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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