Our Place in the Global Design Conversation
A discussion piece / OPINION
As Sydney’s luxury residential market matures, clients are increasingly comparing buck&simple with renowned international and Australian studios such as Olson Kundig, SAOTA, Bates Masi, McLean Quinlan, Studio MK27, John Wardle, Luigi Rosselli, Kennedy Nolan, Tzannes and Workstead. We see this as a compliment, it reflects a community of homeowners who are globally aware, aesthetically ambitious and seeking architecture of lasting significance.
buck&simple is part of that conversation; but our perspective is shaped by our own story, our Australian context and the environments we design for every day.
Distinctly local, globally informed
We draw inspiration from exemplary work around the world. The precision of Japanese joinery, the warmth of Californian minimalism, the sculptural boldness of South African coastal homes, the material intelligence of Scandinavian design. These references expand our creative vocabulary and challenge us to continuously refine our craft.
But our architecture is grounded here. In Sydney’s light, its climate, its shifting coastal air, steep topographies, heritage contexts and complex planning systems. This local knowledge is not theoretical. It is lived and practiced, enabling us to craft homes that feel effortless, perform beautifully and stand confidently in their environment.
Design-led, with director involvement from day one
Like the global practices our clients admire, design excellence sits at the centre of everything we do. But one key difference is scale and intimacy.
When you engage Buck & Simple, your project is led by a design director throughout its entire journey. Ideas are not diluted through layers of teams. The people who conceive your home remain hands-on through design development, documentation and construction. This level of involvement ensures alignment, clarity and an attention to detail that is often difficult to achieve within larger, more distributed studios.
A philosophy shaped by lifestyle
Many of the world’s most admired studios are known for their signature aesthetics, and those signatures have earned their reputation. Our work, however, begins with lifestyle. With rituals, movement, family dynamics, privacy, light, climate and longevity. The architecture emerges from how a home should feel and function day to day. Aesthetic clarity follows, rather than precedes, the lived experience.
This means our homes are not defined by a single stylistic look. They are defined by a way of thinking: calm, resolved, durable, finely crafted and connected to their site. A quiet confidence rather than a pastiche.
Learning from the world, designing for Australia
Our advantage is not simply that we know the Australian context. It is that we understand how to translate global ambition into a home that works beautifully here. Materials that weather gracefully in coastal air. Planning strategies tailored to Sydney councils. Passive systems optimised for local climate. A construction approach informed by decades of partnerships with Australian builders and craftspeople.
It is this fusion — global literacy, local authority — that defines our work.
Why this matters for clients
Choosing an architect is not about selecting between local or international thinking. It is about finding the right philosophy, the right scale of practice and the right alignment with your lifestyle.
buck&simple offers a combination few studios can match: design ambition equal to the world’s most respected firms, paired with deep local understanding, director-led involvement and an approach shaped by how Australians truly live.
This is our place in the global design landscape… connected, confident and distinctly our own.
If you’d like to discuss our approach to your upcoming project please reach out here