The most rewarding urban homes create a sense of escape without ever leaving the city. This residence was conceived to elevate everyday life, surrounding its occupants with light, landscape and an extraordinary sense of calm amongst the treetops.
Rob Mills
Armadale Residence represents one of the defining projects within the RMA portfolio, expressing the practice's enduring belief that exceptional homes begin with an intrinsic relationship to their surroundings. Positioned alongside established parkland, the residence transforms a rare urban site into a private sanctuary immersed in light, landscape and nature.
Rather than looking inward, the home reaches confidently towards the park, and city skyline beyond dissolving the traditional boundaries of suburban living. Expansive glazing, generous proportions and carefully considered planning allow the changing seasons, natural light and mature tree canopy to become part of everyday life. The result is a residence that feels remarkably peaceful despite its inner-city location.
The principal living spaces are elevated above the surrounding streetscape, creating the sensation of living amongst the treetops. Extraordinary attention has been given to acoustics, allowing the home to become a place of genuine quiet where birdsong and the movement of the surrounding park replace the noise typically associated with urban environments.
Generous ceiling heights amplify both light and space, while a carefully curated palette of exceptional materials—including Fior di Pesco Carnico marble, handcrafted brass detailing, bespoke stucco finishes and finely crafted lighting—creates interiors of remarkable richness without overwhelming the architecture itself. Every material has been selected to contribute not only to beauty, but to the experience of living within the home.
Scale has the power to change how we feel. By preserving the remarkable volume of the original warehouse, we created a home that feels open, light-filled and quietly uplifting every day.
– Rob Mills
At the heart of the residence, RMA's signature spiral staircase brings the home together as both architecture and sculpture. Inspired by David Chipperfield's celebrated stair at Joseph Menswear in London, it establishes a powerful sense of movement through the home while connecting each level with effortless elegance.
Rather than functioning purely as circulation, the stair becomes a defining architectural moment. It draws natural light deep into the interior, creates visual connection between living spaces and reinforces Rob Mills' long-standing belief that the most memorable homes are enriched by moments of artistry as well as function.
Armadale Residence demonstrates the value of a truly integrated approach. RMA guided every stage of the project, from land acquisition and strategic planning through architecture, interiors, documentation and delivery. This continuity ensured every decision contributed to a cohesive vision while providing certainty across time, cost and quality. The result is a residence where every detail feels intentional, connected and enduring.
The finest homes continue to inspire long after construction is complete. Through exceptional craftsmanship, carefully curated materials and a profound understanding of how people wish to live, Armadale Residence creates an environment that enriches everyday life. It demonstrates that inspiring design is not defined by individual moments of luxury, but by the way an entire home makes people feel every day.
True luxury within the city is not defined by size or location alone. It is the ability to create peace, privacy and a meaningful connection to nature in the heart of an urban environment. Armadale Residence achieves this through careful orientation, exceptional acoustic performance and an immersive relationship with the neighbouring parkland, creating a home that feels worlds away from the city around it.
To live with sunlight is a gift. The upper floor was drawn back from the boundaries on both sides, allowing natural light to travel deep into the living spaces below. As it moves through the home, the light reaches a stream of water flowing along the northern edge of the living room, bringing light, movement and reflection into the experience of the interior.
The study was conceived as a place of retreat. Inspired by traditional European timber shutters, solid timber shutters were designed to close across the windows, allowing the timber walls and cabinetry to completely envelop the room. With the shutters closed and the fire lit, it becomes an intimate place to read, watch a film or simply withdraw. A high-backed sofa conceals the desk and creates privacy, while internal windows offer a carefully framed view across the hall to a sculpture suspended on a ledge beyond.
