Spring Hill House by Myers Ellyett

Myers Ellyett Architecture and Interior Design’s aesthetic is very much informed by a desire to encourage outdoor living in a subtropical climate. For the practice, gardens are as much a part of the architectural response as the buildings themselves. So, it’s unsurprising that the most striking aspect of this recent renovation of a timber-and-tin cottage in Brisbane’s Spring Hill features a stunningly seamless interaction between inside and out.

The kitchen and living areas are light, bright and breezy – and all the more so because they open out to the rear yard, with the kitchen directly overlooking the enclosed pool area. “As the core space where so many of the day-to-day activities are based, it needed to be both a functional and beautiful place to occupy,” says Louise Willey, Myers Ellyett’s senior associate and head of interior design. “And the decision to locate the kitchen in the knuckle of the plan was so that the clients can supervise and interact with all other living zones, the pool and the outdoor courtyard.”

While the open plan extends the kitchen area, the pared-back design works as a simple backdrop for everyday living. Within the minimalist scheme, all-white joinery and honed concrete flooring prevail, with the centrally positioned island’s vertical limed blackbutt batten detail the kitchen’s only flourish. And in what can be best described as everyone’s favourite spot, the window seat/day bed provides a sunny place for reading, doing homework or catching up on emails over a coffee.

The beauty of a simple palette and the attention paid to crafted views and vistas make the two bathrooms calming and comfortable. The main bathroom in particular, with its pastel teal-coloured matt and glossy floor tiles and generous proportions, is a quiet escape that feels not unlike a wellness retreat. Its striking custom solid casement shutters provide plenty of ventilation as well as a strong connection to the garden, while high-level windows allow uninterrupted views of the sky. For the children’s bathroom, pale apricot-coloured matt and glossy floor tiles add a sense of whimsy to an otherwise simple, uncluttered space.

This is a home designed as an urban sanctuary, set within a busy, colourful inner-city suburb peppered with similarly restored, climatically responsive houses. There’s no mistaking the modern Queenslander vernacular, and Myers Ellyett Architecture and Interior Design’s sensitive approach has given rise to a light-filled haven perfectly nestled within a beautifully landscaped garden and rear yard.