To unlock the site’s potential, the original cottage was shifted forward, making room for what the architects call the “special room”—a flexible, open-plan addition at the rear, split into an interior area and a walled courtyard. This zone is where the home’s heart beats, offering a shape-shifting space free from fixed walls and cabinetry that traditionally dictates how rooms function. Instead, loose furnishings allow for constant adaptation, enabling the space to be used for cooking, dining, relaxing, or entertaining.

Sliding patio doors dissolve the threshold between indoors and out, transforming the courtyard into an integral extension of the living area. Materiality also plays a key role in unifying the space with brick walls and floors across the space further underscoring the sense of cohesion. The decision to use brick along with concrete block also ensures resilience against water damage which the property’s adjacency to an overland flow path necessitated. The courtyard’s walls are strategically arranged to obscure views of neighbouring properties, instead framing borrowed vistas of a nearby greenbelt and distant hillside, lending a calming sense of openness to the site

A split-level core anchors the layout, borrowing an efficient diagram from commercial architecture. This compact core houses a laundry and powder room on the lower level, a mid-level pantry and fridge, and, at the upper level, a DJ booth—a playful nod to the client’s lifestyle. By centralizing utilities, the surrounding spaces remain unencumbered, fostering flexibility and flow between the renovated cottage and the new extension.

In contrast to the extension, the renovated cottage—now the private quarters—retains its historical charm. Original beams, posts, and ornate trims have been sensitively restored, preserving the home’s character while contrasting with the robust, low-maintenance masonry of the extension. A subdued greyscale colour palette imbues the original timber-clad structure with a sense of contemporary minimalism, achieving a delicate balance between old and new.

In its material honesty and spatial generosity, this modest Brisbane home offers a timeless lesson: constraints, when approached with ingenuity, can become opportunities for exceptional design.