Hidden behind its classic, heritage facade with an elegant white lace balustrade is a modern extension that really excites. From the street, it looks like a beautifully restored, charming home. And yet inside it’s a whole other story. Welcome to White Lace.
Together with Jack Wright, Project Leader from Joe Adsett Architects, we take a walk through a home that’s both exquisitely beautiful and clever in its design.
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Situated in the oh so trendy Brisbane suburb of New Farm, White Lace is a modest-looking home hiding a beautiful secret.
“The brief we received was to create a family-orientated home with ample car parking. The ground floor contains the garage and storage room,” explains Jack.
“Moving to the first floor, there are 2 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, a study, bathroom, additional toilet as well as the kitchen, laundry and outdoor living areas.
“The second floor houses the master bedroom with its own ensuite and walk in robe, 2 additional bedrooms and another bathroom.
“And then there’s the third level! That takes you up to the spectacular roof terrace with a 360 degree view of the beautiful Brisbane skyline.”
The traditional front facade became the inspiration for the unique exterior cladding of the extension at the back of the home.
“The original home existed in the form of a rundown Queenslander and actually functioned as a duplex,” Jack tells us.
“One of the more prominent characteristic elements of the Queenslander was the white lace balustrade on the front veranda. This ended up being the inspiration for the laser cut white lace at the back part of the property. So while the two are in complete contrast, there are also some beautiful similarities too.
It is effective in marrying the front of the house to the rear extension. It’s multi-functional too, by offering shade and filtering sunlight, as well as providing privacy screening.
The design of White Lace has been carefully thought out, working with the tropical climate to make the home as efficient and comfortable as possible.
“The home really champions indoor/outdoor living,” explains Jack. “The year-round tropical Queensland climate gives the family the ability to open spaces up completely. And yet in doing so, still maintaining privacy from neighbouring houses.
“The house also features predominantly passive design strategies. The living and dining spaces orientate to the north to maximise natural sunlight in the more frequently utilised spaces. Cross-ventilation is also a big aspect in this design, helping to cool throughout all the internal spaces.”
The interior of the home has a dark and moody colour palette but manages to stay light and bright throughout.
“The interior of the home uses mainly natural and monochromatic palettes for a more cosy and relaxed ambience. Colour contrasts dotted throughout the rooms create a harmonious interaction of contrasting visuals for a modern, eclectic finish.
“A similar accent can be found in the living, kitchen and dining areas. It helps deliver a feeling of drama and refinement when moving through each space,” explains Jack.
“The herringbone timber floors are a play on the traditional theme of architectural styling, and provide a robust, contrasting base to the light and bright elements overhead.
“The other primary materials used throughout the project include Accoya timber windows and doors, stained to match the internal flooring. The kitchen features black stained oak cabinetry, brass highlights and super white natural marble.
“In the bathrooms you’ll see porcelain tiles and concrete.”
Being an inner city home just begs to make the most of the beautiful skyline views.
“The roof terrace is pretty special,” smiles Jack.
“It was designed to be well-concealed from external views and not disrupt the overall form of the house.”
Photographer — Scott Burrows
Builder — James Anthony Construction
Thank you to the Joe Adsett Architects team for showing us around this gorgeous home. It truly is something else! To take a look through the rest of their impressive portfolio, check out their website and Instagram feed.
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