Queensland
Brisbane
Griffith Street House was built in 1929 and our family lived in the house for 12 years before renovating and our experience informed how we changed the house to better suit our family’s needs.
The house needed to be functional, to respectfully connect to the original character home and, most importantly, be a comfortable and relaxing family retreat.
Within the house, the separation and complex relationship between the public and private parts of the house were dysfunctional and fine tuning the relationship of these spaces was essential to our home’s successful function. Bedrooms and study were placed on the upper level away and all other more public spaces were placed downstairs, with flexibility to separate areas as required.
To create a calm atmosphere, it was important to merge indoor and outdoor spaces by incorporating large openings and vistas to landscape and the backyard.
As architect and client, I had analysed our family’s requirements for more than a decade and strategically designed spaces to address these needs. Our house is now extremely functional – finally, everything has a home! – but it is also very comfortable and welcoming. The new design has created a calmer world for our busy family and it continues to surprise and delight us; for example, the design now captures so many different views of the moon and the sun.
I was determined to respect the original character house, and am pleased that it inspired the new design’s scale, material and detail.
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
