This website uses cookies to improve your experience navigating our site. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
OK, I understand
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.
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.
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
The Design Files’ original content and photos are copyright protected. Please email us before reposting our content on other publications, personal websites, or Instagram. Feel free to share our images on Pinterest using the credit ‘via thedesignfiles.net’. Thank you!