Falling in Love with Canada...again

Altius Architects in Toronto, like all things Canadian, has caught me in its spell.

Paul Bangay - Stonefields

Yet another wonderfully enchanting offering from talented garden designer Paul Bangay, Stonefields is an outdoor retreat like no other he’s ever created. Known for his discerning tastes in design and meticulous attention to detail in the finished product, Paul’s honed skills have been put to the ultimate test with a client that would accept nothing but the best – himself.

Englehart Homes - Unmatched Luxury

This luxurious and contemporary Englehart Home cuts a distinctive silhouette against the skyline, but the clever split-level construction and natural design allow it to blend effortlessly with the Australian landscape. Exemplifying Englehart Homes’ twin pillars of design and innovation, this site-responsive and individually designed residence is a natural beauty. Constructed as a custom project to the owner’s brief, this home features four bedrooms, a study, a formal living area and a cen...

2Bscene Design - Angular Aesthetic

Unique and eye-catching, this exceptional design by 2bScene reflects the mood of the waterfront. The owners approached designer Luciano Bologna with a desire for something different, a quirky design that was also minimalist and captured the waterfront views. Given that the adjacent sites to the east and west would soon be occupied, it was imperative that as much natural light and ventilation be brought in through the north and south elevations, as well as through the roof – an interesting o...

Collins Caddaye Architects - Perfect Balance

In desperate need of a revamp, this heritage house on a prominent corner block was handed over to Andrew Collins of Collins Caddaye Architects to be brought back to life with the aid of new spaces that respect the integrity of the existing building. With little desire to remove the original house, the highly sustainable decision was made to maintain the existing dwelling and use its charming character as a springboard for the design of a series of new rooms and areas to the rear. What resulte...

Graham Jones Design - The Country’s Cutting Edge

Just minutes from the outskirts of sprawling suburbia is this architectural gem, nestled in a quiet rural valley. What the owners wanted was a contemporary reinterpretation of the country vernacular, active engagement with the landscape, and the creation of unique opportunities for dramatic views. Absolute privacy was paramount, as was the facilitation of tranquility.

Reitsma & Associates - Modern Opulence

Minimalist elements of clean, horizontal lines and a single colour palette create maximum effect to this impressive home’s engaging street elevation. The strong street presence cleverly masks the dwelling’s modest footprint immediately creating the illusion of space. Internally the home hosts an unfussy palette with a neutral colour base emphasizing the available light and adding to the sense of spaciousness.

M G Design - Coastal Wonder

This Fairhaven Beach House attempts to combine contemporary style with elements of a classic coastal residence in an appealing and sophisticated eco-friendly design. The result is a natural, welcoming beach house that nestles neatly against the slope on which it is built. The multi-level design of the residence creates an interesting silhouette that brings to mind an ocean-liner jutting from the side of the hill it gently rests against. The exterior is an autumn red tone VM Zinc cladding that...

Andrew Stark Garden Design - French Inspired

Designed for his father, this resplendent garden by Andrew Stark is inspired by a combination of formal and relaxed French garden design. The formal layout of the pleached and clipped trees together with manicured hedges and parterres reflect classical 17th century French landscaping. Aesthetically pleasing year round, plants have been chosen with care and placed with precision to ensure a gorgeous garden no matter the season.

Nathan Burkett Design - Lavish Lifestyle

Blending seamlessly from indoors to out, this luxurious landscape by Nathan Burkett Design sets the benchmark for contemporary outdoor living. With a formal elegance, the area is perfect for entertaining friends and family on special occasions. Chic and simple landscaping to the front of the property provides just the right amount of adornment to this contemporary home, with sleek flooring and simple, feature lit trees setting the tone for what lies ahead. A floating travertine pathway bridge...

Apex Landscapes - Residential Resort

An impeccable outdoor entertainment is showcased here, in a stunning display of resort style living. Constructed by Apex Landscapes, it features three separate areas which each fulfill a specific purpose. Due to steep grades in the land, the areas were designed precariously with innovation at the forefront of the initiative. Linked to the home via a boardwalk, guests are greeted with the outlook of a place that could effortlessly facilitate some of the most relaxing and enjoyable moments you ...

GIA Bathroom Renovations - Dramatic Creation

This exquisite master bedroom en suite is a perfect fit for its contemporary home. GIA Bathroom Renovations has proudly completed this dramatic yet practical bathroom, working closely with both the clients and Architect Patrick Gheorghiu. The finished product boasts Gheorghiu and GIA’s attention to design and detail. Like the rest of the house, the bathroom radiates an atmosphere of space, comfort and livability. One of the main features is a freestanding acrylic bath with a waterfall spout...

Kris Johnson - Designed In to Out

Being located in a place with such a pleasant climate meant that this home could take full advantage of outdoor spaces, which together with cleverly designed interiors, makes for a family home boasting exclusive beauty and functionality. Upon entering this magnificent house the eye is drawn through six metre high glass windows, framed by recycled iron bark bridge posts. Views from the entrance over the pool and beyond to the Brisbane River set the outdoor area as the focal point of the home. ...

Arent & Pyke - Beachside Brilliance

An active family life was the inspiration for this bright, beachside residence. The generous, inviting family home is decorated such that it enhances the client’s experience of their home, within which each space is used to full advantage. Light filled rooms created by the architecture led Arent & Pyke to a refined palette with injections of colour. By finding solutions to the client’s need for a comfortable and fun family environment – that would still be practical and durable – ...

WILLIAMS BOAG Architects - Residential Sanctum

This special project transformed a historic place of worship into a contemporary family dwelling. The church’s richly detailed exterior creates an intrigue that draws people into an equally spectacular interior. Obviously, the most powerful features of the interior are the elaborate cathedral ceiling and magnificent stained glass windows. These windows perform as works of art - decorating the light with colour as it filters in and forms beautiful mosaics of radiance on internal surfaces. ...

Carr Design Group - Living for the City

Like a residence out of 5th Avenue, this Manhattan-styled loft situated within the old Herald & Weekly Times Building is an icon in itself. Featuring understated style and bespoke design, it seems as though you’ve walked into an apartment on the exclusive ‘upper-east side’.

Chris Connell Design - Interior Exuberance

Modelled entirely on the previous dwelling’s footprint, this modern bespoke home is built with privacy, intimacy and style in mind. Chris Connell Design have crafted the new home completely, with only a few elements retained from the previous design – the relief concrete mural and beautiful internal stained glass window with its richly coloured panels.

Woods Bagot - Historical Reinvention

This heritage single fronted residence, located in an inner-city suburb of Victoria, provided the skin for a substantial internal refurbishment. While all of the rooms in the original house were elegantly re-created with clean modern features in rich dark tones, the metal and glazed ‘pavilion’ added to the rear is the most exciting part of the new home. This room was designed to suit the client’s needs of an open, contemporary and interactive lifestyle space. The opportunity was taken t...

Hare + Klein - Indoor Artistry

The client asked for a family home that is warm, friendly and inviting with minimum clutter. The result was the creation of deceptively simple spaces. The home was designed by Hare + Klein with the capacity for the living spaces to be open, cohesive and connected or divided into private intimate rooms. Doors disappear entirely into cavities, changing the spatial arrangements and revealing new rooms and aspects.

Hare + Klein - Coastal Unity

A sense of escape and relaxation materialises as soon as the front door is opened, if not before, with an immediate synergy with the ocean. This weekender for a young family was created with practicality, robustness, comfort and relaxation as the owner’s brief. Spilling over conventional boundaries, the interior features no jarring elements, making the transition between interior and exterior seamless. The introduction of weatherproof materials such as teal, stone, ceramics, concrete, sandb...

Hare + Klein - Scaled to Suit

The challenge of this design project was to create a sense of intimacy and human scale within the confines of the large architectural envelope. To create a hierarchy of space the floor level was raised - delineating the entry atrium. Different finishes break up the floor space as does the layered ceiling plan without delineating the interior and exterior as distinctly different spaces. Furniture and area rugs work within these delineated areas and further break up the large spaces.

Robert Mills Architects - Escalation of Form

Robert Mills Architects has created a spectacular union of purity and elegance. With clean lines, crisp whites and contrasting blacks, contemporary Australian design is showcased at its best. Predominantly cubic, the home presents a modern, formal approach to family living. With large floor to ceiling glass walls located throughout, it enables an abundance of light to enter the home and highlight some of the focal points within. White walls enhance this effect, while American Oak joinery and ...

Vibe Design - Kew House

The owners of this exquisite home came to the Vibe Design Group office with the intention of moving into property development. Common ground was that they were focused on presenting projects with high design content supporting a different visual approach. In the early design phase, Vibe’s team were looking to create an open, interactive street presence, which led to a very different design response.

Mojo Design - Enlightened

This magnificent home defies traditional country style, unfolding from the lush green landscape as a monument to contemporary architecture and representing all that is good about living at one with nature. Presented with a relatively open design brief, Gerard Smith of Mojo Design conceived a design that, while simple on paper, emerges from the ground as anything but. Though not an organic form, the structure floats gently across the land, making a strong and impressive statement while remaini...

Jackson Clements Burrows - Youthful Exuberance

Engaging childhood in a playful way, this alterations and additions project reconciles the programmatic requirements of a growing family with an unexpected sculptural response. This project addresses a brief requiring space for a growing family with three children under the age of ten. The clients wanted a fun design that reflected the needs of their excitable kids. They liked the notion of a ‘Trojan House’ as a metaphor for the chaos of family life that occurred inside before the childre...

Jackson Clements Burrows - Organic Form

Barwon Heads is in a period of significant change, with the seaside town being progressively redeveloped with contemporary architecture that is leading the not necessarily welcome evolution of the small township. Barwon Heads is in a period of significant change, with the seaside town being progressively redeveloped with contemporary architecture that is leading the not necessarily welcome evolution of the small township.

Base Architecture - Implicit in Nature

With an impressive and slightly imposing presence, this monolithic home by Base Architecture is perched on the side of a hill and nestled into a large parcel of heavily wooded, environmentally protected land. Unique in both form and style, the home is both sensitive to the environment and its micro-climate. Curiously emerging from its robust form, the home offers a comforting experience for its occupants, with thoughtfully considered spaces aimed at fulfilling a specific purpose. It is the fu...

Bellemore Homes - Cutting Edge Quality

Bellemore Homes have outdone themselves again with this up-to-the-minute home, showcasing some of the latest key trends to emerge from Europe. The elegance and individual styling of this design makes a strong statement from the street and is a preview to its unique and sophisticated quirks. From the moment of entry, the unusual palette of black and white appears as the dominant theme, creating points of visual interest with contrasting tones. Similarly, the home is adorned with interesting pa...

Chris Clout Design - Tropical Dreaming

Renowned for the creation of homes more akin to tropical resorts than everyday residences, Sunshine Coast building designer Chris Clout has outdone himself with this magnificent property in Noosa Heads. The warm tones of natural materials make for a captivating first impression within this exciting house, setting the mood for what is to follow upon entry.

Matt Gibson Architecture + Design - Outside the Box

Subject to a heritage overlay, the façade of this fully detached Federation conceals a transformative contemporary extension. The modern ‘box’ that was added to the rear finds itself with a rather special identity, with cleverly engineered elements responding to the owner’s desire for a bold architectural statement. A re-organisation of the building saw a more functional program implemented, separating the sleeping quarters at the front of the house – or rather at the front of the or...

Richard Szklarz Architects - Executive Style

Touted as one of Perth’s most iconic residential addresses, this exceptional home by Richard Szklarz showcases what it is to live the executive lifestyle. Set on a wedge shaped site of 881m2 and with a fall of 14m, the site posed significant challenges for both the architect and builder. The topography informed the initial multilevel concept, enabling provision for the required accommodation.

Carr Architecture - Project of Passion

Founder of Carr Design Group, Sue Carr, spent years waiting for this particular property in Melbourne’s inner city to become available. After much persistence, the respected and honoured interior designer obtained the property and promptly breathed new life into its already fantastic design. When purchased, the appeal of the 1960’s Courtyard House remained. Hence during redevelopment, the core structure and arrangement was maintained. This stripping back provided the impetus for the path ...

CATT Architects - Urban Resort

Despite its suburban location, this grand design by CATT Architects emits an ambience more akin to a luxury resort than a residential home. Detailed to the finest degree, the design of a palatial family home like this one could only have been realized in its entirety through the close collaboration between CATT Architects and Marino Construction Management as well as with the owners themselves. What resulted from this close relationship is a modern oasis where the owners can indulge in easy,...

Bates Smart - Global Style

Conceived as a compact and low maintenance residence for a retired couple in Cottesloe, Western Australia, this modernist inspired beach home has a clear and rational design that suits the needs of its occupants. The design draws inspiration from modernist ideals of living which are tempered by a critical regionalist response to climate and landscape. Minimal lines and planar forms reference the modernist inspiration whilst materiality and detailing draw from a local palette of materials. ...

MCK Architecture and Interiors - The Garden Room

A rather special vision – that saw a large room sited amongst lush plants and trees – was made a reality, with the walls of the garden becoming the walls of the free-flowing living spaces added onto a quaint suburban house. A large brief for a small site provided the genesis of a concept that would set as its premise the idea of openness, removing division and barrier. Spaces would flow and connect seamlessly in both the horizontal and vertical direction. The most important design concept...

Metricon Homes - Sharp Contrast

‘The Lindrum’ by Metricon, exhibiting all that is enviable about modern living, is a design that combines practicality with beauty in such a way as to give no reason to leave home! From the moment you walk through the magnificent entrance, it becomes obvious that this impressive home is like no other.

Metricon Homes - Suburban Villa

Grand and regal adequately describes the first class fixtures and fittings of ‘The Imperial’ by Metricon. Open arches grant residents with uninterrupted passage between living, dining and kitchen spaces, allowing each room its own identity without impinging on fluidity. With extensive living areas and five bedrooms, this home is purpose built for a large family. The design has been cleverly mapped out with a separate children’s zone and adjoining open leisure area, as well as an opulent...

Aloha Pools - European Aesthetic

Elements of classic European design integrate with the backyard of this inner-city house and garden.

Aloha Pools - Serene Sanctum

Clean, crisp lines and contrasting black ceramic tiles make this lap pool by Aloha Pools Pty Ltd a perfect visual complement to the Sutherlands Creek home it is attached to.

Aloha Pools - Classy Contemporary

Harmony between heritage themes and modern innovation informed this pool and garden designed by Eugene Gilligan Garden Design and constructed by Aloha Pools.

Aloha Pools - A Fitting Feature

This dramatically different holiday home needed a pool that would enhance the architecture without interrupting the view.

Aloha Pools - Private Lagoon

The gentle flow and symmetrical design of this pool and spa ensure that it is the visual feature of its outdoor space.

Aloha Pools - Smooth as Glass

Visually enhancing the striking architecture of this Graham Jones Design, the swimming pool bridges the peaceful rural home with its picturesque landscape.

Aloha Pools - Royal Flush

A very unique pool design took shape in this landscape by Jenny Smith Gardens, one that is bold in keeping with the artistic house interior.

Eckersley Garden Architecture - Strong Bond

A house that appears completely compatible with the surrounding garden is a strong argument for a successful marriage between disciplines.

Eckersley Garden Architecture - Splash of Colour

Set on a long, narrow block, this turn of the century Worker’s Cottage has been transformed into a contemporary living space.

Eckersley Garden Architecture - Garden Living

This project saw the creation a real entertainer’s paradise.

Eckersley Garden Architecture - Modern Classic

The character of this house determined the direction of the landscaped surrounds.

Eckersley Garden Architecture - Multifunctional

This secluded urban hideaway is perfect for inner city living.

Eckersley Garden Architecture - The Natural Look

Climate change is having a real impact on the way people are approaching garden making in Australia.

M G Design - Coastal Wonder

This Fairhaven Beach House attempts to combine contemporary style with elements of a classic coastal residence in an appealing and sophisticated eco-friendly design. The result is a natural, welcoming beach house that nestles neatly against the slope on which it is built. The multi-level design of the residence creates an interesting silhouette that brings to mind an ocean-liner jutting from the side of the hill it gently r...

Reitsma & Associates - Modern Opulence

Minimalist elements of clean, horizontal lines and a single colour palette create maximum effect to this impressive home’s engaging street elevation. The strong street presence cleverly masks the dwelling’s modest footprint immediately creating the illusion of space. Internally the home hosts an unfussy palette with a neutral colour base emphasizing the available light and adding to the sense of spaciousness.

Graham Jones Design - The Country’s Cutting Edge

Just minutes from the outskirts of sprawling suburbia is this architectural gem, nestled in a quiet rural valley. What the owners wanted was a contemporary reinterpretation of the country vernacular, active engagement with the landscape, and the creation of unique opportunities for dramatic views. Absolute privacy was paramount, as was the facilitation of tranquility.

Kris Johnson - Designed In to Out

Being located in a place with such a pleasant climate meant that this home could take full advantage of outdoor spaces, which together with cleverly designed interiors, makes for a family home boasting exclusive beauty and functionality. Upon entering this magnificent house the eye is drawn through six metre high glass windows, framed by recycled iron bark bridge posts. Views from the entrance over the pool and beyond to th...

Rachcoff Vella Architects - Contemporary Masterpiece

This project and site presented some great opportunities as well as constraints. The width of the block was generous considering its inner-city context but that was balanced by a lack of depth and a tall concrete wall on its rear boundary.

Apex Landscapes - Residential Resort

An impeccable outdoor entertainment is showcased here, in a stunning display of resort style living. Constructed by Apex Landscapes, it features three separate areas which each fulfill a specific purpose. Due to steep grades in the land, the areas were designed precariously with innovation at the forefront of the initiative. Linked to the home via a boardwalk, guests are greeted with the outlook of a place that could effort...

Graham Jones Design - Rewarding Result

A great sense of achievement is instilled in a company when a client returns time and time again to engage them to design yet another of their very ‘special’ projects. When a client returns, obviously they have been previously successful on a number of levels, not only creating buildings that meet their personal or business needs both artistically and physically, but also by developing a relationship. With this comes co...

BMG Architects - Industrial Opulence

This stately home by BMG Architects is an impressive addition to one of the most prolific streets in Essendon. With a geometrically inspired façade clad largely in glass and stone, the home, constructed by Nascon Group Pty Ltd makes for an imposing sight from the street.

Englehart Homes - Unmatched Luxury

This luxurious and contemporary Englehart Home cuts a distinctive silhouette against the skyline, but the clever split-level construction and natural design allow it to blend effortlessly with the Australian landscape. Exemplifying Englehart Homes’ twin pillars of design and innovation, this site-responsive and individually designed residence is a natural beauty. Constructed as a custom project to the owner’s brief, thi...

Jackson Clements Burrows Architects - Urban Chameleon

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Architects Jackson Clements Burrows (JCBA) have done just that however, with their widely acclaimed residential development in Tyson Street, Richmond.“We were prepared to go out on a limb and the boundaries were pushed. This house arose from a unique situation and in that sense it’s a one-off,” Jon Clements (a director of JCBA) said. The brief was simple.