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Posted: 2024-08-02 21:08:16

More than a decade of hard work has paid off for a Brisbane family, with their clever renovation choices earning their home the title of Australian House of the Year.

Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper saw their shophouse-style vision come to life when they found the Red Hill fixer-upper in 2011.

Nicholas Skepper and Zuzana Kovar sit side-by-side inside their home.

Nicholas Skepper and Zuzana Kovar fell in love with the 1910 build, modifying it into the dual-use property where they now live with their two children.(Supplied: Nikolas Strugar)

Since buying the two-storey worker's cottage, the husband and wife have opened their architectural practice.

"One of the things that attracted us to the property was that it sits on a corner block," Mr Skepper said.

"The topography is such that the land kind of falls away on the side street, and it reveals the underside, understorey of the house — we always imagined that'd be a great spot for an architecture studio."

A collage shows a sleek architecture studio and a street view of the property.

The studio, as seen here from the side street access point, has its own entrance to separate the space from the rest of the home.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

Working with less than 200 square metres, their design won its category in the 2024 Houses Awards and was also the overall winner.

Building smarter, not larger

The 1910 home's age and "poor condition" meant it was a good-value investment.

"Smaller houses are inherently more affordable," Mr Skepper said.

A cozy bedroom features timber motifs.

Moving the bedrooms to the other side of the house has allowed for more functionality.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

One of the first things the couple did was swap the living and bedrooms to make the most of the available light and ventilation.

"There's very little expenditure there in repositioning those things [but it] makes a big difference to the amenity that those spaces have," Mr Skepper said.

A collage shows three rooms with matching timber motifs.

Timber motifs feature throughout the second storey of the house.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

The largest room in the home is used as an office but can also offer the family another living space.

"If we have a birthday party here for the kids, or we have friends over for dinner, our studio table doubles as a dining table for a large group," Mr Skepper explained.

Houses Awards head juror Alexa Kempton said this kind of flexibility in room planning meant no space was left unused.

Alexa wears a black top and smiles while looking away from the camera.

Alexa Kempton says clever design allows the Red Hill property to function as both a domestic living and professional work space.(Supplied)

The judging panel said this kind of flexible design became popular when COVID turned the concept of remote work into "a pretty confronting reality", and many people still prefer to work from home. 

Ms Kempton said this multi-use property was a good example of how personal and professional life could co-exist.

Mr Skepper agreed "appropriate separation" was needed between the spaces, with the couple's studio located downstairs.

The sleek design makes the most of small spaces, including a small sink and mirror in a tight corner.

The home's only bathroom is separate from the toilet and nearby wash basin, making the most of available space while eliminating the potential of multiple people needing the access a single space at once.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

"The house has its own front door to the main street, but we have the ability for the studio to open directly onto the side street for us to receive visitors and clients that way," Mr Skepper said.

It bucks the trend of building out to the extremities of the block — using as much land within your fence line — which Ms Kempton said was "fairly conventional" among renovators trying to maximise their money.

"People often look at rooms in older houses and think 'oh, it's too small, it needs to be bigger'," she said.

"What this house does is push back against that way of thinking to show that, actually, you can build an excellent house that gives you everything that you need without building out to the boundary."

A collage shows parts of the home opening up to the garden outdoors.

The home has a semi-external quality, opening it up and giving the feel of more space.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

Mr Skepper said close collaboration with the builder opened the door for more environmentally-friendly practices too, such as retaining original materials and recycling items.

Keeping the backyard

The couple wanted to work within the existing home's footprint, hoping to preserve the long block's "good-sized backyard".

Large sliding glass doors and open spaces give the house a "semi-external quality", offering the feel of a verandah without taking up precious garden space. 

A dining table overlooks the backyard and garden.

The couple says close collaboration with the builder allowed for more environmentally-friendly practices.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

"When the weather permits, which is most of the year in Brisbane, those sliding doors fold back [to give] that direct outlook to the garden," Mr Skepper said.

"But we haven't had to make a deck, which [would've required] more material, more expenditure, and kind of chewed up more of the backyard.

"We have two young kids, and that outdoor space is essential. Aside from wanting to be able to preserve the garden and be able to use that space, the interiors benefit from that outlook as well."

The home features sleek and modern stylings, with greenery in the garden outside.

A steel mesh screen secures the undercroft's verandah edge, which separates the work studio from the side street.(Supplied: Clinton Weaver)

Ms Kempton described the home as a celebration of the Queensland undercroft, a feature that suits the city's warm climate.

She said the "wonderful, wild garden site" offered plenty of shade and a great view.

"[It also] maintains greenery in our inner suburbs, which is something that we're really grappling with as we look at cities becoming increasingly dense," Ms Kempton said.

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