architecture

The owners of this Queenslander in Brisbane’s Northgate came to Arcke architects with an idea: lift the original structure, and create a self-contained, wheelchair-accessible apartment underneath. 

Inspired by this vision and the client’s love of Japanese architecture, Arcke took this one step further, creating an ‘engawa’ (a Japanese covered area facing a garden) between the two storeys.

This shared space and its relationship to the garden provides social interaction between the multigenerational family occupants on both levels, and a serene green outlook able to be enjoyed from above, below, and within.

Old houses have character, warmth, and tell stories of residents’ everyday lives. This philosophy forms the basis of ‘Mischa’s Place’ – an extension and modest renovation by Circle Studio Architects to an original weatherboard residence in Melbourne’s inner-west. 

Unlike similar projects, where retro tiles and cabinetry are often the first thing to go, Circle Studio Architects were intent on highlighting these characterful features throughout the project. 

The result is a home that doesn’t erase its past, but firmly enhances its future.

Whenever we publish a tiny or micro house on The Design Files, we can basically guarantee it will become our top-performing story of the week! 

In 2021, we discovered some of the most inspiring small designs yet, ranging from shipping containers converted into accommodation, to prefabricated dwellings available for purchase. 

We simply can’t get enough of these innovative, environmentally-conscious spaces – so here’s a recap of the most inspiring examples we’ve come across over the past twelve months.

There’s nothing more quintessentially Australian than a beach house. Whether you’re lucky enough to score a stay at a friends’ holiday house, or share bunk beds with cousins at the family shack, most of us have a few nostalgic memories of summer holidays, sandy toes and icy poles at a beach house somewhere!

Today, with summer holidays well underway, we’re revisiting some of our favourite beachside homes of 2021!

Australia sure punches above its weight when it comes to residential architecture, with seemingly no end of beautiful, innovative, and original projects being completed across the country each year.

We publish multiple residential architecture projects on The Design Files every week, so to determine which projects were our favourites of 2021, we turned to you! Based on the year’s most-read stories, here are your top 10 architect-designed homes of the year!

Every architecture project bears challenges, but this Forest Lodge project by Sibling Architecture has certainly contended with its fair share!

The inner-city Sydney project belongs to Sibling’s director, Qianyi Lim (who lives here with her partner and baby), and her sister, Xinyi. Together, the pair are converting a 1800s cottage and brick stables on site into two family homes over a decade-long period.

Five years into the project, the first of the two houses is now complete. Located at the site’s rear, the contemporary home incorporates salvaged items from the former stables, inspiration from South-East Asia, and careful consideration of the family’s future needs. 

Over time, native creepers growing on an exterior trellis will eventually take over, camouflaging both houses into their communal garden and adjacent bushland. 

On an exposed site with historic mining tailings lies Black Quail – a breathtaking new home designed by Bergendy Cooke. 

Located in Bannockburn, Central Otago (New Zealand’s southernmost wine region), beneath the client’s own vineyard, the brief called for a house protected from the elements, that simultaneously embraced its extraordinary river gorge views. 

The solution – a sculptural home crafted from a quietly robust material palette, with multiple outdoor areas to suit extreme climate variations. The residence appears naturally embedded in its site, with the intention of disappearing into the mining tailings over time. Breathtaking!

The owners of this 1947 cottage in Beaconsfield, Fremantle came to Simon Pendal Architect with a simple request: more space.

Finding beauty in the original home, the architects stripped back and restored its existing rooms, alongside a series of new cave-like chambers seemingly carved from recycled brick.  

Rear openings to the garden and engagement with natural elements (the rising of the sun, the phases of the moon, and the value of breeze to soothe) reveal a home deeply rooted in its environment.  

You wouldn’t believe it from looking at it now, but before it was a light and bright family home, this house was a dilapidated brick dwelling filled with damp and asbestos. That was before it got the Aileen Sage Architects treatment….

The result is a beautiful, light-filled renovation of a heritage home – what a transformation!

A graceful, grand backdrop of towering gum trees sits behind this breezy weekender in Palm Beach. It was these natural surrounds and the sense of calm they evoke that inspired designers Arent&Pyke when they were engaged to reimagine the interiors of the home.

Steering clear of the typical beach-house aesthetic, the designers drew on serene blues, natural textures and native scenery to create a modern coastal look. It’s a timeless, updated holiday space that feels like home!

Some renovations projects call for an extensive overhaul of an existing space, others just a little finessing. The latter was the case for Engawa House in Ivanhoe, Victoria, which required only necessary works to update its energy efficiency and spatial planning. 

Only 15 square metres is a true addition to the house – the remainder simply a reconfiguring of the existing space, designed by Inbetween Architecture as a natural reaction to the client’s curious collection of souvenirs.

As the director of Inbetween Architecture John Liu explains, the house aims to be unapologetic in the pleasant messiness of living with ‘things.’

The clients of this interwar bungalow in Hawthorn came to Ha Architecture seeking a complete transformation inspired by Japanese architecture – a minimalist, tranquil space full of natural materials and connected to the outdoors.

Ha Architecture delivered on this brief and more, designing an almost entirely new home behind the original frontage to meet heritage restrictions. 

This entrance offers a discreet experience, with a new internal Japanese courtyard revealed only as one moves through the home.

The Mays Point House by Tanner Architects is an exercise in robust, yet refined architectural design, amongst incredible natural surrounds. 

By utilising a resilient and muted material palette, alongside a subtle interior scheme, the house allows the incredible South Arm Peninsula environs to take centre stage. This holiday home is an understated and respectful response to its sublime context.