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Collection Terrace Renovation Full of character but dark and stuck with a long, narrow block, terrace renovations are a challenge, but the outcomes can be incredible.

Big Little House by Nic Owen Architects

Featured Project Big Little House is a Modest but Light-Filled Terrace Extension When a family of four decide to renovate their terrace on a tiny site, some big ideas need to be packed into a little space.

Enmore House by Amrish Maharaj Architect

Featured Project This Home Hides a Secret Which Transforms the Previously Dark Terrace Many old terraces are dark and pokey, but thanks to a tricky secret behind those doors, this terrace is now light, bright and spacious.

Double Terrace House by Rob Kennon Architects

Featured Project Double Terrace House: Two Adjacent Terrace Homes Become One… Behind these unassuming terraces' heritage facades is an unexpectedly modern home blurring the boundaries between two once separate houses.

Long Courtyard House by Scale Architecture

Featured Project Long Courtyard House Challenged the Typical Terrace Configuration Long Courtyard House reorients the typical courtyard to the side of the house to bring in North light and create indoor/outdoor living.

Henry Street House by Eugene Cheah Architecture

Featured Project This Renovation Turns the Traditional Terrace Layout on its Head Where a traditional terrace is dark and cellular this renovation finds light and open space, creating an addition of contrasts.

House McBeath by Tribe Studio

Featured Project House McBeath a Tiny Terrace Gets a Modern Partner A tiny terrace is transformed thanks to a new neighbouring addition that compliments and contrasts the original.

Paddington Terrace by Tom Mark Henry

Featured Project Attention to Detail Creates a Home That Can Age Gracefully A detailed but classic palette, combined with expert attention to detail helps Paddington Terrace age gracefully as its family grows.

Walter Street Terrace by David Boyle Architect

Featured Project A Beautiful Warm Home is Carved Out of a Tight Block with No Views Like a giant three dimensional puzzle this home defies its tight block with no views, houses on each side and a high wall to the north.

Art House by SG2 Design

Featured Project A Forever Home Designed to Showcase Art and Furniture Collection This Carlton terrace renovation updates ageing interiors to create the perfect home for a collector of colourful art and furniture.

Bridport Residence by Matt Gibson Architecture

Featured Project Bridport Residence Addresses the Need for More Informal Living Bridport Residence extension grabs northern light and creates a quiet safe haven to the rear of the property.

Bellevue Terrace Extension by Philip Stejskal Architects

Featured Project Bellevue Terrace Extension: Flexible Indoor/Outdoor Living A versatile multi-functional extension can become completely open to the outdoors, or close down for protection from the elements.

Paddington House by Supercontext

Featured Project Traces of the Original Are Left to Tell the Story of Paddington Reno The substantial renovation of this terrace transforms the home, but reminders of the past are woven in to create a rich tapestry.

Kelvin House by FMD Architects

Featured Project Terrace Reorganised to Create More Open Living and Embrace the Sun Kelvin House is refurbished to create a new open plan living area while a new deck creates better access to the north light.

Tang House by 4site Architecture

Featured Project Tang House: Terrace Renovation Takes Advantage of Every Nook and Cranny Tang House is a compact but thoughtful terrace extension that utilizes every nook and cranny to create a versatile home that defies its size.

Port Melbourne House by Pandolfini Architects

Featured Project Narrow Terrace Hides Several Space-defying Surprises A double-height space. An internal courtyard. A huge skylight. All tricks to create a sense of space hidden behind a narrow terrace.

Alexandria House 2 by Pivot

Featured Project Alexandria House 2: A Terrace Remake Draws No Distinction Between Inside and Outside At Alexandria House 2 full height glazing and louvers let the house breathe and skylights are used strategically to maximise natural light…

Carlton Terrace by Windust Architects x Interiors

Featured Project A Dark Terrace Follows the Light at the End of the Tunnel It's a tale as old as time: dark, dank terrace seeks space and light. And yet architects are still finding new ways to tell the story.

Darlinghurst Terrace by Nettleton Architects

Featured Project Darlinghurst Terrace: Heritage House Renovated for Sustainability Old terrace houses are not the most efficient beasts. But this Darlinghurst terrace renovation proves you can have a terrace and aim for sustainability too.

Glebe Red by Benn & Penna Architects

Featured Project 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.

Surry Hills Terrace by CO-AP

Featured Project Terrace Transformed Without Extending the Footprint of the Home A series of expert moves brings in more light, improves livability and connects this terrace to its courtyard all without extending.

Stevenson House by Danny Broe Architect

Featured Project A Double Height Space Connects Old and New In This Renovated Terrace This renovation shines with a light well bringing light deep into the house, bright red accents and pops of personality throughout...

Escher House by MacCormick & Associates Architects

Featured Project 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.

Fitzroy Terrace by Welsh & Major Architects

Featured Project Fitzroy Terrace Embraces Its Wrinkles – All 170 Years of Them Fitzroy Terrace by Welsh & Major Architects works with the exiting layers of history. The house tells the story of its 170 years of occupation...

Lightbox House by Edwards Moore Architects

Featured Project Lightbox House: Perforated Floor Not as Terrifying as It Sounds Lightbox House by Edwards Moore Architects transforms a cramped and dark terrace into a light, bright wonder. Perforated floor, translucent ceiling and all.

Skylight Terrace by Josephine Hurley Architecture

Featured Project Subterranean Living Space Transformed by a Huge Skylight With low ceilings and only the rear of this living area above ground level, this terrace needed something big to feel like a home...

Perforated House by Kavellaris Urban Design

Featured Project Perforated House: A Modern Home That Celebrates Yesteryear's Charm... Do you prefer the charm of traditional homes? But you also like to have a modern kitchen, spacious rooms, and open plan living areas. Perforated House proves you can have both — even if you build a new house from scratch.

Eyelid House by Fiona Winzar Architects

Featured Project Eyelid House: From Dark Pokey Terrace to Generous Light-Filled Home Turning this tight inner-city terrace into a light-filled, open-plan home for a family of five was a challenge. But was it a success?

Surry Hills House by Benn & Penna Architects

Featured Project Indoors and Outdoors Blur Together to Maximise Space in Surry Hills The entire ground floor of this house has become one continuous indoor/outdoor space thanks to a well conceived alteration and addition.

Paddo Terrace by Sandbox Studio Architecture & Design

Featured Project Light and Bright Addition Turns This Tiny Terrace Into Spacious Home At 52 square metres, this two-storey terrace was about the same size as a two-bedroom apartment, now there's space to entertain guests.

Bondi House by Fearns Studio

Featured Project Bondi House Inner-City Home Gets a Timber Tube Extension A renovation of a Victorian terrace house, the Bondi House was conceived as a first floor timber tube above a ground level brick box.

Paddington House by Porebski Architects

Featured Project 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.

Courtyard House by Aileen Sage Architects

Featured Project Innovative Courtyard House Replaces a Derelict Victorian-Era Home A reinterpretation of a traditional terrace home keeps council happy, while a series of courtyards inject life into the home.

Melrose Terrace by Dan Gayfer Design

Featured Project 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!

Stick House by PHOOEY Architects

Featured Project This House Overcomes the Sticky Issue of Building Over the Backyard… By replacing space lost to the renovation with a roof deck, Stick House ensures not a millimetre of outdoor space is sacrificed.

Alexandria House 5 by Pivot

Featured Project 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.

Mid-century Modern House by Elaine Richardson Architect

Featured Project 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.

20 April 2018

Article Dark and Dingy to Big and Bright: 7 Terrific Terrace Renovation Ideas Terrace renovations are a challenge. How do you get light and a sense of space into a narrow block with neighbours all around?

Carlton Cloister by MRTN Architects

Featured Project A North Facing Cloister Connects This Terrace to New Master Bedroom Dealing with poor orientation this North-facing cloistered space acts as circulation and additional indoor/outdoor living space.

Quarry House by Hook Turn Architecture

Featured Project Inspired by the Local Area Quarry House is All Bricks and 'Bluestone' Brunswick has a rich history of bluestone quarries and brickworks. Quarry House updates a Victorian terrace with this history in mind.

Vader House by Andrew Maynard Architects

Featured Project From the Outside, Vader House Seems Menacing. Inside It's Different Vader House emerges from behind its high boundary wall to disrupt Fitzroy's typical roofline and breathe new life into this Victorian Terrace.

Project Nymph by Zen Architects

Featured Project What If Your Home Felt More Like Living in a Garden? This home takes advantage of its location near the Botanic Gardens to create a living area which feels like an extension of the garden.

Hawthorn House by Chan Architecture

Featured Project Hawthorn House Embraces the Challenge of Renovating a Terrace Renovating and extending a typical Victorian terrace always poses a unique set of challenges. Hawthorn House exceeds those challenges.

Pool House by Zen Architects

Featured Project Multi-generational Family Pool Their Resources to Create Perfect Home Pooling for a pool: would you join forces with your parents to create the ultimate inner-city pad complete with a rooftop pool?

Light Corridor House by FIGR Architecture and Design

Featured Project There Is an Abundance of Light at the End of This Quirky Tunnel A dark tunnel transforms into a bright, open space at this Cremorne terrace which celebrates the transition from old to new.

Frame Terrace by mcmahon and nerlich

Featured Project New Spaces Sit Above and Behind this Existing Heritage Building Careful to leave much of this heritage building intact, the architects have created new spaces above and behind the existing home.

Anti-terrace by Nikhila Madabhushi Architecture

Featured Project Anti-terrace Gives a Cheeky Middle Finger to Its Neighbours If the stress of renovating isn't enough for you, here's a way to step it up a gear: base your deadline around the arrival of a baby!

Brunswick Bush Shack by Sarah Kahn Architect

Featured Project Not your average terrace extension... This home has a surprise at the end of the typically ornate Edwardian-era hallway, and it's far from your average terrace renovation!

Double Life House by Breathe Architects

Featured Project Double Life House is an Introverts' Retreat from an Extroverted World If you're an introvert you'll know that the world we live in can be overwhelming at times. Sometimes you need somewhere to hideout...

Loft Apartment West Melbourne by Adrian Amore Architects

Featured Project Butter Factory Loft: Walls So Curvaceous They Could Be Cut From Butter This luxurious loft apartment is full of organic curves that could be carved from butter - appropriate because it occupies space in a former butter factory.

Terrace House 1 by DREAMER

Featured Project This terrace house renovation creates a lush outlook from every room A terrace house typically makes you think, long, narrow and dark. This terrace might be long and narrow, but it's also light and lush!

20 November 2015

Article The Week that Was - Urban Oasis Edition This week we explored what is going on behind the picket fences and heritage facades of our inner city homes. As it turns out, the rears of our inner city homes are vastly different from the quaint postcard-perfect facades.

Waterloo Terrace by David Mitchell Architects

Featured Project The Renovation of This Terrace Reuses Existing Materials in New Ways Materials are reused in new and unusual ways in this renovation, instilling the home with unique personality - even the new parts!

The Terrace by Thomas Winwood Architecture

Featured Project Townhouse is a Taste of the '70s with a Mid-Century Modern Twist This compact inner-city townhouse has been transformed from an unremarkable '70s era building into a timeless, light-filled home.

South Melbourne Terrace by Eliza Blair Architecture

Featured Project 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.

Curtain Cottage by Apparte Studio

Featured Project This Is How You Transform a Tight and Dingy Terrace Without Extending An architect, a builder, and a joiner walk into a dark and dingy terrace...

Bluestone Terrace Pavilion by

Featured Project A Sunny Glass Box Helps This Bluestone Cottage Connect to the Garden Owned by a landscape gardener, this 1880s bluestone cottage is now connected to the garden and full of natural light and sea breezes.

Stirling House by Mac-Interactive Architects

Featured Project Rich Materially and Spatially, Stirling House is Fun From Every Angle Dubbed 'The Ark', this child-friendly house has loads of character and a story to tell. It's the antithesis of a minimalist white box.

Project Elsternwick Extension by

Featured Project 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.

Brunswick House by Christopher Botterill Architect

Featured Project Brunswick House: A New Perspective in an Eclectic Neighborhood Brunswick House is restrained and space-efficient, but surprising spaces like a rooftop terrace provide a new perspective on its eclectic neighborhood.

Fitzroy Residence by Carr Design Group

Featured Project Industrial Edged Sophistication Reflects Fitzroy's Past and Present The renovation of this Fitzroy house marries two influences — a refined industrial aesthetic and traditional Victorian architecture.

Alfred House by Austin Maynard Architects

Featured Project One Clever Idea Turned a Dodgy Little Light-Well into an Entire Garden By building an extension at the end of a narrow site, Austin Maynard Architects created a courtyard instead of a typical light-well.

Bassett Road House by BOX Living

Featured Project Bassett Road House: A Modular House With a Touch of Timber A modular home constructed of engineered timber (instead of steel) is the perfect fit for a steel slope in New Zealand's seismic zone.

High House by Dan Gayfer Design

Featured Project High House Reno Takes Light, Functionality and Space to New Heights An extensive renovation of a Melbourne home gives the owners all the benefits of inner-city terrace living without the drawbacks.

Paddington Two Rooms by Graham Anderson Architects

Featured Project 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.

Muriel by Amrish Maharaj Architect

Featured Project Creating Space for a Growing Family on Narrow, 3-metre Wide Site An efficiently-planned rear addition to this narrow house creates space and light to grow a family without losing the home's charm.

Clifton Hill House by Field Office Architecture

Featured Project Terrace Addition Creates a Light-filled Home and Studio for an Artist By designing a new, open-plan addition to this heritage home, the owner has a light-filled space to inspire his creativity.

Butler House by Andrew Maynard Architects

Featured Project Butler House: Stylish warehouse conversion in famous Fitzroy building Nestled within the undulated roofline of Fitzroy’s famed MacRobertson building sits a warehouse conversion and roof terrace with a difference…

Bass Street Residence by B.E Architecture

Featured Project Subtle Angles at Bass Street Residence Highlight the Home's Two Main Views From distant water views to the nearby sculptural native trees, Bass Street Residence angles itself to take it all in…

Rose House 2 by Baracco and Wright Architects

Featured Project 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!

Neville Street Residence by Chan Architecture

Featured Project How to make your home feel spacious, even if it's on a tight site Just because your home is on a tight, inner-city site doesn't mean it can't feel spacious. You just need to use the right tricks!

Albert Park Terrace by Dan Webster Architecture

Featured Project A Tight Site and Heritage Controls; Dealing With All the Constraints Sometimes the constraints that can make a project more difficult end up creating something unique and wonderful.

Studio Garage by Krisna Cheung Architects

Featured Project A Translucent Studio Creates a Soft Backdrop for an Inner City Yard A garage and studio with seperate access from the laneway is a flexible and sensitive space at the rear of this inner-city terrace.

Cross Stitch House by FMD Architects

Featured Project Cross Stitch House: Stitching Together the Past and the Present FMD Architects have taken a tread from their client's brief and stitched the old and new together in this clever home extension, Cross Stitch House.

Dancing House by Craig Tan Architects

Featured Project Step Inside a Home Inspired by Tranquil, Forested Clearings Arranged around three courtyards, this new open-plan extension is a delightful counterpoint to the existing Californian Bungalow.

South Terrace Alterations and Additions by Philip Stejskal Architects

Featured Project Light 'Funnels' Fix East-West Orientation at This Fremantle Renovation Orientation is the best way to make your home feel light and bright. So what can you do when your home faces the wrong way?

House B by Whispering Smith

Featured Project Amazing What an Average Post-war Brick House Can Become... This post-war brick house has been transformed into a stylish modern home with a thoughtful addition and creative reworking.

23 November 2015

Article We're Closed for Renovations We're revving our power-tools and hanging from our wrecking balls. We're renovating all this week, but we'll be back with a more spacious and flexible website next week. Until then, enjoy watching a GIF of a guy on jackhammer.

Peter Miglis House by Woods Bagot Architects

Featured Project Peter Miglis House: A Renovation of Light, Space and Air Architect Peter Miglis lists “light, space, and air” as the elements that form great architecture; he has incorporated all three into his own home.

Second Avenue Alterations and Additions by Philip Stejskal Architects

Featured Project 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.

Oye Mi Canto House by CplusC Architectural Workshop

Featured Project The Secret to Ensuring Light and Breezes for this Long Narrow Home... Three distinct pavilions create the breathing room needed for maximum light and breezes on this narrow inner-city block.

'60s Modern by Jamison Architects

Featured Project From '80s Dated to '60s Modern - Gold Coast Home Transformed If you love '60s style, decor and art, you'll have to take a look at this swinging transformation on the Gold Coast.

South Yarra House by de.arch

Featured Project 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...

Nola Avenue House by Philip Stejskal Architects

Featured Project 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.

My House (The Mental Health House) by Austin Maynard Architects

Featured Project Can Your Home Help to Prevent (or Even Cure) Mental Health Problems? This architect used the renovation of his home to improve his mental health and immunise himself and his family for the future.

Park Lane House by Kennedy Nolan Architects

Featured Project Park Lane House Puts It All On Display Unlike most renovations, Park Lane House isn't tucked away in a backyard -- it's out there for all to see.

Falconer Street Residence by Sonelo Design Studio

Featured Project A Minimal Renovation Maximises the Connection to the Outdoors A strong visual and physical connection to the garden is achieved without significantly altering this inner-city terrace.

Camelia Cottage by 4site Architecture

Featured Project Camelia Cottage: Small House Extension Makes a Massive Impact An extremely small house extension transforms a heritage cottage. You'll be surprised the difference clever planning and small addition makes to occupants.

Skyline House by Lachlan Shepherd Architects

Featured Project A Home in a Bushfire-prone Area That Doesn't Feel Like a Bunker The clever design for this challenging site allows the home to deal with the threat of bushfire, while still taking in the views.

Laneway House by Subtract Architecture

Featured Project Face Swap! This Home Has Been Flipped to Face the Rear Laneway... A complex, compact site on a slope and facing a busy road calls for a creative solution: switching the front and back!

Perfect-Imperfect House by Megowan Architectural

Featured Project 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.

House 6 by Welsh & Major Architects

Featured Project House 6: A Tiny Pavilion's Enormous Impact to a Sydney Home Despite only adding six square meters to this home, Welsh and Major's reconfiguration and tiny pavilion have made a dramatic difference.

Cubby House by Edwards Moore Architects

Featured Project Cubby House: A Fun Little Hideaway for Sophisticated Adults Edwards Moore Architects's Cubby House is a pint-sized apartment packed full of fun. A cubby house made not for kids, but for sophisticated adults.

Mills House by Austin Maynard Architects

Featured Project Need Extra Storage? The Floor of this House is a Giant Cupboard! Mills House eliminates bulky cupboards by converting the floor into storage space, leaving the entire width of the terrace for living.

Flinders Addition by Michael McManus Architects

Featured Project Charred Timber Creates a New BAL-12.5 Wing for This Country Home To create space for the kids as they grow, this new bedroom wing sits beautifully in the landscape and meets BAL requirements.

Light Cannon House by Carter Williamson Architects

Featured Project Light Cannon House: Sculpted Roof Draws Light Deep Into This Home A previously dark terrace is transformed into a light and bright home with the help of some unusual 'light cannons'.

Clifton Hill House by Nic Owen Architects

Featured Project Clifton Hill House: Heritage Cottage Gets Sustainable Renovation An inner city Victorian cottage of heritage significance is renovated with contemporary design and sustainable building practices.

Cube House by Carr Design Group

Featured Project A Stunning Light-Well Separates This Addition From the Original Home Period ornamentation out the front, contemporary simplicity out the back. This home makes a beautiful transition from old to new.

Baker Street House by FGR Architects

Featured Project Baker Street House Maximises a Tight Site With Glass and Double Height Spaces A tight inner-city site is transformed with double height spaces and floor-to-ceiling, seamlessly connecting the indoors and outdoors.

Brunswick Green by Drawing Room Architecture

Featured Project Architect Creates a Spacious Light-filled Home Against the Odds Despite a seemingly impossible set of constraints, this terrace has been transformed into a light-filled and sustainable family home.

Beyond House by Ben Callery Architects

Featured Project What to Do When You Outgrow Your House but Love Your Neighbourhood? Craving more space (and sun) and considering a move? Are you really better off uprooting your family and moving somewhere new?

Garden Wall House by Sarah Kahn Architect

Featured Project A Recycled Brick Garden Wall Creates an Inner-City Sanctuary By dividing a complicated inner-city block into a patchwork, a new home sits comfortably between heritage buildings and gritty laneway.

Northcote House 2 by Pleysier Perkins

Featured Project A Medical Centre is Reimagined as a Modern Urban Home Northcote House 2 is a three storey urban residence which utilises the existing shell of its former incarnation as a medical centre.

Loggia in Arcadia by Luigi Rosselli

Featured Project Loggia in Arcadia is a Modern Interpretation of Traditional Style Today, thanks to a modern addition, Arcadia bears its name proudly and a family enjoy the peace and pastoral happiness of its setting.

Cooper House by Sam Crawford Architects

Featured Project A Tumble of Rooms in a 1980s Extension Becomes a Bright Living Area A disorganised and poorly oriented extension to the rear of heritage listed home is reconfigured into a beautiful open-plan space.

The Balcony by Bastian Architecture

Featured Project 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.

Delta Cabin by AToT Architects

Featured Project Delta Cabin: A Sophisticated Rural Retreat for Six Owners to Enjoy and Share The Delta Cabin uses local materials which contrast with the natural surroundings, while still feeling warm and human.

Upside Down Back to Front House by Carter Williamson Architects

Featured Project Upside Down Back to Front House Reflects How the Owners Actually Live Too often homes dictate how we should live. Upside Down Back to Front House is different — a redesign suits how the owners really live.

South Melbourne House by Mitsuori Architects

Featured Project This South Melbourne House Refurbishment Opens the Entire Ground Floor Thanks to a clever refurbishment this South Melbourne House becomes a communal multi-zoned space in keeping with the family's desire to live and work together.

Dowel House by FMD Architects

Featured Project Clerestory Skylight Becomes a Point of Focus Over the Dining Area The use of humble timber dowel rods in various forms throughout this refurbishment serve a practical, decorative and unifying purpose.

Seven Seat House by Kitty Lee Architecture

Featured Project Seven Seats Around an Island Bench is Perfect for a Dinner Party What this home lacks in a dining room is made up for with a fun, communal island bench for seven: a perfect way to host a dinner party.

Adelaide Terrace by vittinoAshe

Featured Project Apartment Renovation Turns Out to be the Perfect Retirement Plan In this woman's retirement plan? A desire to downsize and determination to age in graceful style in a city central apartment.

6 July 2018

Article 5 Fireplace Ideas to Light a Spark in Your Imagination Although there are more convenient ways to heat your home, there's nothing quite like sitting around a roaring fire, is there?

Neumannhaus by ITN Architects

Featured Project Backyard Extension Takes its Cues from Nearby Buildings and Garages This light-filled extension has an industrial feel to it thanks to using the mix of nearby garages and light industry as inspiration.

Rennie Street House by Architect Hewson

Featured Project A House That Shows Us a Lean-to Can Be a Blessing, Not a Blight Typically, a lean-to with a laundry and kitchen tacked on to the rear of an older home is the first thing to go in a reno. Not here...

Feng Shui House by Steffen Welsch Architects

Featured Project Feng Shui Helps This Reno Achieve Harmony and Happiness In many ways, Feng Shui aligns with the principles of good design. Here, Feng Shui achieves a light, harmonious and delightful home.

Erskineville House by Andrew Burns Architects

Featured Project Erskineville House: A light-well void creates a surprisingly generous sense of space The narrow (3.9 meter) Erskineville House gets a spacious and light makeover thanks to a double height, multi-functional light-well.

The Crossing by Studio2 Architects

Featured Project Sculptural Hilltop Home and Writer's Studio the Perfect Entertainer New Zealand home and writer's studio fuses the look of rural farm buildings and the dramatic local landscape into one sculptural form.

East Juliett by Sandbox Studio Architecture & Design

Featured Project There's a Lot Hiding Behind this 5-metre-wide Frontage Looks can be deceiving. Hidden behind this narrow frontage is a spacious, light-filled and fun home thanks to a recent renovation.

Armadale House by Mitsuori Architects

Featured Project A Discreet Addition Makes the Most of a Compact Site in Armadale The Armadale House addition creates an open plan living area with a great connection to the garden, maximising the small site.

House Bruce Alexander by Tribe Studio

Featured Project House Bruce Alexander Hides the Owner's Bicycle with Pulley System A pulley system extending through the atrium of this House Bruce Alexander is designed so the owners can store bicycles and winch them out of view.

Middle Park House by Mitsuori Architects

Featured Project Daily Life Feels More Like a Holiday at Middle Park House Renovating an inner bayside family home to be flexible as the family grows and subtly remind the owners of time spent on beach holidays.

Bower House by Andrew Simpson Architects

Featured Project Bower House Collects Elements to Remind the Owners of Their Past Homes Normally we fill our homes with objects that remind us of our past. At Bower House, the house itself is made up of elements to remind the owners of their past.

Wakatipu Guest House by Team Green Architects

Featured Project Wakatipu Guest House Offers a Simple and Relaxing Place to Retreat Set in stunning surrounds Wakatipu Guest House is a two bedroom home that provides comfortable accommodation for up to eight people.

Cecil Street House by Chan Architecture

Featured Project Laser Cut Screen Shields Addition and References Heritage Building The lace-like screen protecting the rear of this home is a way to tie old and new together while also dealing with practicalities.

Bowden Bajko House by Davis + Davis Architects

Featured Project 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.

Garden House by

Featured Project A garden pavilion is the perfect partner for this heritage home Redbrick and terracotta-tiled Californian Bungalows are beautiful homes, but they can be dark. Here's a bright solution...

Port Melbourne House by Finnis Architects

Featured Project Former Milkbar Now a Light-filled Family Home Among the Treetops Floating above the original milkbar is a recently renovated pavilion which makes this unique family home feel like it's a treehouse.

Hoddle House by Freadman White Architects

Featured Project If These Walls Could Talk They'd Tell You Their Cost-Saving Secret... Rather than demolish and rebuild the rear 1970s addition to this home, the architect incorporated the walls into new, thicker walls.

Northern Rivers Beach House by Refresh Architecture

Featured Project This Sustainable Beach House Appears to Hover Above the Ground Designed in a flood-prone area, this modest, sustainable beach house touches the earth so lightly it appears to float!

Petersham Courtyard House by Adriano Pupilli Architects

Featured Project Back-of-House Renovation Makes This Courtyard House an All-Seasons Home Alterations to the rear of this house to draw in green vistas, sunlight and cooling breezes making the most of the weather year-round.

Murray by Foomann Architects

Featured Project This Elsternwick Home Delights on a Narrow, Tightly Constrained Block In a suburb of houses three times its size this home makes the most of its narrow block and compact size by capturing views of the sky.

Park Street Residence by B.E Architecture

Featured Project New Life for a Victorian-Era House Fit for Multi-Generational Living Reimagining a heritage home to fulfil the modern needs of three generations of the one family, highlighting its layered history.

May Grove House by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects

Featured Project Modern, Low Maintenance, Inner City Pad for a Professional Couple Home to a professional couple and Biggles the cat, this modern design aims to enhance the owners daily living experience. And succeeds.

11 May 2018

Article 5 Sun-loving Extensions to Get You Through the Polar Vortex If you're dealing with the polar vortex, you're probably feeling a little numb. Feel vicariously warmed by these 5 sunny extensions.

Brunswick House by Chan Architecture

Featured Project How to Create a Modern, Flexible and Bright Space on a Narrow Block Renovating an older, inner-city home comes with a peculiar set of challenges - how to make it seem bright and spacious when it's not.

Elgin Street Residence by Sonelo Design Studio

Featured Project Simple Tricks Give This Compact Home the Illusion of Spaciousness Your home doesn't need to be physically big to feel spacious. There are a few tricks to make your home feel larger than life.

Dover Townhouses by

Featured Project What If Your Young Kids Could Grow up Next Door to Their Cousins? A pigeon pair of townhouses allow two brothers and their young families to live side-by-side; the perfect place to raise their kids.

Southern Outlet House by Philip M Dingemanse Architects

Featured Project Southern Outlet House Dazzles Passersby on a Nearby Highway A house inspired by 20th Century naval camouflage. There's something you don't hear everyday…

Tandem House by Fiona Drago Architect

Featured Project These down-sizers wanted a modern home in a walkable neighbourhood... Moving from their large family home where the kids grew up, this family opted for a modern home closer to the things they love.

Nat's House by Studio Prineas

Featured Project New Addition Steps Down Half a Level to Reunite House and Garden Previously cut off from the backyard by a hefty level change, this new addition flows effortlessly between inside and out.

ALB/ by PLY Architecture

Featured Project Beach House Maximises the Views Despite a Narrow Frontage Some clever solutions mean even a home on a long, narrow block can capture scenic, wraparound views of the ocean.

7 December 2018

Article Narrow Wins: 5 Ways to Deal with a Narrow Block Dealing with a narrow block can be a challenge. But, as with any challenge, creative thinking can produce incredible results.

Balmain Sandstone Cottage by Carter Williamson Architects

Featured Project Rejuvenating a Sydney Sandstone While Respecting its Heritage Value One of Balmain's earliest homes, a humble sandstone cottage, is renovated to reveal its inherent beauty - revealing layers of history.

Little Maggie by ROAM Architects

Featured Project Little Maggie: The Perfect Sunny Addition to this Weatherboard Cottage Creating a light-filled addition where the garden and outdoor spaces feel like an extension of the living areas for year-round use.

Wahgunyah House by Regional Design Service

Featured Project A mid-century-inspired forever home exceeded owners' expectations Creating a modern home that takes advantage of its semi-rural setting with plenty of mid-century flair is no simple task...

Brick Residence by Preston Lane Architects

Featured Project Renovating a House That Has Been in the Family for Almost 70 Years… Imagine having a classic modernist house in the family for three generations? How would you sensitively renovate it?

Claremont Residence by Keen Architecture

Featured Project Love to Entertain? A Party at This House Can Spill Into the Courtyard A home for entertainers who also travel a lot. Claremont Residence expands for parties or locks down when the owners are away.

McCrae Bush House by Chan Architecture

Featured Project A slice of zen at this beach house nestled in the bush With stunning bush and ocean views, this home is perched to soak it all in and create a space for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Wall and Wall House by Dane Design Australia

Featured Project Wall and Wall House Uses Rammed Limestone for Style and Substance Rammed Limestone is the perfect material for Wall and Wall House — locally sourced, beautiful texture and natural colour and high thermal mass.

Bustle House by FMD Architects

Featured Project This Old Victorian-era 'Lady' Gets a Modern Bustle Dress Makeover The history and beauty of this old home are respected and celebrated by a bustle dress-inspired addition.

HOUSE House by Andrew Maynard Architects

Featured Project HOUSE House: A Single Building Extends Two Houses Two homes. Both owned by the same family. A new extension designed to flank the rear of both homes to provide extra space.

Aquas Perma Solar Firma House by CplusC Architectural Workshop

Featured Project 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...

Empress House by YSC Architects

Featured Project Like a Jewellery Box, This Home Is Perfect for Your Precious Family This home, inspired by a jewellery box, is perfect for your most treasured people and possessions: beautiful, safe and ordered.

Bayside Residence by FMD Architects

Featured Project Bayside Residence Proves You Can Have Form and Function A bayside extension clad inside and out in timber battens blurs the functional and decorative.

Brickface by Austin Maynard Architects

Featured Project The Newest House on the Street Looks Like It Could Be the Oldest Thanks to recycled brick, this new studio looks like it could be the oldest building in this Richmond laneway.

Shallard House by Lat Forty Five

Featured Project Shallard House Features a Living Area Suspended Above the Ground A piece of engineering ingenuity, Shallard House's living area is suspended like a bridge to capture lake views and maintain privacy.

Five Courts House by Matthew Gribben Architecture

Featured Project Five Courts House's Introverted Design Overcomes Its Gritty Site The brick exterior of Five Courts House belies its light-filled interior which surrounds five courtyards arranged around the perimeter.

Dreamcatcher by Fiona Winzar Architects

Featured Project Ugliest House in the Street Becomes a 'Dreamcatching' Family Home A stainless steel net for growing deciduous vines wraps this narrow home, transforming it into a nest for vertical family living.

Hart House by Casey Brown Architecture

Featured Project 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.

Fitzroy House by Julie Firkin Architects

Featured Project A Series of Airy Spaces Cascade Down the Natural Slope of This Block An eco-friendly, 7 star energy rated addition to an inner-city terrace feels bright, breezy and, importantly, comfortable year-round.

Wistow House by Mountford Williamson Architecture

Featured Project 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.

Tír na nÓg by Drew Heath Architects

Featured Project Tír na nÓg: Jungle House Inspired by Angkor Wat Blurs Indoors and Outdoors If you arrived at this house blindfolded, you might assume you were in a secluded jungle house. But you're actually just 3km from the heart of Sydney!

Coleman Residence by Atlas Architects

Featured Project 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!

Shadow Roll House by Megowan Architectural

Featured Project An Incredible Addition Tucked Behind a Heritage Protected Cottage From the street, all you can see is a sliver of the stunning new addition, designed to protect the heritage value of the original home.

Hill End Ecohouse by Riddel Architecture

Featured Project Hill End Ecohouse Reuses Materials from Existing Home Hill End Ecohouse in Queensland is a new home constructed almost entirely from the house it replaced and a leader in sustainability…

North Fitzroy House by AM Architecture

Featured Project North Fitzroy House: Contemporary Extension Makes No Apologies For Being New An unashamedly modern extension manages to integrate old and new by putting a modern spin on materials and colors from the original home.

Frankston Mid Century Modern by MRTN Architects

Featured Project 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.

Deepwater House by Dieppe Design

Featured Project Building on a BAL-FZ (Flame Zone) Site Made This Home a Challenge With the site's Bushfire Attack Level of Flame Zone, achieving the incredible expanses of glazing took incredible attention to detail.

Binary House by Christopher Polly Architects

Featured Project Contrasting Addition Complements a Sixties Yellow Brick Home The good qualities of both old and new are highlighted by creating an addition which is the binary opposite of the original.

Turn House by Rebecca Naughtin Architect

Featured Project 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!

Watersedge by Jamison Architects

Featured Project A clever duplex design takes advantage of the waterfront location... With the water at the back door and a lush tropical courtyard bringing in light and breezes, this duplex has the best of both worlds.

Palm House by Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

Featured Project A Series of Courtyards Turn This Dark Victorian Into a Lush Oasis Internal courtyards are the answer to finding natural daylight and preventing overlooking issues in this inner-city renovation.

Gold Street Residence by Sarah Kahn Architect

Featured Project A Clever Addition Turns a Potentially Problematic Site Into Gold Others overlooked this heritage-listed home because of its exposure on three sides, but a playful addition turns it into an asset.

Fitzroy North House by MMAD Architecture

Featured Project 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.

16 March 2018

Article WINTER IS COMING: How Not to Become a SAD, Translucent Shell of a Human Some tips to help you survive winter for when you're designing your new home or renovation. Because SAD is not becoming on anyone.

Hawthorn East House by Chan Architecture

Featured Project A Typical English Cottage Style House is Transformed Into Modern Home A series of separate, disconnected rooms are transformed by a central, open planned living space that maximises north light.

Fitzroy North Addition by Nic Owen Architects

Featured Project Fitzroy North Addition Defies Constraints for Affordable, Spacious Home Tight site, stringent planning and heritage controls, and a difficult orientation -- Nic Owen Architects pull off the architectural equivalent of a miracle.

Blinco Street House by Philip Stejskal Architects

Featured Project What Role Do Our Homes Play in Helping Us Recover and Reset? Settling into regular life takes some adjustment for a fly-in-fly-out worker who spends a month away from home. This new home helps.

Ilma Grove by Andrew Maynard Architects

Featured Project Ilma Grove House: A Heritage Home Looks Forward to a Sustainable Future Ilma Grove is an extension to a heritage home in Northcote, Victoria. The extension provides more space and guarantees a sustainable lifestyle.

Moor Street Residence by Andrew Maynard Architects

Featured Project Moor House: How Do You Create a Home in 4.5 Meters? Moor House's family needed was a well designed renovation to provide space and privacy for their growing children. Oh, and all within just 4.5 meters width!

25 June 2021

Article A Long, Relaxed Lunch in the City with Nicola Dovey We chat about Nicola's alternate route to architecture and why it helps as a designer, plus a recent project she's proud of and why...

23 July 2020

Article Top 15 Building and Renovating Books Recommended by Architects Planning to build or renovate? Get your hands on some of these brilliant architect-recommended books to help you on your journey.