The Top 10 Architect-Designed Homes From 2024
Architecture
A lush, central courtyard provides an abundance of natural light throughout the home. Photo – Dylan James. Styling – Arch Melbourne.
Photo – Dylan James. Styling – Arch Melbourne.
Photo – Dylan James. Styling – Arch Melbourne.
Photo – Dylan James. Styling – Arch Melbourne.
A Sunny Transformation Of A California Bungalow With A Lush Central Courtyard
It’s hard to believe this light-filled Melbourne home was born from the foundations of a dark, weatherboard California bungalow.
In the hands of Bryant Alsop Architects, the south-facing pad was completely reoriented to embrace the northern light created by a landscaped central courtyard and garden.
Fowler and Ward opened up the back of the house and added an 8sqm extension to optimise natural light. Photo – Martina Gemmola.
The new kitchen. Yohaku tiles from Tiento. Island benchtop in Laminex Burnt Ochre. Kitchen cupboards in Laminex White. Spotted gum veneer joinery. Photo – Martina Gemmola.
Full-height OSB cupboards in the open-plan kitchen, dining and living area are painted Dulux Chincilla Chenille. Photo – Martina Gemmola.
The sunken lounge was designed to accommodate the lowered ceiling of the 8sqm extension. Photo – Martina Gemmola.
A Charming Preservation Of A 1970s Suburban Brown Brick Home
When tasked with renovating this brown brick home in Brunswick West, Victoria, architects Fowler and Ward were briefed to embrace the character of the quintessential suburban build.
In fact, it only took a few fundamental moves dealing with light, views and spatial connections to completely transform the house from its dark and poorly connected former state.
Now, with a nostalgic palette of rich, warm hues that hark back to its origins, an open-plan layout and even a sunken lounge, this home stands as an shining example of ‘retention before reinvention’.
Bob’s Bungalow by Blair Smith Architecture is named after the one of owner’s dearly departed rescue dogs. Photo – Tom Ross . Styling – Jessica Lillico.
Photo – Tom Ross . Styling – Jessica Lillico.
The sunken lounge. Reverse brick veneer walls are positioned to optimise the amount of direct winter sun they receive. Photo – Tom Ross . Styling – Jessica Lillico.
The green terrazzo slab kitchen and green steel window frames were selected to tie in with the colours of the rear garden. Photo – Tom Ross . Styling – Jessica Lillico.
A Beautifully Reworked California Bungalow Filled With Personal Touches
For the owner-builders of this California bungalow, the renovation was a true labour of love.
Mark and Jacinta had lived in their Melbourne family home for four decades before engaging Blair Smith Architecture to reimagine the 1930s abode.
It took 18 months to design and more than three years to construct — with the couple working on the home bit-by-bit — but the resulting home, dubbed ‘Bob’s Bungalow’ is now a warm, authentic, and sunny sanctuary where they’ll enjoy the next chapter of life.
Studio Pip ‘Play’ sofa from District Furniture. Photo – Tasha Tylee.
The courtyard is the perfect spot to relax, and take in the views of the surrounding treetops (including a huge lemon-scented gumtree in the back!). Photo – Tasha Tylee.
Architect Kim Bridgland saus he feels a ‘deep sense of calm’ at the home. Photo – Tasha Tylee.
A Multi-Generational Family Home Wrapped Around A Central Garden
Working with an inner-city property surrounded by big, double-storey houses led to a bit of creativity on architect Kim Bridgland’s behalf.
The director of Edition Office wanted to ensure his clients — three generations of one family — had access to plenty of natural light and treetop views. So, he designed a central garden and courtyard that has since become the heart and soul of the home, and the family’s favourite spot.
Kim also incorporated passive design and created enough space for the parents, grandparents and children to all live separately, together.
David Boyle Architect was engaged to provide opportunities for natural light and a sense of spaciousness not normally associated with terrace house living in this Glebe home. Photo – Simon Whitbread. Styling – Holly Irvine
The entire extension is fitted with green roofs using native ground covers for internal thermal comfort and biodiversity. Photo – Brett Boardman
Interior designers Smith + Levine were tasked with furnishing the home with fun, relaxed and ‘easy to live with’ pieces. Photo – Simon Whitbread. Styling – Holly Irvine
Concrete, recycled brick and recycled timber are repeated throughout the refined material palette. Photo – Simon Whitbread. Styling – Holly Irvine
An 1860s Terrace Home Injected With Light + Joy
A lack of natural light is a common issue across Sydney’s terrace homes. The problem was especially profound in this 1860s Glebe terrace, due to the tall side walls of neighbouring terraces that blocked light to the property from the north and south.
David Boyle Architect retained the heritage protected front of the home, adding a contemporary extension with views across to Anzac Bridge.
A vertical void below skylights and full-height windows bring natural light in from above, enhanced by a vibrant interior design scheme by Smith + Levine.
The nostalgic facade of Not A Motel by Pleyser Perkins. Photo – Tom Blachford.
Cactus designed by Drocco/Mello for Gurfram, from Living Edge. Artwork on left by Leila Jeffreys. Artwork on right by George Bryne. Vintage dining table and chairs. Photo – Tom Blachford.
This Palm Springs-Inspired Beach House Is What Retro Dreams Are Made Of
This beach house in the Mornington Peninsula is Not A Motel, but it does channel the look and feel of Palm Springs’ famous mid-century modern motels and architecture.
It’s also the name of the spectacular new project by Pleyser Perkins, who designed the property as a playful escape for a Melbourne family.
Complete with a central courtyard garden, a swimming pool, and a sunken lounge, the holiday home is what retro dreams are made of.
The original 1970s concrete changing room sheds were converted into a family home, built on a concrete slab floor with a concrete black wall to the south.
The trusses not only act as the roof structure, but also form the clerestory windows.
The different zones are separated into ‘lanes’ by the roof trusses, which loosely reference the typical triangular flags found at swimming pools.
An Abandoned Swimming Pool Complex Turned Contemporary Family Home
Over 10 years ago, an old and derelict swimming pool complex and adjacent town hall in Whanganui, New Zealand, were on track to be demolished by the local council — and the land sold off for redevelopment.
Luckily, local potter Ross Mitchell-Anyon saved the complex, stepping in to purchase the entire site from the council back in 2009. But it still remained run-down and neglected — until local couple Frank and Emma bought the complex from Ross in 2019 with the intention of bringing life back to the town centre.
After engaging Ross’ son, Patchwork architect Ben Mitchell-Anyon, the abandoned 1970s changing room sheds were reimagined as a stylish and contemporary family home, while the old pools were also repurposed — the smaller back to its former glory, and the larger as a sunken garden.
Stafford Heights Modern is a restoration and renovation of a 1960s home. Photo – Christopher Frederick Jones.
This Playful Modernist Home Is A Masterclass In Retro Restoration
Whenever it comes time to update a retro home, there’s always a risk of losing the original building’s character and soul to a white-washed renovation, or a new building altogether.
But this 1960s Brisbane home shows how it can be done right! Drawing on famous mid-century homes for inspiration, Paul Butterworth Architect has brilliantly restored the Stafford Heights residence with ‘zingy’ colours, modernist flair, and sympathetic updates — bringing a newfound charm to this special home.
The original house remains almost unchanged. Photo – Toby Scott.
Photo – Toby Scott.
Aesthetically, the home draws on uncluttered traditional Japanese interiors featuring worn-smooth timber, tatami mats, plenty of practical built-in storage, and the flexibility of sliding walls and screens. Photo – Toby Scott.
This addition slopes down to meet the garden via a series of steps in plan — house to verandah to internal garden, concrete kitchen bench, meals, and through to the garden. Photo – Toby Scott.
A Sloping, Japanese-Inspired Addition For A Classic Queenslander
Traditional Queenslanders are often brimming with charm, but their elevated position can create a disconnect between house and garden so often sought in Australian homes.
‘Niwa House’ designed by architect John Ellway overcomes this issue with a sloping addition that enables the rear of the Highgate Hill home and garden to meet.
An additional outdoor space sits at the centre of the plan, providing a serene outlook, ventilation, and a unique entry point to the home, inspired by Japanese architecture.
The rear extension of the brick veneer home. Build by Seventy7 Projects. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Natalie James.
Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Natalie James.
The floor becomes seating at the integrated, space-saving dining table. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Natalie James.
The renovated kitchen remains in its original position. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Natalie James.
Timber-rich interiors serve as a visual extension of the outdoors. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Natalie James.
A Brick Veneer Home Transformed To Embrace The Outdoors
To say renovations have changed this post-war brick veneer Brunswick West house would be an understatement.
The addition of a new living area and a sunken internal courtyard has brought new life, literally, into the Melbourne home, that pushes the family outdoors at every opportunity.
Take a closer look at the renovation below, designed by Michael Ong Design Office (MODO).