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Architecture

Perth’s Historic Market Gardens Inspired This Colourful Home

This colour-drenched Perth home extension by Brunsdon Studio nods to former market gardens in the area.
Apartments

How An Architect Maximised Space In This 1960s Apartment

This compact mid-century apartment in North Melbourne is full of personality and clever storage solutions.
Architecture

Bringing The Outside In To A Heritage Canberra Home

A modest 22-square-metre extension by Josh Mulford Architects has rejuvenated this Barton home, embracing its beloved garden.
Architecture

A Hardworking Sydney Cottage Immersed In Its Garden

How Retallack Thompson unlocked space in this inner-west Sydney home, without removing the 20-metre gum tree in the backyard!
Architecture

A 1920s Perth Home Makeover With Italian Flair + Roof Gardens

The Perth family home of Zarq Studio director Zac Evangelisti blends 1920s charm with glamorous European influences.
Architecture

There’s Over 60,000 Tiles In This Federation Home Makeover

Aiming for the feel of a chic Milanese apartment, this renovation by Studio Ceravolo introduces an interesting use of soft colour and thousands of tiles.
Architecture

This Brick Family Abode Hides A Clever Renovation + A Secret Bathroom!

A well-loved family home is given a timely renovation to improve indoor-outdoor flow and a new work-from-home routine.
Architecture

How This Quirky Backyard Studio Transformed A Family Home

This eye-catching addition in the backyard of a Melbourne family home was designed with multigenerational living in mind.
Architecture

Before + After: An Inspired 1970s Canberra Family Apartment Reno

This colourful renovation shows the potential of well-built, established apartments as modern day family homes.
Architecture

A Charming Edwardian Transformed To ‘Hug’ The Outdoors

Designed around a central courtyard, this Melbourne house reveals a sculptural addition that'll make you say 'wow'!
Sustainable Homes

A Sustainable Rebuild Of A 1990s Melbourne Townhouse

Field Office Architecture went back to the drawing board to literally rebuild this 1990s Burnley townhouse from the ground up.
Architecture

A Green Kitchen Breathes New Life Into This 150-Year-Old Terrace

This Sydney home reveals a textural patchwork of old and new.
Architecture

A Farmhouse In The City With Jacaranda Views

An extensive rebuild and extension by Nest Architects has improved the liveability of this Preston home out of sight.
Architecture

This Weatherboard Hides A Beautiful Barn-Like Extension

A clever renovation of an inner-city Melbourne cottage that prioritises honest, raw materials and outdoor space.
Architecture

A Compact Victorian Terrace Preserved For Future Generations

See how small changes have maximised space inside this inviting, century-old Sydney terrace.
Architecture

Inside An Architect’s Surprising California Bungalow Renovation

This classic red-brick home has been playfully reimagined with retro-inspired features and family-friendly spaces.
Apartments

Life Is Easy In This Designer's Calming Melbourne Apartment

Practising what she preaches, urban designer Shakira Everett purchased an apartment to support a low-maintenance and walkable lifestyle.
Architecture

This Clever Backyard Studio Is Full Of Space-Saving Ideas

This self-contained backyard studio features a mezzanine level, bathroom and kitchenette all squeezed under the canopy of existing trees! ⁠
Architecture

This Charming Melbourne Cottage Delicately Balances Old + New

An elegant Brighton cottage gets an understated makeover by Mckimm.
Architecture

A Pastel-Toned California Bungalow Reinvention

Lisa Breeze Architect has unlocked the potential of this California bungalow with a light-filled, brick extension.
Architecture

A New ‘House Next Door’ For Longtime Alphington Residents

Healy Ryan Architects designed a light-filled home for a retired couple, allowing them to downsize next door to their house of 25 years.
Architecture

This Little Cottage Maximises Space With A Clever Renovation

This Melbourne cottage hides a clever renovation with a sweeping ceiling and family friendly spaces.
Architecture

A Light-Filled Renovation Inspired By A Beloved Childhood Game

A simple folded paper game inspired the clever design of a Melbourne bungalow, with separate yet interconnected rooms.
Architecture

A Predominantly Underground Modern Day Melbourne Farmhouse

This impressive new build by Archier prioritises the landscape over itself.
Architecture

A Creative Bondi Family’s Renovated Art Deco Apartment

This ‘practically quirky’ apartment reno balances colour and original art deco features for a family of four.
Architecture

This Federation Home In Sydney Hides A Refreshingly Modern Twist

This heritage home reveals a surprising extension designed to accommodate a family of five, all at varying stages of life.
Architecture

An Elegant 1875 Home Reimagined Around A Central Courtyard

An old Victorian-turned-architect's office is given a new lease on life after a sympathetic redesign by BUNSTON.
Architecture

A Translucent Victorian Cottage Extension That Glows

A translucent glass linkway connects old and new in this Melbourne terrace, renovated over seven years.
Architecture

An Inner-Melbourne Laneway Home With A Garden At Its Centre

Internal courtyards strengthen the security, and soften the exterior, of this newly built home on a compact Richmond site down a lane.
Architecture

A Brick Veneer Home Transformed To Embrace The Outdoors

A timber addition and sunken internal courtyard has brought new life into this post-war Melbourne home renovation by Michael Ong Design Office (MODO)
Sustainable Homes

A Revived 1850s Inner-City Cottage With A Generous Green Roof

This compact inner-city Melbourne cottage is having a big impact thanks to an efficient renovation and green roof by Nest Architects.
Architecture

How This Tiny Brick House Unlocked Multigenerational Living For A Melbourne Family

Built in the backyard of a Northcote home, this inviting brick addition has allowed a widowed mother and son to live side by side.
Architecture

A 1970s Townhouse Renovation That Celebrates Its Original Design

The original design intent of this 1970s townhouse in Northcote has been restored in a 'simple' renovation by Kerry Kounnapis Architecture Practice (KKAP).
Architecture

The Game-Changing Builder-Architect Model Behind This Luxury Melbourne Home

InForm is a Melbourne-based integrated design and build practice making it easier to create an architect-designed home.
Architecture

A Refined Transformation Of A 1980s Sunshine Coast Townhouse

This once introverted 1980s townhouse has been completely gutted, making way for a sophisticated and uplifting home on the Sunshine Coast.
Architecture

A New Fitzroy North Home Designed For Ageing In Place

The owners of a Victorian cottage have downsized in their own backyard thanks to a new house by Austin Maynard Architects.
Architecture

This Sustainable Home Brings The Outdoors In — In The Best Way

Olaver Architecture designed this new Melbourne house around a striking central courtyard and a suite of sustainable materials.
Architecture

A Playful Redesign Of A 137-Square-Metre Semi-Detached Home

Pops of orange and textural materials have turned this lacklustre Sydney home into a joyful and functional abode.
Architecture

A Light, Bright, + Flowing Edwardian Makeover

How Circle Studio Architects saved and uplifted an Edwardian house in Melbourne's inner west.
Architecture

Before + After: How This Faux Brick-Clad House Was Thoughtfully Reformed

See how a modest suburban home in Melbourne's east was retained and enhanced to benefit the owners, while minimising construction waste.
Architecture

Inside A Renovated Victorian Home With Two Courtyard Gardens

See how the dated property was completely transformed to bring the outdoors in!
Architecture

A Beautifully Reworked California Bungalow Filled With Personal Touches

A three-year renovation and a clever redesign by Blair Smith Architecture gave this 1930s Melbourne home a new lease on life.
Architecture

A Multi-Generational Family Home Wrapped Around A Central Garden

Edition Office have designed an open house around a central courtyard with enough space for the parents, grandparents and children to all live separately, together.
Architecture

A Renovated Edwardian With A Lush Garden + Natural Swimming Pool

Architect Ben Callery has transformed this heritage property into a sustainable, thermally efficient home that invites the surrounding landscape inside.
Architecture

A Clever Renovation Of A Victorian Cottage With A Lush Rooftop Garden

See how the home was transformed to maximise natural light and garden views!
Architecture

How An Old Block Of Flats Became A Serene Multi-Generational Family Home

Sonelo Architects transformed this block of Melbourne flats into a sophisticated family home with Japanese-inspired interiors.
Architecture

A Neglected Bungalow Transformed To Bring The Outdoors In

The team at Architektura took the barely habitable, century-old dwelling and turned it into a contemporary family home that still honoured its roots.
Architecture

A Queenslander Renovation With An Economical Undercroft

An underutilised undercroft and side passage have been activated in this Queenslander home renovation by architect Hannah Waring.
Architecture

A Cleverly Curvy Melbourne Family Home

The north-facing rear aspect of this Footscray home is finally being embraced thanks to renovations and additions by Kuzman Architecture.
Architecture

A Tactful + Light Sydney Cottage Transformation

A modest upper-storey extension by Lintel Studio has freed up this Leichhardt terrace's ground floor to do less, better.
Architecture

This Family’s Perfectly-Sized Party House Nods To 1950s Architecture

Mid-century homes in California inspired this new build for a Melbourne family, who loves to throw a party.
Architecture

A 1900s Sandstone Home Extension Inspired By The Nike Swoosh

The extension of this 1900s Adelaide house designed by Das Studio takes its inspiration from the iconic Nike logo.
Architecture

A Legacy-Building Newcastle Terrace Renovation

The renovation of this 1800s Newcastle terrace by Studio Dot was a chance to create a meaningful legacy for the owner’s family.
Architecture

A Light-Filled + Colourful Re-Working Of A Dark Sydney Terrace

Brad Swartz Architects transformed a 'classic rundown terrace' into a light-filled home on a 4.1 metre-wide, poorly orientated site.
Architecture

This Melbourne Weatherboard Hides A Calming Garden Pavilion

This family home by Olaver Architecture has been transformed with a timber-lined extension that brings the outdoors in.
Architecture

An Architect’s Sleek Multi-Generational Family Home In Northcote

MA+Co principal Karen Alcock has created a functional home designed to change with her family's needs over time.
Architecture

A Productive Green Extension For A Reservoir Family Home

Original houses in Melbourne's Reservoir inspired the renovation of ‘No Rezzavations’ house that features an arching, productive facade.
Architecture

A Breezy Sunshine Coast House For Everyday Living

Bronzewing by Hive Architecture captures the best of its Sunshine Coast environment by cleverly navigating its sloping site.
Architecture

An 1860s Terrace Home Injected With Light + Joy

A comprehensive renovation by David Boyle Architects by Smith + Levine has introduced natural light from above into this 1860s Glebe terrace.
Architecture

A Sloping, Japanese-Inspired Addition For A Classic Queenslander

Niwa House by architect John Ellway turns an introverted Queenslander into a Japanese-inspired home connected to its garden.
Architecture

A Curvaceous Cottage Extension That Hugs Its Park Neighbour

This renovated Victorian cottage by Mihaly Slocombe Architects embraces its public corner site and adjacent park.
Architecture

Inside An Earthy Melbourne House With European-Inspired Flair

This calming new home features chic Spanish terracotta tiles, warm timbers, and natural textures that will only improve with time.
Architecture

A Joyous Home For A Sport-Loving Couple With Kids + Kitties!

Inside the joyous Moonee Ponds home of AFL player Ben Brown and marriage celebrant Hester Brown.
Architecture

An Unused Garage Turned Sophisticated Granny Flat

This granny flat on Sydney's Upper North Shore by Brcar Morony Architecture has its own street address, private entrance, and view of an established jacaranda tree.
Architecture

How Renovations Revealed The ‘Treasures’ Of This Sydney Sandstone Terrace

Virginia Kerridge Architect has peeled back the layers of this heritage terrace, giving the old home a new lease on life.
Architecture

A Victorian Cottage Renovation, Where Everything Has Its Place

Mihaly Slocombe architects have optimised a Victorian cottage with a reconfigured floor plan and the Swiss army knife of utility cabinets!
Architecture

A Brazilian Modernism-Inspired Balmain Home Extension

Architects SAHA masterfully extend a Balmain cottage with a Brazilian modernism-inspired addition that captures light and garden views.
Architecture

A Cosy Melbourne Family Home Designed To ‘Catch’ The Sun

Drawing Room Architecture have transformed this old weatherboard into a light-filled family home.
Architecture

How This Quintessential Fitzroy Terrace Makes The Most Of A Narrow Laneway

Architect Andrew Child’s adaptable Melbourne family home hides a contemporary edge, and an extension into a former laneway.
Architecture

A 58 Square Metre Brunswick East House That ‘Never Feels Small’

Built for a family's elderly parents in the backyard of their home, this clever house by Tan Architecture is a lesson in 'quality over quantity'.
Architecture

A Flood-Prone Coburg Bungalow Uncovers A Silver Lining

Architecture Architecture open an introverted Melbourne bungalow to embrace its surrounding green space.
Sustainable Homes

An All-Timber, Small Footprint Addition To A Simple Weatherboard Cottage

North King by Ben Callery Architects in Northcote, Melbourne has been newly-extended with an efficient all-timber addition.
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

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

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

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 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.
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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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