Although grand in scope and vision, this home’s successful transformation relied on precise, often invisible details, exacting craftsmanship and expert coordination.
Built in 1912, the Queenslander changed hands for the first time in almost 60 years in 2021. Acting on a friend’s recommendation, the new owners engaged Doug Bretherton to guide its renaissance.
The first priority was to raise and move the house to make the most of its 1,416m2 block. The ambitious extension and renovation was a ‘design of opposites’, blending gracious curves with vertical lines and a diverse range of ‘hero’ materials including stone, timber, steel and concrete. The build’s precision is immediately evident in the alignment of the garage’s narrow vertical timber battening and hidden doors with its ceiling timbers.
Inside, a stunning field stone wall, subtly offset to add dimensionality and impact, rises from softly curved concrete seating and steps that were moulded on-site and contain a thriving internal garden. Floating timber stairs soar up to a ‘birdcage’ office, adapted from the original plan by the builder to lighten the visual impact and capitalise on the home’s generous proportions.
Five of the home’s six bedrooms are upstairs. The dramatic master suite boasts a breathtaking, black-tiled ensuite that culminates in an open-air shower backed by vividly striated white, green and charcoal butterflied marble.
Other bedrooms preserve the original Queenslander’s classic details and open onto a sweeping deck with an imaginative sky-blue ceiling. Timber casement shutters and aluminium bifold screens provide year-round liveability.
Downstairs, the glamourous kitchen features Brazilian stone, timber panelling and integrated appliances. Celebrating the family business, professional dry-aging meat-safes provide a unique focus. A spacious, thoughtfully designed butler’s pantry opens onto a courtyard herb garden constructed with bricks reclaimed from the house’s original fireplace.
The expansive wine room is an oenophile’s dream with recycled parquetry flooring imported from France, beautifully displayed vintages, a merlot-red ceiling and lighting fixtures recreated from old French wine casks.
A fully featured, acoustic-suppressed terraced home cinema keeps the family entertained.
A 2,700mm x 10,000mm stackable sliding door connects the large living area and outdoor terrace. A powder-coated steel structure reprising the same aluminium curves houses a mouth-watering outdoor kitchen with churraqueira, parrilla, sophisticated BBQ, range hood and island bench with integrated chopping block. Nearby, a stone-clad pizza oven and smoker unit ensure no-one goes hungry.
The 1.2m high, 17m long horizon pool, its catchment tank creatively reimagined as a kiddies’ pool, dominates the outdoor area. Fourteen individually system-controlled LED lights make it an attractive focus at any time. Beyond, the pool house with its resort-style bar reinterprets the house’s curves and lines in a more relaxed style and bright colours. Tiles flow in an uninterrupted line from the main house to the pool house, seamlessly connecting all spaces.
Fully integrated technology (lighting, air-conditioning, audio-visual, blinds and security) make the home feel effortless, belying the military-level forethought, planning and coordination it required.
Exceptional attention to detail has created harmony, balance and flow in this contemporary home that delivers on function, comfort, ambience and visual interest. Achieved over 18 months of unprecedented volatility following the Covid-19 pandemic, the result is an urban utopia for an entrepreneurial couple and their young adult children.
Although grand in scope and vision, this home’s successful transformation relied on precise, often invisible details, exacting craftsmanship and expert coordination.
Built in 1912, the Queenslander changed hands for the first time in almost 60 years in 2021. Acting on a friend’s recommendation, the new owners engaged Doug Bretherton to guide its renaissance.
The first priority was to raise and move the house to make the most of its 1,416m2 block. The ambitious extension and renovation was a ‘design of opposites’, blending gracious curves with vertical lines and a diverse range of ‘hero’ materials including stone, timber, steel and concrete.
The build’s precision is immediately evident in the alignment of the garage’s narrow vertical timber battening and hidden doors with its ceiling timbers.
Inside, a stunning field stone wall, subtly offset to add dimensionality and impact, rises from softly curved concrete seating and steps that were moulded on-site and contain a thriving internal garden. Floating timber stairs soar up to a ‘birdcage’ office, adapted from the original plan by the builder to lighten the visual impact and capitalise on the home’s generous proportions.
Five of the home’s six bedrooms are upstairs. The dramatic master suite boasts a breathtaking, black-tiled ensuite that culminates in an open-air shower backed by vividly striated white, green and charcoal butterflied marble.
Other bedrooms preserve the original Queenslander’s classic details and open onto a sweeping deck with an imaginative sky-blue ceiling. Timber casement shutters and aluminium bifold screens provide year-round liveability.
Downstairs, the glamourous kitchen features Brazilian stone, timber panelling and integrated appliances. Celebrating the family business, professional dry-aging meat-safes provide a unique focus. A spacious, thoughtfully designed butler’s pantry opens onto a courtyard herb garden constructed with bricks reclaimed from the house’s original fireplace.
The expansive wine room is an oenophile’s dream with recycled parquetry flooring imported from France, beautifully displayed vintages, a merlot-red ceiling and lighting fixtures recreated from old French wine casks.
A fully featured, acoustic-suppressed terraced home cinema keeps the family entertained.
A 2,700mm x 10,000mm stackable sliding door connects the large living area and outdoor terrace. A powder-coated steel structure reprising the same aluminium curves houses a mouth-watering outdoor kitchen with churraqueira, parrilla, sophisticated BBQ, range hood and island bench with integrated chopping block. Nearby, a stone-clad pizza oven and smoker unit ensure no-one goes hungry.
The 1.2m high, 17m long horizon pool, its catchment tank creatively reimagined as a kiddies’ pool, dominates the outdoor area. Fourteen individually system-controlled LED lights make it an attractive focus at any time. Beyond, the pool house with its resort-style bar reinterprets the house’s curves and lines in a more relaxed style and bright colours. Tiles flow in an uninterrupted line from the main house to the pool house, seamlessly connecting all spaces.
Fully integrated technology (lighting, air-conditioning, audio-visual, blinds and security) make the home feel effortless, belying the military-level forethought, planning and coordination it required.
Exceptional attention to detail has created harmony, balance and flow in this contemporary home that delivers on function, comfort, ambience and visual interest. Achieved over 18 months of unprecedented volatility following the Covid-19 pandemic, the result is an urban utopia for an entrepreneurial couple and their young adult children.
