Architects Northern Beaches
Residential, Heritage & Commercial Architects Serving the Northern Beaches
For more than 25 years, Du Plessis + Du Plessis Architects has shaped the architectural character of the Northern Beaches with work defined by restraint, clarity and an unwavering respect for its coastal landscape. Established here in 1998, our practice has evolved through decades of local experience, giving clients a level of certainty and architectural depth that can only come from long-term immersion in a single region.
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As a registered architect and certified Class 2 building practitioner, we provide a comprehensive, compliance-aligned architectural service that includes high-end homes, multi-residential developments, dual occupancies, subdivisions, commercial environments and refined interior architecture. Clients value the certainty we bring — from feasibility and zoning interpretation through to detailed design, documentation and collaboration during construction. Many come to us specifically when seeking a luxury residential architect with deep, long-standing regional insight.
A Practice Built on Experience, Knowledge, & Collaboration
The Northern Beaches is a place of steep topographies, coastal winds, varied microclimates and intricate zoning overlays. With 27 years of work here, we understand these complexities intimately. Clients — whether homeowners, developers or business owners — value our ability to interpret regulations with clarity, anticipate constraints, and navigate council expectations with calm efficiency.
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As a director-led studio, every project receives direct involvement from the people designing it — a rare level of continuity that strengthens outcomes whether we are engaged as residential architects, as commercial architects, or for bespoke interior and multi-residential work. Our philosophy is rooted in enduring architectural principles: proportion, natural light, cross-ventilation, passive cooling and the belief that good design is both functional and timeless.
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We do not impose a signature aesthetic. Instead, we collaborate with clients to create architecture that reflects their identity — whether quiet contemporary, minimalist, brutalist, Hamptons, heritage-informed or entirely bespoke. This approach is particularly valued by clients engaging us as a luxury residential architect to shape homes with a calm, resolved and elevated architectural language.
Residential Architecture & High-End Homes
As experienced residential architects, we design homes that feel intuitive, enduring and deeply connected to their setting. Our work begins with understanding the site’s inherent qualities — orientation, light, slope, privacy and exposure — elements that define how a home will be lived in over time. With long experience across the Northern Beaches, we bring insight into how these factors interact with coastal conditions and planning layers.
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For homeowners drawn to a more refined architectural outcome, our role as a luxury residential architect becomes central. These projects involve a heightened focus on spatial purity, joined detailing, material harmony and the sense of calm that comes from well-structured volumes and deliberate view framing. Acting as a luxury residential architect also means balancing creative ambition with local regulatory constraints — a discipline we have refined over decades of residential work.
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Whether designing a new residence, reconfiguring an existing home or guiding a complex upgrade, our clients trust the measured, thoughtful way we resolve residential architecture. In every commission, our perspective as residential architects and our additional capability as a Class 2 building practitioner allow us to approach design with both creative clarity and technical precision.
Dual Occupancies, Subdivisions & Multi-Unit Potential
Unlocking a site’s full potential requires a blend of architectural creativity and deep regulatory fluency. Our experience in dual occupancies and subdivisions is strengthened by our certification as a Class 2 building practitioner, enabling us to handle the compliance framework now required for multi-residential projects across New South Wales.
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We assess zoning allowances, subdivision opportunities, view and privacy impacts, density options and access arrangements with clarity from the outset. Developers and homeowners value our capacity to identify uplift pathways early, shaping a project strategy that is both architecturally robust and commercially viable.
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This knowledge complements our work as residential architects, as well as our broader involvement in multi-unit projects that require the oversight of a Class 2 building practitioner, including documentation, consultant coordination and compliance responsibilities.
Commercial Architecture
Our work as commercial architects balances architectural refinement with operational logic. Whether designing workplaces, hospitality venues or boutique commercial spaces, we focus on flow, identity, light and the subtle details that shape how people use a space daily.
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Commercial work often evolves as operational needs shift and clients refine their priorities. Our structured yet adaptable approach ensures the architecture remains coherent and functionally responsive. Acting as commercial architects, we deliver environments that feel carefully composed without sacrificing the efficiency and usability required for business.
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Our long-standing presence in the Northern Beaches informs this work, helping us resolve practical considerations unique to coastal commercial environments.
Working Within Heritage & Character Settings
As longstanding heritage architects, we approach conservation and heritage-influenced homes with sensitivity and precision. This involves understanding the proportions, details and fabric that define the original building before introducing new elements that feel natural rather than imposed. Clients trust us as heritage architects because our approach balances preservation with the contemporary qualities that make a home genuinely livable.
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​Character and heritage projects require architectural discipline, regulatory clarity and a calm understanding of what cannot — and what can — be transformed. Our depth of local experience, both as heritage architects and as a studio consistently working with the council’s heritage pathways, ensures a measured and respectful evolution of each building. Whether refining interiors or orchestrating larger alterations, we bring the same level of care and composure required of skilled heritage architects.
Interior Architecture & Bespoke Design
Our interior design services are delivered entirely in-house, allowing architecture and interiors to evolve as a unified, coherent expression. This integrated approach is rare in architectural practice and is highly valued by clients seeking refined, bespoke interior environments.
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Through our interior design services, we focus on material tactility, spatial flow, joinery detail and the subtle sensory qualities that define a space. Each interior is tailored — whether minimalist, warm and textural, classically proportioned or richly layered. Clients frequently engage us for interior design services even when their project requires broader architectural involvement, appreciating the continuity that comes from a single studio shaping every design layer.
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​This seamless integration also strengthens outcomes in projects where we act as a luxury residential architect, ensuring interior and architectural decisions reinforce one another.
Regulatory Navigation, Compliance & Council Strategy
Designing on the Northern Beaches requires an understanding of planning layers that extend beyond aesthetics. Our expertise with zoning, heritage controls, subdivision rules and the regulatory framework of multi-unit housing allows clients to move through approvals with clarity and confidence.
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Whether engaged as commercial architects, for dual-occupancy work, or as a Class 2 building practitioner overseeing multi-residential compliance, we combine architectural insight with technical depth to streamline progress. This clarity is often what distinguishes successful outcomes in projects with complex planning conditions.
Explore Our Work
Our portfolio includes residential, commercial, interior and multi-unit developments across the Northern Beaches and surrounding suburbs. Each project reflects our commitment to disciplined design, architectural integrity and client-driven collaboration.
Begin a Conversation
If you are planning a new residence, a dual occupancy, a subdivision, a commercial environment or a multi-residential development on the Northern Beaches, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your plans. With 27 years of regional experience supported by a director-led approach, bespoke interiors, and certification as a Class 2 building practitioner, we offer the kind of architectural partnership that brings clarity, confidence and elevated design thinking to every stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you design high-end homes as well as general residential projects?
Yes. As experienced residential architects, we work across projects of varying scale, from tailored family homes to refined high-end residences.
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2. Do you take on commercial projects?
We do. As commercial architects, we design workplaces, hospitality venues and boutique commercial spaces that balance functionality with architectural character.
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3. How do you approach homes with heritage or character significance?
Acting as heritage architects, we preserve key architectural elements while introducing contemporary design with restraint and respect for the building’s original fabric.
4. Do you provide interior design as part of your architectural work?
Yes. Our in-house interior design services allow architecture and interiors to be developed as a unified whole, ensuring continuity from concept to completion.
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5. Are you qualified to support dual occupancies, subdivisions and multi-residential projects?
Yes. As a certified Class 2 building practitioner, we manage the documentation and oversight required for multi-unit and dual-occupancy developments under the current regulatory framework.