Kurraba Residences Is Redefining Luxury Harbourside Living
A new architectural icon on Sydney harbour.
By Terry Christodoulou
Mon, Dec 7, 2020 2:20am
3 min
3 min
Set to become a notable architectural icon, the new Sydney project – Kurraba Residences at the tip of the headland in Kurraba Point – offers a front row seat to the action with 180-degree views that wander across the CBD, Opera House, Bridge and beyond, and which form a heady entree to what is a once in a generation build.
A powerful alignment of nature, architecture and interiors, Kurraba Residences rests between Neutral Bay and Shell Cove, encompassing just 24 designer addresses spanning 2- and 3- bedrooms inclusive of an ultimate 4-bedroom, 4.5 bath penthouse.
Brought together by a tantalising trio – SJB architects, Mathieson Architects and landscapers Dangar Barin Smith – the exclusive Thirdi Group project proves a curved wonder that sits within the ’20s narrative of nearby properties, a tasteful nod to heritage as seen in the exterior use of shapely brickwork.
Each residence boasts a sense of style, space and elevated living, with finishes that include solid limestone and marble, alongside touches of bronze and fine ash timbers, with design that seamlessly melds the indoors to alfresco terraces.
Kitchens are fitted with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, with Grigio Argento marble workspaces boasting fluted detailing and custom fireplaces that align in the use of the finish.
Bedrooms feature commodious and functional wardrobes (with the option of customised cabinetry), while bathrooms and ensuites have carved marble basins, Vola tapware and custom stone baths alongside bronze adornments.
Luscious private gardens come grafted to several apartments, while others offer the use of a shared rooftop garden with views across the harbour. Elsewhere, landscaped grounds spill to the neighbouring Kurraba Reserve which borders the water’s edge and where heritage figs and slender palms line the shore.
The literal crown of Kurraba Residences is the 430sqm, two-storey penthouse. Serviced by private lift, the interiors echo the themes of other residences while limestone floors, coffered ceilings and skylights lighten the second story that’s accessed via a bespoke, stonework staircase.
The penthouse also boasts custom wine cellar, expansive garden terrace – the outdoor area measuring 250sqm – and private infinity pool framed by spectacular city and harbour views.
The main bathroom also takes in the aforementioned vistas and includes circular marble vanities and carved marble baths that complement an oculus skylight. Further, a second living area and private study forms a removed and private sanctuary.
Each residence has private parking and access to a temperature and humidity-controlled cellar as well as a communal lounge space and concierge services.
Kurraba Residences sit 10 minutes from the Sydney CBD by car (or ferry from nearby Kurraba Point Wharf). The acclaimed Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Neutral Bay shopping precinct and Balmoral Beach are all within nearby and easy access.
The project will officially launch on November 7, with building to be completed in Q4 2022.
Sales and enquiries via CBRE Residential on 1800 656 874.
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Kit Braden, an executive at French beauty empire L’Occitane, has spent every winter for the past 13 years at the stone vacation home.
By CHAVA GOURARIE
Mon, May 11, 2026 2 min
2 min
A historic Barbados estate with a 300-year-old villa and 11 acres overlooking the Caribbean Sea is now for sale with a guide price of $22.5 million.
The seller is Kit Braden, chairman of the U.K. branch of French beauty empire L’Occitane Group, whose family has spent every winter for the last 13 years at the island property, known as Fustic Estate.
“It’s very much a family house,” Braden said. “We love having a lot of people there. It’s a collection point to keep everyone together.”
The main villa dates to 1712, though it’s been reimagined and expanded substantially over the years.
It spans 13,000 square feet and features seven en suite bedrooms across three wings, as well as expansive verandas, stone courtyards and rows of louvered doors in gay Caribbean pastels.
In the 1970s, when the home was owned by Charles Graves—brother of British poet Robert Graves—it was reimagined by stage designer Oliver Messel, one of the foremost theater designers of the last century. Messel expanded the home, added a lagoon pool with a natural waterfall and other theatrical features, according to Braden.
“The whole place is a little bit magical,” he said.
The home sits about 350 feet above the water, and surrounded by lush gardens that slope towards the water.
“We look down through our garden—which is about 12 acres of tropical gardens and palm trees and wonderful old mahogany trees—onto the Caribbean,” Braden said.
He and his wife first saw the property on New Year’s Eve 2013, during a quick trip from where they were staying in Grenada.
The couple spent an hour walking the perimeter, some of it still untouched jungle, in the pouring rain.
“By the time we got back, I had fallen in love with it,” Braden said.
His wife, however, wasn’t so sure. But in Braden’s telling, a second visit in sunnier weather with two of their children brought her around.
“She had to be talked into that it was a jolly good idea; now she absolutely loves it,” he said.
When they bought the property, the edge that runs along the waterfront was a jungle, so they cleared the ridge and transformed it into gardens.
They also bought an additional sea-level parcel with two beach cottages, giving the property direct access to the water and the town below via a five-minute walk.
The property also has a 15-person staff, a reflecting pond, an outdoor pavilion suitable for yoga and a commercial grade kitchen that can serve more than 100 guests, according to a brochure from Knight Frank, which posted the listing in March. They did not provide further comment.
For Braden, the property is special because of its natural beauty, its proximity to the town of Saint Lucy and its history—which dates way way back to when the island of Barbados was first formed via tectonic activity.
“It was basically tectonic plates that collided about a million years ago so the seabed is the top of the hill,” Braden said. “We’re on coral rock.”
As a result, Fustic Estate includes an extensive network of caves that were likely used by the Arawaks, a Venezuelan fishing tribe that followed the fish to these islands about a thousand years ago.
“If the fish were good they’d camp here,” Braden said. “There’s evidence that they stayed there in those caves, they lived there in good winters.”
Now it’s someone else’s turn to live on the land shared by Arawaks, the plantation owners of 1712, Charles Graves and the Braden brood.
