Saying goodbye to Katsura House.

Positioned on a northeast facing site opposite a waterfront reserve, the three-level home was conceived around a simple but transformative idea: lift everyday living above the ground. Bedrooms, a media retreat and the practice's office form a grounded base, while the main living pavilion rises into the landscape, where walls of operable glass dissolve completely into wraparound decks, harbour breezes and an ever-changing canopy of trees.

”Those ideas have been fundamental to the way the house is experienced," Keith says. "From that position, every main room enjoys park and water views, catches the summer breezes and brings winter sunlight deep into the house. It's a home full of natural light, looking out over greenery and water.”

Everything that follows falls into place. A sculptural glass-tread staircase connects spaces that feel simultaneously generous and intimate, while French limestone floors, carefully restrained materials and expansive glazing allow light itself to become one of the home's defining finishes. At its centre, a private plunge pool introduces water as another constant presence, reflecting sky and foliage back into the interiors.

The influence of Japan is unmistakable, though never literal. The home takes its name from the 17th-century Imperial Villa in Kyoto - Katsura Rikyu - a place Keith and Catherine have long admired for its measured relationship between architecture, landscape and movement.

“Architecture, nature and water are composed into a purposeful experience there,” Keith explains. “At the end of Birchgrove Point, nature and water were already here in abundance. We simply had to provide the architecture. Katsura is our homage to one of our favourite places.”

Today, that relationship with nature continues to define the experience of living here. A Japanese maple at the entrance quietly marks the passing of each season, shifting from green to deep crimson, then gold before beginning again. Summer invites the house to open completely, drawing cooling harbour breezes through its operable walls, while generous roof overhangs temper the sun. In winter, sunlight reaches deep into the living room, warming spaces that feel almost meditative.

“It celebrates every season," Catherine says. "In autumn and spring, the natural light is at its most beautiful. During winter, there's something magical about sitting in the living room and feeling the afternoon sun reach all the way inside.”

"Together with the views to trees and harbour, it supports a meditative state of mind. Whenever we've been away, it's always felt wonderful coming home.”

Over the past 26 years, Katsura has quietly adapted to every stage of life. What began as the couple's home/studio would become the backdrop to raising their son who arrived two years after construction was completed. It has hosted birthdays, celebrations, long lunches and countless conversations around the dining table, while continuing to serve as the creative heart of Keith Pike Associates.

"The house has been our home, our workplace and our place of refuge," Catherine says. "It's been the setting for so many memorable occasions. The happiest memories are always having family and friends here. It's a house that's made for entertaining.”

In many ways, Katsura has also been the practice's first client.

Upon completion, neighbours began knocking on the door - not simply to admire the home, but to commission one of their own. The house became a calling card that led to four more residences along Louisa Road, including repeat commissions from earlier clients.

"Katsura became part of our business identity," Keith says. "Even now, there's a little of this house in everything we design.”

Yet perhaps its greatest success is less tangible than any architectural detail. Nearly three decades later, visitors still assume the home is newly completed - a testament to both meticulous care and an enduring belief that architecture should outlast fashion.

"People are always surprised when they discover how old it is," Catherine says. "We've always strived for timelessness. We don't always achieve it, but here we feel we did.”

There’s a sense here that leaving won’t come easily.

Asked what they'll miss most, the answer comes without hesitation.

"Everything."

View the listing, here: 148 Louisa Road, Birchgrove