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Architecture

A 1950s House Transformed (But Not Extended) With A New Kitchen + Floor Plan

How architect Gab Olah completely changed this 1950s brick veneer Thornbury home, without adding an extension.
Architecture

Inside A 28 Square Metre Basement, Turned Bold Red Studio!

Hidden in the basement of a sandstone Sydney home, this self-contained studio makes the most of its tiny floorplan.
Climate

A Sustainable Retrofit Of A ’70s Apartment Building In Fitzroy

Rather than tear down this red-brick building, its been retrofitted to create a series of sustainable apartments with impressively low energy bills.
Architecture

This Melbourne Home (Literally) Embraces The Garden In Its Clever Redesign

This renovated family home hides green accents and an innovative garden wall that's like a 'portal' between the home and the lush backyard!
Architecture

A New Suburban Home That Honours Past + Present

This new house in Wheelers Hill has an established feel inspired by the owners' heritage and the local character.
Architecture

A Rambling Fitzroy Terrace Resurrected Through Reducing + Reusing

Austin Maynard Architects have revitalised a rambling Victorian terrace with a serene new atrium and urban farm.
Architecture

The Inspiring Not-For-Profit Creating Affordable Housing For Women In Need

Find out how Women's Property Initiatives is helping women in need find a place to call home in the Nightingale Village and beyond.
Architecture

A Worker’s Cottage Redesigned For Multigenerational Living

Figr Architecture & Design have transformed an inner city, single-fronted Victorian house into a spacious and versatile family home.
Architecture

Inside Melbourne's Community-Focused Skye House Apartment Building

Meet two of the residents in Skye House, designed by Breathe Architecture, in Melbourne’s innovative Nightingale Village.
Architecture

A Thoughtful Coastal Home, Designed To Celebrate Food + Wine

It only took four years, but this Merricks North home is finally making the most of its stunning location, and panoramic views.
Architecture

An Inside Look At Lawson Flats — A Modern Members Club In An Art Deco Perth Building

See the richly-detailed new spaces designed by Finespun Architecture and Ohlo Studio.
Architecture

A Wonderfully Retro Brisbane Home Reworked Around Its Gardens

This modernist '60s house has been cautiously renovated to frame lush garden views, without losing any of its original character.
Sustainable Homes

A Sustainable Family Home Designed On The ‘Smallest Footprint Possible’

Perth landscape architects See Design Studio designed this 110-sq m house around its lush Mediterranean-inspired gardens!
Architecture

A Post-War Melbourne Home Renovation That References A Signature Robin Boyd Feature

Chloë Antonio Architecture demonstrates how you can optimise a post-war heritage brick home for modern living with this clever Pascoe Vale South renovation.
Architecture

An Incredible Off-Grid Farmhouse On The Bass Coast, Designed For The Elements

Bass Coast Farmhouse by Wardle is exposed to the elements yet harnesses them for its own benefit. See more of this off-grid coastal home.
Architecture

An Inspiring Makeover Of Standard Brick Veneer Melbourne Unit

Robinson Architecture have improved the look and function of this compact 1970s brick unit with carefully reconfigured and updated interiors.
Architecture

This Sustainably-Renovated Apartment Building Is Designed Just For Renters

You can now apply to live in this Brunswick apartment building developed especially for Melbourne renters.
Architecture

A Playful Perth Home With Nods To Its Petrol Station Past

The owners of 123 House ran a petrol station at the site for 30 years, before building a personal family home filled with history!
Architecture

A Proudly Contemporary Addition To A 1920s Ashgrovian Queenslander

Kin Architects have doubled the size of this Ashgrovian Queenslander with a bright new extension surrounded by greenery.
Architecture

This Breathtaking Modern Farmhouse Brings The Outdoors In

Merricks Farmhouse in the Mornington Peninsula is a bold, contemporary take on the traditional Australian farmhouse, by Michael Lumby Architecture and Nielsen Jenkins.
Architecture

A Lovingly Restored Neville Guzman-Designed, Mid-Century Home

After unexpectedly falling in love with a 'tired' mid-century home in Orange, NSW, Paddy Williams of PW Architecture Office set about restoring the house to be the marvel it once was!
Architecture

A ‘Less Is More’ Extension For A Charming Coburg Home

'Less, but better' was the inspiration behind the renovation of this compact period family home, designed around its gardens!
Apartments

Inside Melbourne's Unconventional 'Evergreen' Apartment Building

Evergreen by Clare Cousins Architects is one of the six Nightingale buildings in Brunswick, where leafy balconies and rooftop gardens offer the best of apartment living!
Architecture

A Sophisticated Re-Imagining Of A Tired Federation-Era Home

This once well-worn home in St Kilda, Victoria, now sits proudly as a consolidation of old and new thanks to careful design by Edition Office.
Architecture

A Clever Brisbane Family Home Inspired By Japanese Architecture

This workers' cottage has been transformed with an extension of garden-facing rooms, designed to change with the owner's needs.
Architecture

A Daring 4-Level House, Located Where The Bush Meets The Sea

Working with Josh Crosbie Architects, Jack Everitt built his dream family home on a steep and dense Lorne block.
Architecture

A Textured Melbourne House Woven Into Its Enchanting Gardens

Local House by Zen Architects beautifully embraces its surrounds and heritage neighbourhood.
Interiors

Before + After: How This Renovated 1950s Home Celebrates Its Hypnotic Past

This former hypnotherapist's office is now a playful family home, combining its original mid-century quirks with timber and terrazzo!
Architecture

A Family's Off-Grid House That Channels Churches In Its Jaw-Dropping Design

Inspired by the gabled architecture of churches, Off Grid House by Archier is a sustainable, fully electric home with enough room for an extended family sleepover!
Architecture

A Simple 1950s Shack Turned Family Home (With Direct Access To The Beach!)

Located on the Mornington Peninsula, this humble surf shack stands out amongst a sea of Portsea’s cliffside holiday homes and modern mansions.
Architecture

A Spectacular Multi-Generational Sydney Home Crafted From Steel + Stone

Steel House/Stone House by Retallack Thompson makes a heritage sandstone house new again, finding space for two properties on one narrow site in Darlinghurst.
Interiors

A Beautifully Restored Mid-Century Home, Filled With Nostalgia

An original 1950s-1960s modernist home has been given a sympathetic makeover by Design Theory in City Beach, Perth.
Apartments

A Look Inside The Fitzroy Chocolate Factory Turned 'Old-School' Apartments!

The MacRobertson confectionery factory is home to a series of warehouse conversions like no other. Step back in time into the 1880s complex and three of the endearing apartments!
Architecture

This 1900s Cottage’s Charming Renovation Celebrates Timber At Every Turn

Step inside a dilapidated Balmain East cottage turned contemporary house filled with timber, complete with a 'secret' bathroom hidden in plain sight.
Architecture

How An Architect Built This Breezy Home For $260,000

How architect Joshua Duncan created a unique four-bedroom house that's both well-designed and financially accessible.
Architecture

A Private Inner-City Melbourne Home That Embraces Understated Drama

A new addition by Beauty Bloody Bonza turns the focus of this Cremorne heritage home inwards to its internal courtyard.
Climate

An All-Electric Dream Home That Feels Like A Hidden Bushland Retreat

Oanh and Justin Harding's sustainable family home is a perfect and peaceful sanctuary, nestled into Melbourne’s outer east.
Architecture

Inside A Spectacular Sustainable Farmhouse Made From Rammed Earth

The owners behind this new farmhouse on the Mornington Peninsula share how the low-energy home harnesses the elements, with views at every turn!
City Homes

Architect Melanie Beynon’s Future-Proof Edwardian Family Home

Architect Melanie Beynon extends the space and longevity of her Prahran family home with a hardworking addition and central courtyard.
Architecture

This Mosman Home Embraces Nature With An Architectural 'Garden Room'

House for BEES by Downie North is a sustainable renovation grounded in its lush backyard, complete with a native beehive!
Apartments

Life In Leftfield: The New Melbourne Building Raising The Bar Of Apartment Living

Leftfield designed by Kennedy Nolan for Nightingale Housing is the new standard of Australian contemporary apartment design.
Architecture

A Clever Reinvention Of A 1980s Brown Brick Coastal Home

A 40 square metre addition and reconfigured spaces have transformed this coastal home.
Architecture

A Perth Home’s Beachy Addition, Undetectable From The Street

With a brief of building 'better, not more', Cast Studio have created a 73-square-metre addition for a Cottesloe home that's summery and surprisingly spacious.
Sustainable Homes

An Off-Grid Family Home Settled Into Victoria’s High Country

Little Granite House is a compact 100 square metre rural family home that responds to its High Country environment.
Tiny Homes

The Local Business Making Architect-Designed Tiny Homes (Starting From $84,000!)

Base Cabin are collaborating with local architects to create their striking and sustainable tiny homes on wheels.
Architecture

This Cottage Hides A Sun-Drenched Renovation That’s Anything But Ordinary

Sunshine yellow details and a serene courtyard ensure this inner-city Melbourne home holds spaces for gathering and retreating.
Architecture

A Sunny, Nostalgic Extension For A California Bungalow

This renovation in Melbourne's north weaves together old and new to create a 'hard working' family home bathed in sunlight!
Sustainable Homes

How A New Zealand Architect Built His Home For $150,000 (With No Construction Experience!)

Architect William Samuels and Hannah D’Arcy designed and constructed their 42 square metre home on leased land in Nelson, New Zealand.
Architecture

A Wonderfully Warm Renovation Of A Converted Sydney Warehouse

Carter Williamson Architects introduce light, colour, and greenery into a converted Camperdown warehouse through clever alterations.
Architecture

This Heritage Home Hides A Delightful Renovation Filled With Art

Step inside the Melbourne family residence of an architect-turned-artist that's been bought to life with whimsical furniture and colour.
Architecture

Inside A Renovated 1970s Home Designed To Embrace Its Enchanting Garden

A series of small changes by Curious Practice have transformed this NSW home into a serene refuge filled with dreamy garden views.
Architecture

How This Serene Backyard Cabin Was Designed To Survive Floods + Bushfires

Byron St Studio is simple cabin that survived a flood right after it was built – and you can book to stay there!
Architecture

A Warm + Textural ‘Forever Home’ In Suburban Adelaide

Suburban House by Sans-Arc Studio blends mid-century influences with passive design principles to create a serene new home.
Architecture

An Elevated 1960s Brick Home With Waterfront Sydney Views

A pragmatic 1965 brick home fronting the Port Hacking waterway has been reconfigured for its bushland setting by Watershed Architects.
Climate

How This Family Created Their Sustainable Forever Home From Scratch

Years of living in draughty rentals led Katherine Post and Chris Gyngell to build a sustainable forever home, guarded against the elements. See how they did it here.
Architecture

A Reimagined Blonde Brick House With ‘Mid-Century Vibes’

Step inside a wonderfully warm Melbourne family home by Studio Tom, filled with rich timber and a respectful nod to the past.
Architecture

A Light-Filled Renovation Of A South-Facing Heritage Home In Hobart

A south-facing heritage home in South Hobart is injected with light and warmth by Studio Ilk.
Architecture

Before + After: A Sunny Modernist Makeover Of 1960s Sydney Apartment

A mid-century inspired kitchen renovation by Studio Barbara takes a Glebe apartment back to its 1960s roots.
Architecture

A Sympathetic Extension Of A Melbourne Art Deco Home

Lindsay by Megowan is a cohesively extended Melbourne home that sensitively integrates the front of the home with the rear.
Architecture

Inside An Architect’s Beautifully Renovated 1970s Cottage (That You Can Stay In)

Architect Justin Noxon shares his Mornington Peninsula property spanning three diverse properties on eight acres!
On The Market

A Celestial House Designed To Capture The Night Sky Hits The Market

This home designed by Peter Stutchbury features an open-air skylight that allows for stargazing without leaving home - and it's for sale!
Sustainable Homes

A South Gippsland Home Both Protected From + Inspired By The Elements

A textured brick wall wraps around three pavilions in Fish Creek House, sheltering the home from the ferocious winds.
Apartments

Inside A 100-Year-Old Apartment Building, In The Heart Of Melbourne’s CBD

We tour two unique apartments inside Temple Court, an elegant 1920s building nestled on Melbourne's iconic Collins Street!
On The Market

This Designer’s Family Home Hides A Rooftop Terrace, And It’s For Sale

The Melbourne house of owner-designer Dan Gayfer is on the market, but this Edwardian's sweeping extension is full of surprises.
Architecture

A Playful Renovation + Extension Of A 1910s Edwardian Weatherboard Cottage

This once lacklustre Edwardian cottage has been given new life thanks to a renovation and extension by Architect George Meek, of Studio Meek.
Architecture

A Vibrant Transformation Of A Brown Brick Suburban Home

Play House by State of Kin makes a strong case for the retention and renewal of brown brick homes.
Architecture

Before + After: A Light-Filled Renovation Of A Heritage Sydney Terrace

Kitty Lee Architecture revitalise a small Enmore cottage with clever additions and personality.
Sustainable Homes

This Accessible NSW Home Beautifully Channels Japanese Architecture

Butterfly House by Dane Taylor is a sustainable and thoughtful coastal retreat, that blends mid-century design and Japanese architecture.
Sustainable Homes

A Breezy + Sustainably Minded Extension Designed For Entertaining

This old Edwardian in Melbourne has been turned into an entertainer's dream sanctuary with a passively designed extension.
Sustainable Homes

This Off-Grid Holiday Home Makes The Most Of Its Serene Views

Hidden in Robertson, NSW, this serene family retreat offers an outlook of the enchanting Yarrawa Brush and Kangaroo Valley.
Architecture

This California Bungalow Conceals A Deliciously Bold Interior

References to Le Corbusier meet bold citrus hues in Wowowa's latest project, Wrong Champ.
Architecture

A Delightfully Kooky, Mid-Century Inspired Melbourne Home

Gloss House is a an equal parts futuristic and retro home designed by Studio Doherty and Enth Degree Architects in Doncaster East, Melbourne.
Sustainable Homes

This Sustainable, Architect-Designed Farm Stay Makes The Most Of Its 40sqm Footprint

Gawthorne’s Hut is a sustainable, off-grid 40sqm home located on a working family farm - built for a budget of just $250,000.
Architecture

This Grand Edwardian Hides A Spectacular + Playful Renovation

Hermon by WOWOWA brilliantly reimagines a Melbourne home's period elements, with rich and colourful interiors!
Climate

How This Family Transformed A 100-Year-Old Edwardian Into An Energy Efficient Home

A sustainably-minded renovation of an old Edwardian home in Preston, Melbourne, respects the old whilst celebrating the new.
Architecture

A Contemporary Farmhouse Immersed In Private Wetlands

A robust Wolveridge Architects home meets stunning new wetlands by Sam Cox Landscape on the Mornington Peninsula.
Architecture

Step Inside St Kilda's Famous Crigan House With Tim Ross

The 80s are back, baby! Join Tim Ross for his new one-man show, Rosso 88, at the award-winning 1980s Crigan House.
Architecture

An Architect’s ‘Quietly Radical’ North Bondi Family Home

The renovation of architect Anthony Gill's own family home in North Bondi is a compelling case for modest inner-city development.
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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 submissions@thedesignfiles.net

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