Paddington Pad

A small workers cottage on a sloping site in Paddington, Brisbane has been reworked by Studio 15b into a modern family home. The owners wanted to move closer to the city after years in the suburbs, and the brief called for spaces that suited both the couple and their older children, alongside a strong connection to the outdoors for entertaining.

From the street the house sits quietly within its heritage context while still folding in contemporary needs such as a double garage and a welcoming entry. The rear tells a different story: a bold sloping window frame marks a modern reinvention, opening the home to a treed outlook across a double-height void that reads from the main bedroom suite.

Keeping to budget meant keeping the footprint disciplined, so the planning was worked hard to avoid wasted space. The new internal stair sits over the garage, which tightens the plan and frees up room for living and entertaining. That stair becomes the focal point of the open living zone, its black painted steel zig-zag stringer giving a quirky edge against the largely bright white interiors. Large timber sliding doors fold the living space open to the outdoors and a clear plunge pool, made for a Brisbane summer.

Completed in 2018, the two-level home covers 290 m2.

Architect: Studio 15b (Allison Smith). Photography: Angus Martin.