Victoria’s most innovative new architecture was revealed at the 2026 Victorian Architecture Awards last night.

From respectful, yet colourful, heritage renovations to impressive new builds that invite the outside, and apartment buildings redefining high density living, the 64 winners and commendations across 14 stacked categories represent the pinnacle of design from the state’s best and upcoming architects.

In the Residential Architecture – Houses (New) category, Edition Office took out the Named Award with their striking House in a Garden project. While Robert Simeoni Architects was awarded the Named Award in the Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) category with their Palmerston Street House.

‘The residential winners were dominated by projects honouring a site’s history, modernising heritage homes for contemporary use with precise edits, rather than a knockdown rebuild — a compelling and sustainable approach to home design,’ says Australian Institute of Architects 2026 Victorian Architecture Awards Jury Chair, Simon Knott.

‘We also saw many examples of density done well, multi-residential projects that act as intriguing templates for how we can increase housing supply in inner city areas.’

MA+Co took home the Named Award in Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing, with Studio Bright, Caleb Smith Architect, Kennedy Nolan and Six Degrees Architects also receiving awards.

Take a look at the list of winners below!

Residential Architecture – Houses (New)

The Harold Desbrowe Annear Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New): House in a Garden by Edition Office
Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New): Bruce Street by MUIR Architecture
Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New):  Hislop Hill House by Clare Cousins Architects
Commendation for Residential Architecture – Houses (New):  Mount Macedon House by Ben Lance Architects

Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)

The John and Phyllis Murphy Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Palmerston Street House by Robert Simeoni Architects
Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Anglesea Beach House by Lovell Burton Architecture
Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Eleanor by Topology Studio
Commendation for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): House Freddie by Studio Bright
Commendation for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Gore St House by Olaver Architecture
Commendation for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Studio8 by Partners Hill

Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing

The Best Overend Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: 9 Wilson Ave by MA+Co
Award Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: SDA Housing Project by Studio Bright
Award Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing:  Northumberland Road Community Housing by Caleb Smith Architect
Award Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: Nightingale Umarkoo Wayi by Kennedy Nolan
Award Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: Merri Northcote by Six Degrees Architects
Commendation for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: Northcote Townhouses by Birthisel Wittingslow Architects, Studio Esteta and Carr
Commendation for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: Gore Street by Woods Bagot

Interior Architecture

The Marion Mahony Award for Interior Architecture: Studio8 by Partners Hill
Award for Interior Architecture: Sunbury Community Arts & Cultural Precinct | Architecture Associates with Openwork
Award for Interior Architecture: 24/7 Latelab by Kosloff Architecture
Commendation for Interior Architecture: Yiaga by Wardle
Commendation for Interior Architecture: Log House by Elida De Felice Architect

View the winners of the remaining categories: Commercial Architecture, Educational Architecture, Heritage Architecture, Public Architecture, Small Project Architecture, Urban Design, Enduring Architecture, COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture, Dimity Reed Melbourne Prize, EmAGN Project Award, Regional Prize, Sustainable Architecture, Emerging Architect Prize, and the Bates Smart Architecture in Media here. 

Since moving into her Wollongong family home, interior designer Isa Stancourt has used the 1950s fibro garage as a home office and to sleep guests — but it was never quite big or functional enough.

‘As soon as the sofa bed was open you could barely skirt around it. There was a rudimentary shower and laundry in there too,’ she says.

Isa saw an opportunity to create a bespoke space to be used by her 18-year-old daughter, and later as short-term accommodation.

Significantly extending the existing 17-square-metre studio wasn’t possible without impacting the main house or deck, so Isa opted to push the length of the studio outwards by just one metre.

‘I could see that by extending it by just one metre was able to improve the layout and space significantly,’ she explains. ‘I changed the entry point and reconfigured the bathroom, and I removed the flat ceiling to make it raked, which gave the studio more volume.’

The added space has provided valuable extra room, allowing for a separate laundry.

In extending and reconfiguring the floor plan, Isa worked with Stancourt Builders to fully strip the interior and half the exterior, including the ceiling.

‘We left the existing concrete floor, old car oil stains included! This was a budget decision, and added a new patch of concrete flooring in the extension.’ Isa says. ‘We added a steel beam to support and extend the existing roof framing.’

Two newly installed skylights with automatic blinds ensure the studio gets plenty of natural light without sacrificing privacy.

The studio is now fully self-contained thanks to a kitchen (situated along the wall of the living/sofa bed area) with pale yellow cabinetry, custom timber handles, a grey tiled splashback, and a matching stone bench (made using offcuts from another project). There’s also a built-in study nook adjoining the kitchen area, and storage space at the entry.

The bathroom is a feminine and playful space, tying in with the studio’s new pale pink exterior walls and ceiling. A blush square tile fully lines the floors to match the vanity, while equally sized maroon tiles on the floor create the illusion of a deeper space. Deliberately mismatching coloured resin tapware by Wood Melbourne and lilac towel rails offer delightful points of interest.

Isa managed costs by slowly designing and building over the course of a year. The budget was $80,000-$100,000, and she was pleased to come in right in the middle at just over $90,000.

The fully contained studio provides Isa’s daughter with greater independence and a potential source of income if they decide to rent out the space as accommodation.

Budget breakdown

Trades/labour: $44,000
Joinery (kitchen, wardrobe, vanity): $16,000
Kitchen and bathroom benchtops: $4,500 for installation only. (Stone was leftover from another project.)
Hardwood desk and lid: $2,080
Tiles for kitchen splashback & bathroom: $3,100
Tapware: $1,820
Appliances: $2,685
Windows & skylights: $8,400
Miscellaneous (air conditioning, blinds, shower screen, and other): $8,000

Renovation total = $90,585

The National Gallery of Australia’s latest exhibition, Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, has been more than 50 years in the making.

Born in 1920 to an acclaimed family of notable painters, potters, and architects (including his cousin, Robin Boyd), Arthur Boyd is best known for his expressive paintings of the Australian landscape, interwoven with Biblical allegories.

Across his extensive career, Boyd experimented with printmaking, drawing, painting, and ceramics. But one of his most monumental creations, comprising a series of 20 tapestries, is finally being showcased in full for the very first time at Kamberri/Canberra’s National Gallery.

At 2.5 by 3.4 metres, each tapestry depicts a scene in the artist’s retelling of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi that he commissioned from the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, a skilled textile workshop in Portugal.

‘Boyd had hoped to show the works soon after their completion in 1974, but this never occurred due to an arts body failing to confirm funding in time for the planned exhibition,’ says the National Gallery Senior Curator of Australian Art, Elspeth Pitt.

‘Since then, there have been various efforts to show the complete series, but it’s taken some fifty years to make it happen.’

In addition to Boyd’s unruly interpretations of one of the most venerated figures in human history, perhaps the most astonishing part of these tapestries is their immense scale and complexity.

Every aspect of the work was done by hand, woven at a scale more than 20 times larger than Boyd’s original source images, and each containing between 4 and 8.5 million stitches.

‘Teams of weavers then worked in six-to-eight-hour shifts, often for 24 hours a day, to complete the work to schedule,’ Elspeth says.

‘A team of expert weavers could expect to produce between two and three centimetres of tapestry over the course of a shift. All the weavers were women, many of whom spent their working lives at the Manufactura.’

These artisans are recognised in the exhibition, finding as many names as possible from archival records held by the Manufactura.

Visitors will also be able to view Boyd’s lithographs, pastels, and drawings, exploring the technical processes involved in the creation of these tapestries. There’ll even be a series of weaving workshops and talks designed to provide deeper insights into the artist’s fascination with the patron saint of Italy, and the recurring themes of divinity and humanity in his works.

While the series, known as the Life of St Francis tapestries, has been largely undiscovered by wide audiences until now, this milestone exhibition is proudly putting it in the spotlight.

‘It is a strange and very beautiful experience to be surrounded by these enormous works that required so many hands to make them and so much time and care to come into being,’ Elspeth adds.

Visit Arthur Boyd: Tapestries for free at the National Gallery from June 20 – October 18 2026.

When Amber Downie and builder Aaron Ronaldson first walked through their Brighton East home, it was in a state of complete disrepair.

‘Sadly, it had not been maintained for many years and was totally unliveable. I have no doubt it would have scared most people off, but we instantly saw the potential,’ Amber says.

While the beautiful Victorian facade remained intact, the gardens and interiors required significant work. Perhaps that’s why it was destined to fall into the hands of the couple, who had plenty of construction experience thanks to Aaron’s business, Elwood Building Co.

The first step was restoring the exterior and the front four bedrooms of the original period home, converting one bedroom into a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite.

‘From there, we wanted to maximise the potential of the block, so we cleared the remaining backyard and driveway to make way for a new extension, pool, and studio,’ Amber says.

‘As a family that loves to entertain, creating a bright and spacious kitchen and living area was a priority. The new addition opens seamlessly onto the sunny backyard, providing the perfect space for entertaining while meeting the needs of our family’s day-to-day lifestyle.’

In addition to honouring the home’s heritage at the front of the residence, the owner-builders took a more playful approach to the interiors.

A palette of ‘unexpected’ yet low-maintenance materials — brushed oak floors, tumbled brass tapware, and off-white walls — created the robust backdrop that will withstand the years ahead with young kids running around.

It also meant the couple could have some fun with the home’s styling, embracing statement pieces and plenty of art from Australian furniture brand Fenton & Fenton. In the open-plan living space, the Strut Dining Chairs and the Daydreamer Lounge provide contrasting hues of sangria and garnet against the dusty peach micro-cement island bench.

Blue became another accent, appearing in the bathroom tiles, the bedroom’s eye-catching Forma Dhurrie rug and in the Moroccan-inspired outdoor setting, complete with a tiled pool.

‘We wanted our love of colour to be reflected throughout our home, so we weren’t afraid to make bold choices,’ Amber says.

‘With such a large living area, creating a feature fireplace was a must. The mustard gloss tiles have a ’70s feel, an era full of inspiration! They certainly make a statement and act as a focal point within the space, while still being surprisingly versatile and easy to pair with other colours and soft furnishings.’

The most astonishing part is that the savvy couple were able to bring their vision to life within a ‘crazy five-month’ timeline.

‘We set ourselves the goal of moving in before Christmas, with our baby due early December,’ Aaron says. ‘It was two months to restore the original Victorian home and three months to complete the new extension. There’s nothing like having a baby on the way to get things moving!’

Explore the furniture, lighting, artwork and styling details from Fenton & Fenton that brought the Brighton East Project to life here.

The New Perennial movement, often called the ‘Dutch Wave’, originated in the Netherlands and Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Among the pioneers of the forward-thinking style was Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf.

Despite the stark differences in the climate of Europe, where this style began, and Queensland, Ladysmith Park Perennials founder Jacqueline Stevenson has brought a touch of Oudolf’s magic to this project in South Burnett.

Between the large drifts of ornamental grasses, vibrant flowering perennials, and winding garden paths, it’s hard to believe this landscape was largely a ‘blank canvas’ just five years ago.

‘The client — a devoted family man — had built a striking home overlooking sweeping valley views and wanted a garden that would both honour and elevate its setting,’ Jacqueline says.

There was however one defining feature on the expansive block: a mature Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay Fig), positioned to the north-east of the house.

‘Rather than competing with it, the design used the fig as a focal point and reference, integrating it into key views and circulation patterns to reinforce its role as a dominant and unifying landscape element,’ Jacqueline says.

A new circular lawn and mass plantings of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ (maiden grass), alongside Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ (variegated Chinese silver grass) helped frame the towering tree, while the rest of the landscape was reshaped to create an immersive ‘journey’ throughout the various garden spaces.

Gravel pathways and stepping sequences gently guide movement through the site, while also providing functional walkways to key destinations such as the fire pit, horse stables, tennis court, shed, and wood-fired spa.

‘I was drawn to the way Oudolf uses naturalistic planting design to create gardens that feel both structured and deeply connected to nature,’ Jacqueline adds.

‘I aimed to incorporate his use of organic geometry, where sweeping curves introduce visual tension and contrast while also serving a practical role in shaping movement, controlling sightlines, and influencing the emotional experience of the landscape.’

In addition to using plants on mass to mimic the look of a natural meadow, the north of the house reveals a diverse collection of perennial plants that come alive with vibrant flowers each spring and summer. Plants like Salvia microphylla ‘Cyclamen’ (baby sage) and Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ bring in pops of purple and pink.

However, other perennials were deliberately excluded due to suitability issues, with careful consideration of the area’s high humidity and rainfall — something Ladysmith Park Perennials isn’t used to at their Wagga Wagga-based nursery.

To aid with biodiversity, more than 40 per cent of the planting is native. This also helped reduce the need for maintenance, something that was crucial for the client, who Jacqueline says has done an ‘exceptional job’ in executing and maintaining the design himself.

‘The outcome has exceeded my expectations. This success is largely due to the owner’s dedication to the ongoing care, craftsmanship, and stewardship of the garden,’ she says.

The garden has found a wonderful balance between the demands of the rural setting, the natural views, and the needs of the family’s lifestyle.

‘I am also very proud of the overall naturalistic effect achieved through the large sweeping garden beds and the use of drifts of ornamental grasses, perennials, and native species,’ Jacqueline says.

‘Together, these elements create a landscape that feels immersive and cohesive, closely echoing the rhythms and movement of nature — or at the very least, a heightened interpretation of its wildness.’

It didn’t take much for Prue Dimond, founder of Rocc Naturals, and Raff Rocchi, general manager of construction company I&D Group, to pack up their lives and move from Melbourne to Torquay.

Having grown up on a farm outside Daylesford, Prue found herself yearning for a similarly small town to raise her daughters — a place where kids ride their bikes to the neighbours, and people often stop to talk on the street.

Torquay is close enough (under 90 minutes) to still regularly commute to Melbourne, but offers this more relaxed lifestyle, including daily beach visits and walks into the main street.

‘It sounds simple, but that sense of genuine community is what made such a big move feel immediately like home,’ says Prue. ‘After renting fully furnished holiday homes down the Surf Coast with friends, we decided we wanted to try living coastal with our little family.’

Prue and Raff found a block that made this possible, complete with 180-degree views of national parkland. ‘That’s what made it so compelling — it had the convenience of being situated in old Torquay, the cafes, the coastline — but step outside, and you felt completely enveloped by nature,’ says Prue. ‘It had the feeling and outlook of a remote property without the isolation. For us, that combination was impossible to walk away from.’

After building a townhouse in Kew a decade earlier, Prue and Raff felt confident in taking on a bigger personal project with the luxury of more space.

‘With this house we had the freedom to design the opposite of that,’ says Prue. ‘It’s the fifth home we’ve designed together — our side hustle is property development — and the distance between the first and this one tells its own story. You make mistakes along the way, too many to mention, but with each project you learn something, and slowly you start to develop your own creative confidence.’

Prue and Raff engaged Studio Kennon to design the home, inspired by the 2007 cliffside ‘Razor House’ designed by Wallace E. Cunningham in La Jolla, California. You might know it from Alicia Keys’ Architectural Digest tour.

Indeed, references to Razor House are evident in the similar use of curving concrete walls and rich timber. Where it differs is the more daring use of colour, which Prue and Raff have become more confident to experiment with over the years.

‘There are over 150 trucks of concrete in this house. Alone it’s striking, but cold and masculine. We knew from the beginning that the interiors needed to work against that — to create something that felt like a genuine retreat,’ says Prue.

Japanese plaster, carpet, and cork in soft beige tones quietly anchor every room, layered with pops of colour drawn from the landscape framed by floor-to-ceiling windows. Mustard yellow reflects the tone of eucalypt bark caught in late afternoon light, and dark green stone introduces depth without heaviness. ‘For me, those colour pops are an unexpected moment — a personality for the house that reflects who actually lives here,’ says Prue. ‘A playful, feminine energy that balances the weight of the concrete, while the palette keeps returning to the landscape beyond the glass.’

Luxury features including a wellness area with a sauna and ice bath, cinema room, and a home bar are tailored to Prue and Raff, while others are for their six-year-old daughters Coco and Molly. ‘This is a home built for long evenings and good conversation, not just school runs and early bedtimes, ‘explains Prue. ‘The concrete structure is a sculpture in itself, but inside this feels like a family home — playful, never precious. Which in real life means, yes, the kids are jumping and doing gymnastics on the couches. Their energy is woven through every room, and honestly, I love that.’

Prue and Raff couldn’t be happier with what Studio Kennon have achieved — an architectural feat they’re reminded of every day when opening the full-height, fully retractable sliding windows that open the living spaces directly to the treetops.

‘The breeze moves through, birds and branches are ever present, and in summer the home feels open, breezy, sandy-footed and alive,’ says Prue. ‘In winter, the same space closes around a burning red gum fire, the park held quietly beyond the glass.’

Prue spends plenty of time indulging in the home’s wellness features, but it’s the top level living spaces she’s most fallen in love with. ‘The kitchen, living and dining area feels like a treehouse — and I mean that literally,’ she says.

‘Making breakfast and talking with my girls, I can witness all four seasons play out: pink sky sunrises, pelting rain, magical golden light and moody grey skies. It still takes my breath away.’

When we go about our daily lives, driving on roads, walking through parks, catching public transport, and working in big buildings, it’s easy to neglect all the moving parts it takes to make a city truly thrive.

But the multidisciplinary design studio OCULUS knows the complexities of our built environment better than most.

It was 1993 when Bob Earl and Don Hoover founded the business with a focus on designing public spaces that make an impact.

Today, OCULUS is a leader in this space, with studios across Melbourne, Sydney, and Washington DC that employ more than 40 people with expertise in urban design, landscape architecture, architecture, industrial design, and horticulture.

The driving force behind the work they do is really about shaping our cities to build a better future — especially when it comes to the climate crisis.

OCULUS associate director Claire Martin says not only is their commitment to sustainability represented in their projects, but also in the company’s everyday processes, including the decision to be a customer of Momentum Energy and purchasing 100% GreenPower.

‘We chose Momentum Energy because they are Australian-owned by Hydro Tasmania, which is Australia’s largest generator of renewable energy,’ Claire says. ‘As part of our Climate Active accreditation, we are committed to purchasing 100% GreenPower.’

OCULUS is signed up to GreenPower: a government-accredited program that matches the electricity they use with renewable electricity, generated from accredited Australian projects. This offers OCULUS a simple, credible way to support Australia’s renewable energy future.

‘Whether as built environment professionals, producers or consumers, we need to focus on our collective action,’ Claire says. And this is just one of the ways the company is making a difference.

They’ve had a hand in major projects around Australia; from providing landscape design celebrating Noongar kadadjin (knowledge) for one of the most significant urban redevelopment projects in Western Australia, to delivering the diverse arrival gardens at TarraWarra Museum of Art.

‘How we tend to measure whether our projects have been successful is how much public engagement and benefit they have generated,’ OCULUS associate director Claire Martin says.

‘How they’ve been received by the community they are part of and how regenerative; whether they deliver social, cultural, environmental or economic benefits.’

In New South Wales, for example, there’s a ‘shared ambition’ focused on accelerating urban greening to create places that are cooler, healthier, and more liveable.

‘Urban greening also includes green roofs, walls and facades, understorey planting, bioswales and rain gardens. These elements support greener, more liveable places, especially in constrained urban settings where in-ground tree planting can be difficult,’ Claire adds.

‘We need to appreciate that the Climate Change Emergency and Biodiversity Collapse is a slow-onset disaster. That is a disaster that occurs gradually over time, and one that is most often because of the degradation of the environment,’ Claire says.

Because while these environmental efforts might be voluntary, it’s clear they’re needed now more than ever.

Momentum Energy is 100% owned by Hydro Tasmania — Australia’s largest generator of renewable energy. Find out more about signing up your business to Momentum Energy and accessing GreenPower—a simple, credible way to take meaningful climate action and support Australia’s renewable energy transition.

For many designers, the most difficult project to work on is their own family home.

Just ask Graceful Space interior designer Natasha Prolisko, who recently took on the immense challenge of transforming a house that once belonged to her grandparents.

Not only because of all the ‘complicated emotions’ that come with updating such a sentimental and legacy family home, but also because it marked her first official project following her career change — having left her work as an insurance broker to launch her own design studio.

‘My brief was to not muck it up,’ Natasha says of the renovation.

The existing house was a 1920s Californian bungalow that her grandparents (along with her great-grandparents) purchased after migrating from Europe in 1952.

It’s also where her dad was born and raised. So, when her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and moved into an aged care facility, Natasha purchased the home in 2017 to keep it in the family.

‘It was previously renovated in 1962 to create space and separate domestic zones to keep the peace between my Polish grandmother and her Russian mother-in-law. Since then, it saw many iterations driven by my grandmother’s quest for a beautiful home,’ Natasha adds.

‘A lot of the original features were still present, and the front rooms and the back were a preserved piece of ’60s architecture.

‘My grandparents were house-proud and very handy, so it was like peeling an onion to find layers of past cosmetic changes; some of those remnants included green bathrooms, pink kitchens and bright red wallpaper.’

These quirky details, combined with her own childhood memories of visiting the house, laid the foundation for Natasha’s daring redesign. Working within the existing roofline, the segregated floor plan was reconfigured into a more modern, singular layout, complete with an open-plan kitchen, living, and dining area. Meanwhile, the original ‘sunroom’ was converted into newfound decking, connecting seamlessly to the gardens that wrap around the home.

The kitchen is like a breath of fresh air. Creamy tones and brass accents meet a curved island bench featuring pink marble from CDK Stone, alongside custom wall lights by Joanne Oshido — local designer who uses eggshells to create her organic and textured pieces.

Taking cues from her grandmother’s original green bathroom, the new bathroom embraces a luxurious green quartzite, green floor tiles, and burgundy accents.

‘It’s not often you get the user experience of spaces you design, so it’s such a novelty to spend time in the bathroom,’ Natasha notes. ‘You close the door and feel like you are in a hotel somewhere in Europe.’

Ornate gold frames, vintage finds, and artworks across the interiors also pay homage to her heritage, as a pine unit originally built by Natasha’s grandpa now serves as banquette seating in the dining area.

‘Nothing was easy on this project: I ran over budget, my timeframe blew out. In my head, the construction was going to be 16 weeks; it ultimately took two years,’ she notes.

‘A lot of the interior detail was updated along the way; I was my own worst client and kept changing my mind.’

In Natasha’s own words, it was like ‘pulling apart babushkas and then making them fit back together again’. But the resulting home — affectionately nicknamed The Russian Doll — is certainly a place her whole family can be proud of.

It’s functional yet playful, while still being filled with memories, and the space will see them through many more milestones in the years to come.

There’s something both futuristic and familiar about the work of Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus that has long appealed to Jeff Provan, co-founder of Neometro. 

The architect and design director had never worked together — in fact, Manuel had never completed a project in Australia — when Jeff approached him to design his holiday house on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

‘Someone had quoted him as building “ruins of the future” and something about that resonated,’ says Jeff.

‘We had stayed in this particular home he designed for a client in Comporta — it was a beach resort with a number of bungalows that you stayed in — and one of them had a sand floor in the living and kitchen area.

‘It was only designed to stay in it for a few days — it’s not something you would live in — but I just loved the way he was thinking and his ideas of simplicity yet complexity. There was a real interest there in his philosophy in how we lived in places.’

Manuel and Jeff worked in collaboration to design the Mount Martha house, which was carried through the documentation stage by Melbourne-based architects MA+Co.

Jeff’s prerequisites for the house: no painted surfaces, no plasterboard, no downlights, and no shower screens. ‘I wanted it to be a beach house more than a permanent house’, he explains, ‘so there’s certain things that you might not tolerate in a house that you lived in every day of the week.’

Together, Manuel and Jeff devised a ‘concrete beach shack’, shaped roughly as a crucifix, allowing for four different gardens to wrap around the house exterior.

There’s no passages or hallways within, so residents move from one room directly onto the next, in turn creating distinct garden aspects from every wing. Each garden has its own identity and purpose spanning a vegetable garden, enclosed courtyard, pool and lawn area, and planted area with a mix of native and European vegetation.

‘There’s only one space you can see all four gardens at once, and that’s right centre of the house on the crucifix or from the rooftops,’ says Jeff. ‘The scale of the building really gives a sense of comfort. It’s not overwhelming — it’s quite subtle.’

Two outbuildings on the property are additionally used as guest suites when Jeff and his wife Mariko’s friends and family visit. ‘You come to the main house to eat, dine, play and do whatever, and then you can retire to the bungalow,’ Jeff explains.

The materiality of the house is primarily concrete, poured in situ, to form most of the floors, wall, and roof — extending Jeff and Manuel’s shared love of concrete seen in their existing bodies of work.

While the architectural form is minimalistic, there’s plenty of character inside owing to Jeff and Mariko’s collection of art, books, and pop culture paraphernalia.

There’s also nods to Mariko’s Japanese heritage in the use of austerity and simplicity in design, and more literally through the inclusion of a tatami room near the home’s centre Throughout the project, Jeff referenced a Japanese house he and Mariko often stay in that provides a similarly strong connection to its garden. His own Mount Martha house now shares the same name as this property, Mori, which is also Mariko’s family name.

This coastal house balances simplicity and complexity, revealing new perspectives with every movement through its rooms and gardens.

Priced out of much of the Wellington, New Zealand housing market, two professionals settled for a new-build townhouse.

The property wasn’t exactly what they were looking for, being, in interior designer Natalie Bradburn’s words, a ‘stock standard, off-the-shelf townhouse with no redeeming architectural features.’

She adds, ‘The interior was lined with bright white walls, dark grey polyester carpet, plastic timber floors, and had a totally dysfunctional kitchen.’

On the plus side, the property was centrally located, close to cafes, well-insulated, and would stand up in an earthquake. It was also one of the few in its complex with three storeys, creating a deep outlook over the city above the other units.

‘While it wasn’t what they pictured for themselves, they knew they could make it work,’ says Natalie.

Transforming the townhouse required a full interior revamp designed by Natalie Bradburn Studio in collaboration with ceramicist Lucy Coote, who has a knack for colour and space. Their vision: to facilitate the opposite feeling to the clients’ working lives in hospitals with a bespoke interior palette.

Practically, the tall clients (both over six foot) desired higher benchtops, a multipurpose guest room, a larger dining area, and for their bedroom to feel like a calm and intimate treehouse.

‘The brief was rooted in warm, layered interior references and a feeling that their small space could be enough, if just with enough attention and care,’ says Natalie.

The original floor plan contained three bedrooms and three bathrooms across the 85-square-metre floor plan. The clients opted to sacrifice some of these rooms in favour of fewer, more generous spaces.

Natalie explains, ‘The spaces were all tight, and the width of the living room was 2.7 metres wide — so not enough space for seating on either side. We removed the ground-floor toilet and ‘study’ (which was actually just a cupboard with a desk in it), and worked with an engineer to insert a new steel beam and open up those spaces into the living room. This is what is now the built-in sofa and library nook.

‘By doing this, we were able to gain another metre of space, and the room feels so much bigger because of it… and who really needs three toilets?’

A second sink was also removed in the en suite to allow more space for a wardrobe.

The clients were incredibly trusting of Natalie and Lucy’s colourful ideas for the interiors, capitalising on the ‘blank slate’ potential of the home.

‘At one meeting I asked them how they felt about a pink kitchen, and without hesitation they said they love it and would be open to anything… They did not waver in this approach,’ says Natalie.

The first and second floors inspire a sense of whimsy reminiscent of a treehouse, instilled through the custom mossy carpet laid in almost every space.

‘We wanted it to feel like as you ascend the staircase (which takes up a very decent amount of the floor plan) you would come across these warm and intimate nooks, explains Natalie. ‘The timber library nook with crushed golden velvet brings a warm depth to the space that makes it hard to recognise as a Paddington unit.’

The bedrooms are drenched in warm chartreuse hues, paired with both contrasting and complementary colours, and some custom pieces, which give each space a distinct visual identity.

Natalie also concealed or removed the ‘ugly bits’ of modern standardised housing by painting vents, alarms, and other fittings. ‘Using sheer curtains to filter the exterior views, where neighbouring units are standing in close proximity makes it feel as though you could be anywhere.’

Natalie hopes other homeowners in the complex take inspiration from the project to develop a strong sense of place.

‘So while in some ways it is very uniquely Wellington, it could also be anywhere and is a good example of the possibility of dense townhouses. It doesn’t have to be all white walls and grey carpet.

‘The move in and out rate of the complex is very high — the rubbish bins are always consumed with cardboard boxes of people coming and going…

‘I think housing has much more value when you can really connect people with a place and they feel as if it is their own.’