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A tour of TV host Larry Emdur’s former clifftop abode

An ocean outlook was hard to resist for Larry and his wife Sylvie.
TV host Larry Emdur's oceanfront pool and expansive deckPhotography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell

It’s difficult not to gasp when entering Larry Emdur and wife Sylvie’s majestic cliff-clinging home in Sydney. Glide through the spectacular double-height entrance foyer – “If I was ever on Dancing With The Stars, this is where I would train,” jokes Larry (who actually appeared on the show since our visit) – and guests are drawn to what feels like the edge of the earth.

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Floor-to-ceiling glass means the lounge room is an enviable viewing platform for the coastline for Larry and Sylvie, their grown-up children, Jye and Tia, and any other friends and family members who drop by.

After moving out of the property in 2017, Larry and Sylvie officially sold the clifftop home for $21 million in an off-market sale in 2024.

Since 2017, the couple’s property portfolio has included homes in The Rocks, Darling Point, Berowra Waters and the Kangaroo Valley.

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Larry Emdur lounge
Larry can often be spotted on his favourite Camerich lounge chair. “He actually wanted a recliner,” says Sylvie. “A massage recliner,” Larry admits with a smile. “I said, ‘Okay, for your 90th birthday, I’ll buy you one of those,” Sylvie laughs. “Until then, you have to be happy with this.” (Photography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell)

Today, whales are dancing through the waves and within hours the sea has transformed from stormy grey to deep blue, like an ever-changing artwork that takes its shades from the colour of the day. “You can actually hear the view here,” says the Aussie TV host. “We listen to crashing waves, we hear whales swimming about and when there are huge seas, it splashes up to the house, so you’re very much a part of everything. It’s quite dramatic and that’s what we love about it.”

Hanging in the dining zone is ‘Full Flight’, a painting by Larry’s sister Martine Emdur, which features their son, Jye. “I’ve been collecting Martine’s stuff forever, and I’ve got some pieces in the house she would be horrified to see, some of her early works, which I love,” says Larry. “She started out painting scenes above the water, then went in line with the water and now she’s underwater.” (Photography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell)
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It was on a walk a little more than two years ago with Jazzy, the family’s beagle, that Larry and Sylvie first spotted their soon-to-be home. The couple lived a few streets away for 17 years and had recently survived a major renovation. “We’d gutted it all and had only just got the house how we wanted,” says Sylvie with a smile.

But that didn’t stop Larry from having a stickybeak inside the new discovery. “He went in, had a look and said, ‘I think I want that house.’ I just said, ‘Oh yeah, good luck, go for it.’ And three weeks later we had the house.”

Larry Emdur and dog Jazzy
Larry chills out with Jazzy the beagle in front of a textured panelled wall that conceals his home office, with a stunning artwork by Belinda Fox hanging behind. (Photography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell)

Luckily for the couple, there was little to do in the meticulously designed home, which boasts a hard-to-resist infinity pool, a wine cellar under the lounge room and two double-storey wings with all of the bedrooms drinking in the water views.

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“If someone’s got a stylish home and it’s beautifully furnished, it’s timeless.”

Sylvie

Understated white walls and chic parquet floors are matched by classic furniture pieces – “We just freshened it up,” says Sylvie – while a streamlined kitchen and dining space makes room for an army of entertainers, which is just as well: “We’ve become the party destination for the family,” says Larry. “It’s the venue of choice! The house is pretty bulletproof. We have had big crowds gather here – we just hose it down afterwards and it’s fine.”

A Coco Republic chest-like cabinet is a landing zone for a collection of candles and lanterns from Papaya and has been with the couple since they were first married. (Photography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell)

Dreamy artworks by Larry’s sister, acclaimed artist Martine Emdur, take pride of place on the walls. “I tell Martine, ‘We’ll just mind them for you,'” says Larry with a laugh. “And if she doesn’t take them back within three months, I Dynabolt them to the wall.”

But it’s the view that enraptures them most. “We watch it more than the television.” says Sylvie. “It’s like living at the zoo. Between the whales and dolphins and Larry, it’s very entertaining.”

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Larry Emdur pool
(Photography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell)

“I couldn’t see anything else but the view, I actually couldn’t,” recalls Larry, of the moment he first stepped into his Sydney oceanside home, complete with an awe-inspiring heated pool. “When I walked away, I couldn’t remember anything. My wife Sylvie said: ‘What are we going to do about this and what are we going to do about the dining room?’ I didn’t even know if there was a lounge room. I just went straight for the cliff.”

“It’s an amazing house to come home to. I grew up on the water and it’s always been an important part of my life.”

Larry

Luckily for the couple, there was little to do in the meticulously designed home, which boasts a hard-to-resist infinity pool, a wine cellar under the lounge room and two double-storey wings with all of the bedrooms drinking in the water views.

Larry Emdur pool and deck
An outdoor lounge, custom-made in Bali, creates a prime viewing position for Larry and his family. “We can bury ourselves in here for the weekend and not see anyone else and have a great time. We went away a couple of weekends ago and we found ourselves saying, ‘Why did we leave home?'” he says. (Photography: Nicky Ryan / Styling: Stephanie Powell)
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How would you describe your decorating style?

Sylvie: “Just easy living and really relaxed. It’s about comfort and everyone being happy, being together and enjoying it all. I’m not too precious about the furniture.”

Are you very handy, Larry?

Larry: “I think I am – I think I’m quite good! But if Sylvie asks me on a Friday to do something on Saturday, she’ll also book the handyman for Monday to fix it up.”

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