Residential design studio / Sydney
Timeless residential design for the way you live
Bespoke homes, knockdown rebuilds, renovations and extensions, designed one at a time.
Mosman / in design
The studio
Great homes are about more than appearance. They should feel effortless to live in, connect naturally to their surroundings, and support the way your family lives today and into the future.
We design homes that balance beauty, function and long life, so they enrich everyday living and still make sense in twenty years. Inspired by natural materials, thoughtful detail and enduring architectural principles, every project is tailored to the people who call it home.
Why Bond
Thoughtful design.
Personal service.
Unlike larger firms, we keep a highly collaborative relationship with every client. We work closely with you to create thoughtfully designed spaces that balance lifestyle, design and long term value.
From initial concepts through construction documentation and project coordination, our goal is to keep the process clear, enjoyable and worth the effort. We combine creative thinking with practical problem solving to deliver homes that are beautiful, functional and buildable.
Mosman / living
- Boutique studio
- A highly collaborative relationship with every client
- Residential only
- Bespoke homes, rebuilds, renovations and extensions
- Council and approvals
- Guidance through the planning and approval path
- Builder coordination
- We work alongside your builder and consultants
- Interiors resolved
- Materials, colour and finishes decided with the plan
- End to end
- Involved from the first concept to the final site visit
- Built to last
- Homes designed to stay relevant rather than to date
What we do
Four ways we work with homeowners
Many homeowners love where they live but find their existing home no longer suits their lifestyle. A knockdown rebuild lets you stay in the location you love while creating a home designed for how you live today.
We guide clients through site analysis, concept design, planning approvals, documentation and construction coordination to create homes that make the most of their land.
Knockdown rebuild in detail
A well designed renovation can completely change the way a home works. Whether you are opening living areas, adding bedrooms, improving natural light or creating a stronger connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, we design around the character of your home rather than against it.
Renovations and extensions in detail
Building a new home is a rare chance to create something genuinely tailored to your family. From site planning through to detailed design, we work closely with clients to create homes that respond to their block, budget and lifestyle while delivering enduring architectural quality.
New homes in detail
Great homes are experienced from the inside out. We help clients make cohesive decisions around materials, colours, finishes, fixtures and fittings so the interior reflects the design vision and feels beautifully resolved.
All services
The principle
Every decision is made on paper first, while it is still cheap to change your mind.
Bond Design Studio, Sydney
How it runs
Concept to
completion
Six stages, in order, with the studio involved through all of them. You always know which stage you are in and what happens next.
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01
Discover
We start by understanding your site, your lifestyle, your aspirations and your goals for the project.
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02
Concept design
Initial design ideas are explored and refined into a clear vision for your future home.
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03
Design development
Layouts, materials and architectural details are developed and coordinated.
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04
Documentation
Detailed drawings are prepared for approvals, tendering and construction.
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05
Builder coordination
We work with builders and consultants to keep the path from design to construction smooth.
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06
Construction support
Our involvement continues on site, protecting the design and helping with key decisions.
Lead designer
Monica Vogel
Monica is an experienced residential designer with a passion for creating homes that are both timeless and deeply personal. Having worked with respected Sydney practices including Luigi Rosselli Architects and Stafford Architecture, she brings extensive experience across bespoke homes, renovations and interior design.
Her approach is grounded in thoughtful collaboration, careful listening and an appreciation for the details that make a house feel like home. Known for her understanding of proportion, materiality and everyday living, Monica works closely with each client to create spaces that are beautiful, functional and uniquely theirs.
- Luigi Rosselli Architects
- Stafford Architecture
- Bond Design Studio
Common questions
Before you
get in touch
The things homeowners ask us first. If yours is not here, ask it directly and you will get a straight answer.
- Do I need an architect or a building designer?
- For a standard house in New South Wales, a registered architect is not required. Renovations, extensions and knockdown rebuilds of a single home can be designed and documented by a residential design studio. Architects are required for apartment buildings and other regulated work. What matters more is who you trust with your house, and how far they stay involved.
- What does a knockdown rebuild cost in Sydney?
- It depends on the size and finish of the new home, and on the block itself. Slope, rock, tree protection, asbestos in the old house and the approval pathway all move the number, sometimes by a lot. We would rather look at your site and give you a real range than quote an average that turns out to be wrong for you.
- How do your fees work?
- For a complete design service, fees typically commence from 10% plus GST of the construction value, with the final figure set by the scale and complexity of the project. They are invoiced progressively against work completed, and we provide forward estimates so you always know what is coming. You can also engage us for selected stages rather than the whole thing.
- Why is that more than a drafting fee?
- Because it buys more than drawings. A documentation only fee ends when the plans are printed. Ours covers concept design, design development, full documentation, council and approvals, coordination with your builder and consultants, and involvement through construction so the house that gets built is the house that was designed.
- How long does council approval take?
- There are two pathways. A complying development certificate is the faster one and suits straightforward sites that meet the standards. A development application goes to your council, takes considerably longer, and is unavoidable on some sites. We work out which one applies to your block early, because it changes the timeline more than anything else.
- Can I stay in the house during a renovation?
- Sometimes, and it is worth deciding early rather than late. Staging the work so you keep a kitchen and a bathroom is a design decision, not a building one, and it affects the drawings. If moving out is simpler and cheaper overall, we will tell you.
- Do you work with my builder, or do you have one?
- We are a design studio, not a building company, so you are free to choose your builder. We coordinate with them and with the consultants through documentation and construction. If you do not have a builder yet, we can help you tender the project and compare what comes back properly.
Contact
Every project starts
with a conversation
Planning a knockdown rebuild, a major renovation, an extension or a new home on vacant land? Tell us about the site and what is not working, and we will tell you what is possible.