Site & Constraints

A Recent Polish Leaves This Mid-century Modern Gem Sparkling

With only minor changes over its 50-year life, this mid-century home retained its original charm but desperately needed a little TLC.

A Modern Pavilion Is the Perfect Complement to This Heritage Home

Full of light and opening onto the pool and outdoor area, this modern pavilion is the perfect addition to this heritage home.

A Home and Studio Created with Restoration, Re-use and Recycling

A renovation to a Victorian-era home and detached studio shines thanks to the three Rs plus local manufacturing and craftsmanship.

Modern Addition Inspired by the Original Mid-century Modern Home

The owners of a mid-century home loved the qualities of their home but needed a modern addition to bring it into this century.

A Beach House Designed for Everyone From Singles up to Groups of 20

This flexible beach house is the perfect surf trips big and small because it's focussed on the outdoors to create extra living space.

Taking Advantage of a Corner Location to Reconnect With the Community

On the corner of two main thoroughfares, a new room conceived as a large balcony gives this home a way to connect with the community.

Fun-filled Addition Transforms One-bedroom Cottage Into a Family Home

An injection of pattern and brings plenty of personality to this cottage addition, perfect for a creative young family.

Transforming This Single-fronted Edwardian Home for Modern Living

While older homes have character baked in, they're not built for modern living. But, you can have the best of both worlds; old and new!

New Modular Home: If You've Got It (An Incredible View), Flaunt It!

This modular home was designed and built off-site and then transported to its remote location where it now takes in stunning views.

A New Kitchen and Back Deck Become the Hub of This Home

A back deck completely transforms the functionality of this home, creating a hub connecting living areas with the backyard.

The Challenge of Creating a Home for an Introvert and an Extrovert

Creating a home for an introvert and an extrovert means balancing openness with a need for privacy; prospect and refuge.

Ever Looked at a Shopfront and Wondered What’s Going on Upstairs?

Shop tops in Victorian-era buildings are often dark and often empty these days, talk about a wasted opportunity!

 (via Lunchbox Architect)
How Coronavirus Amplifies Your Home's (Good and) Bad Qualities

When you #stayhome, small frustrations can turn into colossal ones but, on the flip side, pay attention to what you love about your home...

This Home Demonstrates Benefits of an Architect Versus Off-the-Plan

A refined and considered home in a new estate shows the power of using an architect versus buying off-the-plan from a bulk builder.

Hugging the Southern Boundary Creates an Outdoor Room At This Reno...

A long, thin addition on the southern boundary allows this home to maximise the amount of natural light and create an outdoor room.

Mid-century Modern House Senstively Updated for 21st Century Living

An addition to this mid-century gem keeps the essence of the original while ensuring it's fit for family life in this century.

By Thinking Creatively, 'More House' Wasn't Necessary at Moor House

Oftentimes when you feel like you need 'more house', the answer is actually to rethink the way your existing house functions...

For This Retired Couple, Downsizing Is Far From a Downgrade

Downsizing from a large family home to an inner-city pad, this couple were prepared to compromise on space, but not on function!

Leave Some Breathing Room Between the Existing Home and Addition...

A thin addition to this home creates new living spaces, but the bonus is a courtyard created by leaving space between existing and new.

For These Perfectionists, Renovating Meant Embracing the Imperfect

Renovating is a messy art full of compromise but, if you roll with it, the result can be the perfect-imperfect home for your family.

A Tight Inner-City Block Required Some Big Ideas for Small Spaces

With a block of just 117 square metres, this inner-city reno required some creative thinking to make the most of all available space...

A Home That Celebrates Its Site by Bringing the Outdoors In...

For tree-changers Matt and Leanne, an important part of their ideal home was making the most of their spectacular site.

A Carefree Family Home Takes Its Cues From the Classic Beach House

With hints of those classic beach houses, but all the modern needs of a family home, living here would feel like an endless holiday.

This Addition Overcomes the Challenges of a Tricky Tapering Block

Making the complex seem effortless in this addition on a tapering block was not easy, but the results are phenomenal.

A House for All Seasons Designed and Built to Passive House Standards

This family home was designed with best-practice sustainability and Passive House standards to be a comfortable home for years to come.

Good Architecture Has the Potential to Create a Better Lifestyle

Architecture isn't about the bells and whistles. It's about creating spaces which help to improve your lifestyle. Like this home!

This Modern Farmhouse Is Adaptable and Celebrates a Stunning Location

A modern farmhouse for a couple with overseas relatives needs to adapt from a comfortable home for two to a home for many more.

This Modern Addition Is Designed to Tie Into the Original Home

A modern addition reorients this home towards the sun as well as complementing and tucking under the roofline of the original home.

Transforming a Run-down Weatherboard Into a Bright, Sustainable Home

Want a sustainable home, but don't know where to start? An architect can help you create a comfortable, sustainable home...

Beach House Uses Its Steeply Sloping Site to Focus and Frame Views

Using the slope to its advantage, this beach house cascades down the hill and focuses your attention on the stunning coastline views.

This Addition Nestles In Comfortably Next to the Existing Bungalow

By using similar colours, materials and proportions as the original home without copying it, this addition fits in effortlessly.

A Curve in the Boundary Is Turned Into an Asset at This Playful Home

Unusually-shaped boundaries can be a challenge, particularly on sites as tight as this; you've got to turn a challenge into an asset!

Quirky Home Hides Plenty of Surprises Behind its Shingled Exterior

The neighbours are shifting uncomfortably in their seats as this new kid on the block shows them what modern living should look like...

Terrace Sheds Previous Life As Store Without Losing Its Uniqueness

Previously a general store, this South Melbourne terrace is now a light-filled family home while retaining its character and quirks.

An Akubra Was the Inspiration for This Incredible Off-grid Home

The practicality of a classic hat proves the perfect design inspiration for an off-grid home in Australia's outback.

You've Heard of a Home Addition, But What About a Subtraction?

Would you be game to renovate and reduce the size of your home? This design proves it's not always more space you need, after all.

Addition Compressed Into a Tight Backyard Proves What's Possible

This space-defying addition proves just because you don't have a lot of space to extend doesn't mean you can't make a big impact.

A Granny Flat Doesn't Need to Be a Caravan-Sized Blob in the Backyard

This granny (and gramps) flat is the perfect place for a retired couple to call home: close to family, yet private and comfortable.

An Inner City Sustainable Addition Opens Up to the Garden

Using passive design techniques, this new living space embraces the outdoors and will be comfortable year-round without relying on AC.

Architect Transforms a '90s Apricot Brick House Into a Modern Home

With dated bricks and dutch-gabled eaves, this home was definitely a child of the '90s, but now it's been given a contemporary twist.

Naturally Beautiful Materials Create a Stylish Scandi-inspired Home

Scandinavian design is clean and minimal, but the use of natural timbers and stone avoid it becoming sterile. This home nails the look.

When You've Got Limited Space, It's Important to Make It Work Hard...

Making a compact space work means making it work hard. But how, exactly, do you achieve that? This remodel shows you how...

A Cabinet of Curiosities Reflects This Homeowner's Personality

For an artist who collects all things astonishing and strange, a renovation helps to show off her unique style and flair.

A Renovation Project for a Woodworker Captures Laid-back Beach Vibes

An incredible collaboration between the owners of a furniture company and the architects creates a light and bright coastal home.

Textural Timber Addition Perfect for a Californian Bungalow Renovation

You might be surprised how little extra space you need if you take the time to get the floor plan right...

Rather Than Removing an Existing Addition, They Reimagined It Instead

By reimagining the way this existing addition functioned they were able to transform this home, adding only 15 square metres in total.

Rather Than Open Plan, Why Not Go for Connected Plan Instead?

This retired couple wanted an intimate home for themselves, but what happens when extended family visit? Enter the 'connected plan'...

An Addition Pops Out of the Roof to Secure the Future of This Home

The clever addition has been sliced and diced to deal with all the constraints of the site, but it guarantees light, space and views.

Get the Basics Right to Make Your Home As Sustainable As Possible

If you focus on the basics first in sustainable house design, everything else becomes a bonus and your reduce greenwashing overwhelm.

Terrace House Totally Reimagined, but Traces of Its Past Remain

A total rebuild of this terrace house was required, but glimpses of its history are exposed throughout the house.

Modern Two-storey Addition Embraces the Park to the Rear of This Home

Making the most of the site's assets, this new addition overlooks the lush park behind the home to stunning effect.

You Won't Believe the Home They Created in This Narrow Laneway

It's difficult to imagine how this tight block in a laneway could become a functional and spacious home and office, but they did it!

Real-life Seachange Gives Retirees a Chance to Create a New Lifestyle

These retirees packed up their life in Western Victoria to move to Barwon Heads. What lifestyle would you want out of a seachange?

Beach House Renovation Has a Minimalist Touch But Maximalist Results

Can you have too many beds at a family beach house? A reno retains the character of this beloved beach house but maximises flexibility.

You'd Never Guess What's Behind This Facade (But That's the Point)

Ultimately council agreed to let them make some changes behind this heritage facade, convinced no one on the street would be the wiser.

Urban Farming is Just the Beginning at the Sustainable Inner-city Home

Imagine if all our inner-city homes were eco-friendly urban farms: what a difference we could make! Here's what that might look like...

What Would the Director of a Lighting Company's Home Look Like?

Sadly lighting is an afterthought in many homes, but not here: a special lighting system demonstrates the potential of lighting design.

A 60s House Renovation Draws Inspiration From the Original Home

This 1960s home originally designed by Peter Johnson is updated to take advantage of its location without losing what makes it special.

Budget-saving Becomes a Blessing at a Paddington Terrace Renovation

Like a tiny, irritating grain of sand creating a lustrous pearl, sometimes a projects' constraints lead to the most charming solutions.

Off-grid Retreat Takes in Views of a Stunning But Hostile Landscape

Sitting on an exposed hilltop, this off-grid retreat deals with a hostile landscape, but it's worth the effort for that view...

The Challenges (and Rewards) of Renovating a Heritage House

Renovating a heritage house the right way means you can enjoy the benefits of a modern home while respecting the house's history.

From Rolls Royce Factory to the Rolls Royce of Warehouse Conversions

If you've ever harboured an urge to live in a trendy inner-city warehouse conversion, be prepared to have some feelings about this...

Narrow Block? This Home Design Offers a Clever Solution...

How do you get sun, light and a sense of space when your block is only 6 metres wide? This home has some solutions for narrow blocks.

The Simple Life: House Designed for an Acreage; Robust, yet Elegant

Looking for a simpler lifestyle and to indulge their passion for horses, this modern home for their acreage is perfection.

Eco-townhouses Are Effectively Off-grid in the Middle of the City

When you think of an off-grid house you typically imagine a remote cabin in the bush, but these eco-townhouses tell a different story.

Huge Door and Custom Screen Help This Living Area Embrace the Garden

Embracing the garden with a huge double-height space, 7 metre-wide door and patterned screen which fills the home with dappled shade.

Third Time Lucky? It Might Have Taken Three Goes But It Was Worth It!

Three distinct options and three years later they settled on a design, but when you're building forever, take the time to get it right!

Here's a Very Apropos Addition to a Heritage Bluestone Farmhouse

This addition to a historic bluestone farmhouse doesn't match the original building, but it pays its respects in its own way...

Peeling Back the Old Layers Reveals a New Story for This Home

Revealing the layers beneath this dilapidated home helps to blend old and new, weaving a rich story from the home's existing fabric.

It Might Look Like a Single Home, But Looks Can Be Deceiving

A home for a couple and a separate home for their adult children. Plus it's on a very public, very tricky triangular site!

This Modern Australian Beach House Feels Like It's Floating on Water

This stunning modern Australian beach house has a whole wall of glass, taking in spectacular views of the beach and headland beyond.

They Both Had a Home Designed by the Same Architect: Perfect Match?

When a couple who both have homes designed by the same architect get married, their new home together is bound to be adventurous!

New Additions Transform This Terrace Into a Multi-generational Home

New living areas and a backyard studio centred around a landscaped courtyard make this home perfect for current and future generations.

Designed Around a Central Courtyard, This Home Maximises Light

With numerous facets to bounce light around the home, Cloud House feels like living in a cloud surrounded by beautiful, diffused light.

New Spaces Draped Around an Original Cedar-lined Shack Like a Tent

A new asymmetrical frame encloses the original shack, wrapping new living areas all around to take advantage of the views.

A Dramatic Brick Colonnade Links and Defines New Spaces in This Reno

These owners didn't want a 'generic open-plan box'. Instead, a series of interconnected rooms are linked by a dramatic brick colonnade.

An Escher-inspired Stair Makes Living in 4 Storey Terrace More Fun

When you have to hike up and down stairs all day, they may as well be fun! A new stair brings light and novelty to this home.

Clever Siting of Two Beach Houses Allows Both Homes the Best View

Running the two homes perpendicular to the street allows this dual occupancy design to maximise views and maintain privacy.

Impressive Two-storey Addition Peeks Over the Top of This Bondi Home

A new two-storey addition transforms Bill and Kate's home, connecting it to the backyard and creates dramatic interior spaces.

A Dramatic Concrete and Brick Addition to an Old Sandstone Cottage

Emulating the solidity of the original 150-year-old cottage, this concrete and brick addition is sure to be around in another 150 years!

Blurring Boundaries Creates Outdoor Rooms and Indoor Gardens

In spite of a narrow block, this home expands its interior to the edge of the site, blurring the line between indoors and outdoors.

Clever Renovation to a Small, Corner Site in a Heritage Area

This home defies its tight site by using screening and careful window placement to grab light and views without exposing itself.

Triangle House Proves Odd-shaped Blocks Deserve Love, Too

Trying to fit a home on a tight, triangular block with a busy street on one side and an easement on the other: crazy or brilliant?

(Gr)ancillary Dwelling is Far From Your Average Granny Flat...

An incredible home for a much-loved grandmother allows her to live independently (but close by). It's better than a retirement village!

This Extension Is Far From Typical: For One, It's at the Front!

An addition to the front is just one of the atypical parts of this project full of surprises and innovative solutions.

Two Rooms, One Indoor and the Other Outdoor, But What a Difference!

A simple, two-room addition radically transforms the feeling and liveability of this previously dark, introverted home.

A Hotchpotch of Dilapidated Additions Cry Out for Some Attention

This family extended their Queenslander over the years, but something had to be done to pull it all together and make it liveable again.

A Small Living Pavilion Brings Owners Closer to the River

A pavilion surrounded by garden brings living closer to the river, creating an additional living space with incredible views.

Home Robust Enough for the Kids With Luxurious Touches For the Adults

This laid back holiday home is tough enough to cope with the kids yet luxurious: the perfect escape to create lifetime memories.

How to Make a Compact Workers Cottage on a Tight Block Feel Spacious?

When you've got a tight block, you need to use every square centimetre. That's how you make a compact home feel spacious.

From 'a Labyrinth of Purples and Yellows' to... This!

After removing walls and opening up both the internal space and to the outdoors, this home is virtually unrecognisable.

Rear Addition Brings Light and Outdoor Living to This Federation Home

A new two-storey addition to the rear is transformational, bringing new light and life to this old, previously neglected home.

This Studio Shows Us What's Possible in Our Own Backyard...

With housing (un)affordability growing and our city limits bursting, this project shows us there's still space in the inner city.

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