A world between destinations.

Positioned across the top three floors of SJB's acclaimed Clarion development, the split-level sub-penthouse occupies a unique piece of airspace above one of the city's most transformed neighbourhoods. Part townhouse, part rooftop retreat, part private resort, it feels less like an apartment and more like a vertical house designed for the rhythms of contemporary city life.

For Frost, founder of Frost Collective and one of Australia's most internationally recognised designers, the idea of home has evolved over decades and continents.

"Home is everything to me," Vince says. "After 52 of them, I've come to understand it less as a place and more as a feeling - a space where I can rest, recharge and be fully present with my family."

"Every object I've chosen to live with carries a story, and that intentionality - knowing why each thing exists in your space and what it means - is what transforms a house into a home."

That philosophy sits comfortably within Clarion's industrial yet deeply tactile architecture. Concrete and timber combine with bespoke interiors and generous volumes to create spaces that feel both robust and calming.

"Having run Frost Collective for 30 years, our studios have always been housed in warehouses - and that's been entirely intentional," Vince says. "There's something about a large, open space with high ceilings that gives me both comfort and freedom."

"They don't impose on your thinking; they expand it."

The apartment follows that same logic. Open-plan living spaces unfold around a sculptural marble kitchen and gas fireplace before spilling onto a city-facing balcony - Vince's favourite room in the house.

"The balcony, without question," he says. "There's something about sitting in the sun that resets everything - it's where I exhale."

Above it all sits the home's defining gesture: an extraordinary rooftop garden complete with plunge pool, barbecue kitchen, covered entertaining and panoramic views stretching from the city skyline to the horizon beyond.

It is the kind of space that changes character with the hour - morning coffee, long lunches, late-night conversations beneath the twinkle of aircraft lights tracing paths across the sky.

Sydney itself has become part of Frost's design vocabulary.

"Having lived across England, Canada, Japan and London before settling in Sydney, I've had the privilege of experiencing some of the world's great cities - and Sydney genuinely holds its own," Vince says.

"For what I need, it's the best city in the world."

Alexandria, in particular, has morphed into one of its most compelling chapters.

"A decade ago, founders Russell Koskela and Sasha Titchkosky launched the furniture/design company Koskela in Rosebery alongside Kitchen by Mike - and that move changed everything here," Vince says. "The creative community followed."

Today, breakfast might mean Lune or Black Star Bakery. Lunch at Sonoma or Bourke Street Bakery. Dinner at Fishbowl before finishing with Messina. Green Square Library and Gunyama Park sit moments away, while the CBD and beaches all remain improbably close.

"It's the rare part of Sydney where you have everything on your doorstep, and everything else within reach," Vince says.

Perhaps that is why this home feels so distinctly of its place.

A globally minded designer living above one of Sydney's most connected neighbourhoods, in a building by one of Australia's leading architectural practices, in a city still confidently becoming itself.

The view from Clarion is impressive. The perspective it offers may be even better.

For lease. View it here: 501/2 Shirley Street, Alexandria