The Brisbane apartment of young interior designer Claire Stevens and Hamish McIntosh.  Kitchen and Living. Thonet kitchen counter stools. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Kitchen details. ‘We have a lot of indoor plants as they are cheaper and last longer than flowers!’ says Claire. ‘With no outlook onto a garden or yard the green always keeps the place looking fresh’. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Living area. Vintage poster from Studio M Galleries in Sydney, coffee table – Flynn by Jardan, cushions – custom designed by Claire, side tables - Hay Tray Table from Corporate Culture. ‘One difficulty with the house is the lack of wall hanging space in the living areas. We set up a picture hanging system to create more room for art’ says Claire. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Living room detail. ‘I had a lot of fun with colour in this place’ says Claire. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Claire Stevens poses for a photo in the kitchen. George the spoodle sits alongside her on another stool – Claire says he’s not this small anymore! Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

We’re kicking off our house tours for the year with this modest but super cute little apartment in Brisbane’s New Farm, which belongs to young interior designer Claire Stevens, and her partner Hamish McIntosh.

Claire and Hamish live here with their Spoodle George (who Claire says pretty much runs the place!). Bright and airy with generous adjoining balconies, this apartment has been transformed into the perfect versatile living and working space for this industrious young couple. Claire works from home, having launched her business just two years ago.  She works mainly on residential and small-scale commercial projects, and took great pleasure in updating this light filled two bedroom apartment when she joined Hamish here just over two years ago. Hamish is a commercial banker Bank of Queensland. The pair are actually due to get married very soon on the 17th of January – congrats in advance guys!

Hamish has lived here for about 4 years, whilst Claire moved in about 2 ½ years ago… and it didn’t take long before she felt compelled to make a few changes to his bachelor pad! ‘When I first met him all he had was a mattress on the floor for a sofa and black leather recliner… both are now gone!’ she says, insisting he has actually be very enthusiastic about the transformation!

‘We added some built in cabinetry for storage and display, to add some interest into the main living area, and swapped the carpet for an oak timber floor, and lighter carpet in the bedrooms’ says Claire. New light fittings, shutters and furniture were also selected to complement these contemporary updates.

The apartment occupies a whole floor of the building, which fortunately means balconies on two sides – ‘we are lucky that we can open up the whole place onto the surrounding balconies to really make the most of the inside/outside living’ says Claire. The pair decided to put these outdoor spaces to good use, choosing to place their large dining table outside rather than waste precious floorspace inside. ‘It is not too bad, even in winter...’ says Claire. You have to love that Queensland weather!

Claire and Hamish love New Farm, which is a great area with excellent cafes, shops and galleries all within walking distance, and just a stone’s throw from the bustling retail precinct at Fortitude Valley. ‘New Farm is such a great suburb to live in Brisbane, close to the city and so many great restaurants and shops in walking distance’ says Claire. ‘We are also lucky enough to have some fantastic views to the North of Brisbane and city glimpses. The natural light is amazing here, for work and living.’

Huge thanks to Claire and Hamish for sharing their sweet love nest with us today! For more of Claire’s work do check out her website here.

Bedroom artwork by Rachel Castle, Olba sidetable by Jardan, Jonathan Adler fabric from Ascraft for the bedhead, and Christopher Farr Cloth cushions also by Ascraft. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Looking through to bedroom and Claire’s home office. Chair by Kartell. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Outdoor dining area. ‘It is a great entertaining area out here’ says Claire. ‘The light over the table helps to create intimacy in an outdoor setting’. Tribu table from Cosh Living, light from Town and Country Style - it’s a Tierlan Tijn Light handmade in the Netherlands. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

View to balcony. Black and White Photograph from the Conde Nast Collection Archive. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.

Balcony. ‘We get all the morning sun in the front part of the unit’s balcony. It is such a lovely spot to have breakfast and I often have meetings out here’ says Claire. Photo – Toby Scott for The Design Files.