites connected with the view. It’s got a fantastic lap pool in there as well.”More:Residential propertyProperty pricesPalm BeachSurry HillsNSW residential propertyArchitectureProperty listingsFrom our partners