Mary Henning and Ann Wansbrough's renovation of a semidetached cottage enables them to use 75 percent less town water than the average two-person home.

Though the exteriors of the Sydney Opera House are stunning enough on their own, the lobbies inside the performance halls are, to me, the most magnificent spaces. (Interestingly enough, the interiors are not by Utzon but by architect Peter Hall, with Lionel Todd and David Littlemore as well as the New South Wales government architect Ted Farmer, since Utzon was forced off the project in 1965.)

Full height louvers are used throughout the house, opening the interior spaces up to the outdoors.

Here, the classic view of the Sydney Opera House. One of the most amazing things about the structure is that the technologies needed to build and support the sails were not yet discovered when Utzon's plan was approved. (In fact, it wasn't until seven years after his design was selected that Utzon presented his "key to the shells" solution that would let them be built at all.)

In the courtyard, the fence line climbs upward, drawing the eyes to the clouds.

An internal courtyard anchors the house while ushering in air and light. Its materials echo those used in the rear yard. “You get a glimpse of both outdoor spaces when walking through the house,” Abicic says.

The dining room features a dining table by Australian brand Zuster and Hans Wegner chairs.

I could have spent all day in the Succulent Garden (and I ended up visiting it more than once during my trip). Here's a close up of one of the many varieties on display.

After several days in Sydney, we headed north for a bit of warmth and for a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, which Dwell follower @leedingtheway advised was not to be missed. We flew to Cairns and headed out for a day and a half on the reef snorkeling and diving. The dark patches in the water are sections of the reef close to the surface.

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia-A good place to watch Sydney's New Year's fireworks display, with the harbour bridge as its focal point, is from Cockatoo Island. Photo: coquetboy

Architectural Masterpiece on Sydney Harbor: Prestigiously located on Australia's most prized penninsula, this architectural masterpiece is the perfect home for the modern boating enthusiast. A deep-water jetty, boat ramp, boatshed, and inviting year-round indoor-outdoor entertaining spaces showcase the beauty of Sydney Harbor. Presented by Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty.

The outside steps of the Zulaikha–Laurence house in Sydney’s suburb of Balmain Point present an effective transition from the solid rock underfoot to the delicate structure of the house beyond. This approach helps to define the singular space of the residence.

Another part of the park offers vistas of the harbor and the Sydney Opera House, whose multicolor, gloss and matte tiles give it what architect Jørn Utzon hoped would be an iridescent quality. (Watch our slideshow about the surprises of the Sydney Opera House.)

The Alexandria House uses a material palette of polished concrete floors, ruddy hardwood accents, and smooth white plaster. Black covers entire walls in the living room and kitchen and threads throughout the home, popping up everywhere from the iron railing outside to the decorative picture frames inside.

The master bedroom, located on the far eastern side of the home, captures some of the harbor view as well. The small exterior area isn’t part of the veranda but a small private balcony for the master bedroom. The bed is by Jardan, the side table is from Anibou, and the chair is Hans Wegner's Circle chair for PP Møbler.

The kitchen and dining area seamlessly flow into the living room and veranda. A minimal Scandinavian style carries through the home. The coffee table is by Australian designer Mark Tuckey and the sofa is the ML90 model by famed Danish designer Illum Wikkelso.

Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, a 74-acre park in the middle of the city, is a place to go and get lost in (and, as signs in the park say, "smell the roses, hug the trees, talk to the birds, and picnic on the lawns"). It stretches from the harbor to Hyde Park and features countless gardens within the Gardens, such as Succulent Garden, shown here. Australian landscape designer Jamie Durie created this sculptural planter, the centerpiece of the Succulent Garden, using recycled material from 5,500 baked bean cans.

The Royal Botanic Gardens creates a bubble of nature in the middle of the bustling city yet here and there you're met with astounding views of the Sydney skyline. Reaching up toward the clouds are the Chifley Tower (center) and the Deutsche Bank Place (to its left with the white frame and two spires), among others.

Carrara marble was used in the vanity and the bathroom partitions while shutters let in additional light from the outside.

With living and dining spaces now letting light deeper into the house, this family room receives illumination from the veranda and a shutter door.

Custom pendant lights from Sydney’s Anchor Ceramics hang above the vintage table. The company also made the backsplash behind the coffee counter.

Jørn Utzon's Sydney Opera House.

“You can never entirely rely on a set of drawings with the type of projects I work on, as a mountain of unexpected issues arise,” Abicic explains. In this case, demolition unearthed remnants of previous structures that required careful removal. The architect also learned he needed to replace the home’s decrepit sewage pipes and upgrade fireproofing to the neighboring building.

This renovated arts and craft family home in Sydney’s leafy North Shore has an arched main entrance at the front of the house, and a narrow floating staircase with a threshold that mimics the arch on the façade.

I never realized how textured the sails of the Opera House are—nor did I realize that they are not perfectly white. Utzon specified the use of 1,056,000 cream and off-white tiles made in Sweden.

The home’s minimalist kitchen demonstrates that you can create something beautiful without shelling out too much cash. To help stretch the budget, Abicic installed generic fixtures and cabinets. The dining room chairs and table were purchased secondhand.

“It feels like one really grand room, and that’s the attraction,” says the architect of the kitchen and main living space.

The home’s white stucco walls and chestnut-hued timber offer a modern contrast to its filigree railing and ornamentation.

Stairs lead to a media and living room, as well as second veranda, located below the main floor. This lower level was previously inaccessible from within the house. A series of baffles hide the pitch of the roof above, producing a sequence of uniform surfaces where light and shadows play during the day.

Sydney Harbour Ferry Wharves Upgrade (GroupGSA: Sydney, Australia) Designing ferry infrastructure that aesthetically complimented one of the world’s most recognized harbors was a steep challenge, met well with these sleek, glass, and steel structures.

Multi-Hued Beach Escape Near Sydney (North Avoca, Australia) While this resort town rental is lit up with blocks of solid colors on the striking side of the Pantone scale, visitors will likely fixate on the shades of blue visible via the panoramic Pacific view. This coastal spot about 60 miles from Sydney also boasts a geometric roof and deck, further accentuating the ocean and sky awaiting outside. Listing at "Life is good...at the beach!"

A new coffered ceiling gives the central kitchen and dining rooms a robust architectural anchor. The kitchen was previously located in an isolated area of the house but now connects the living rooms on the northern side, seen on the left, to the house’s southern bedrooms. The sink is Shaws of Darwen and the faucet is Vola.

A period photograph from the Sydney Police Department.

Architect Prineas remodelled this minimalist residence in Lane Cove, in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, with a rear extension connected to the main house via a small link that creates two internal courtyards. The house had plenty of strategically positioned large windows and skylights that connect it with the tree canopies above it.

Studio GSBN carves a slice out of a Sydney home to fill its interior with sunshine.

A band of clerestory windows illuminates the interior. The walls are recycled brick, whose thermal mass insulates the house. "One of the most challenging aspects of the build was negotiating a tight budget; however it was also one of the most exciting aspects and led in part to the refined palette of raw materials which give the home so much of its character and echo the pastural vernacular of the old cow shed," says Carter.