Holman House By Durbach block Jaggers

A Picasso painting inspired this cliff-top house near Sydney by architectsDurbach Block Jaggers.

The curved forms of the kitchen and living room, which project over the sea supported by four angled stilts, are derived from the torso of Picasso's The Bather. The two-storey Holman House was completed atop the 70 metre-high cliff at Dover Heights back in 2004. Stone walls surround bedrooms on the ground floor, which nestle against the rock face. Terraces surrounding the house at different levels provide two patios, a top floor garden and a lower level swimming pool.

Here's some more information from the architects:

Holman House
Dover Heights, Sydney

Sited on the edge of a 70-metre high cliff, the plan of Holman House refers to Picasso’s painting The Bather.

It contains a complex series of fluid living spaces set within a meandering perimeter that arcs, folds and stretches in response to sun, landscape and views.

Living and dining areas cantilever out over the ocean, allowing dramatic views up and down the coast.

The lower floor forms a base that is built from rough stone walls like an extension of the cliff below.

These walls continue along the cliff edge to form a series of eccentric terraced gardens and a vase-shaped rock pool.

Project team: Neil Durbach, Camilla Block, David Jaggers, Lisa Le Van, Joseph Grech, Adrian Gessner