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Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Due to popular demand today we FINALLY have brisbane home to share…! I made a little trip to Queensland a month or two ago and was lucky to shoot three beautiful homes with immensely talented Brisbane-based photographer Jared Fowler, and today is the first we have to share!
This amazing character-filled timber home in Brisbane’s West End is home to artists Adam Lester (originally from Melbourne) and Caro Toledo (originally from France) and their children, 8 year old twins Chilli and Arlo – plus Arkie the dog and PP the cat! It’s a typical rambling and charmingly wonky Queenslander, sitting right on the banks of the Brisbane river amongst overgrown greenery. The main living areas of the home are raised off the ground in typical Queensland style, and the large ground level ‘basement’ serves as Adam’s art studio. Amazingly, despite proximity to the river, Adam and Caro’s home miraculously escaped damage during the 2010 / 2011 Brisbane floods. Incredibly lucky. The river is literally metres from the backdoor!
Though their home is rented, the colour palette here couldn’t be a more perfect backdrop for Adam and Caro’s eclectic collection of artwork, furnishings and trinkets. The family have been here just over two years, and in that time have certainly put their creative stamp on the place – artwork by both Caro and Adam fills the space, as do many pieces by clever creative friends.
There’s something uniquely special and kind of weirdly ‘familiar’ about this home, and after reviewing these shots just now, I think I’ve just realised why that is. It feels just like a film set. I think this has to do with the larger than life colour palette (peppermint green never looked so good!), aged to hazy perfection on all those amazing timber panelled walls. There’s just something so rich and layered about this home – it perfectly reflects the creative family who live here, yet also has a unique history and character all its own.
Adam has recently exhibited at the Melbourne Art Fair with his Adelaide gallery (Hill Smith Gallery) and is working towards solo shows in Sydney and Adelaide next year. Stay tuned for a series of screen prints and a new Adam Lester website, coming soon! He is represented by Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane, who very kindly put us in touch for this feature. Thankyou Jan!
Massive thanks to Adam and Caro for sharing their home with us today!
The Design Files acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
First Nations artists, designers, makers, and creative business owners are encouraged to submit their projects for coverage on The Design Files. Please email bea@thedesignfiles.net
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