Situated within the tightly packed suburbs of Brisbane, a pre-1911 worker’s cottage has been given a bold new lease on life by local architectural practice Lineburg Wang.
On a modest 253-square-metre plot, the project masterfully reinterprets small-space living, prioritizing adaptability, material integrity, and a fluid relationship between indoors and out.
To unlock the site’s potential, the architects took an unconventional approach: shifting the original structure forward to carve out space for a new addition at the rear. This annex, affectionately dubbed the “special room,” serves as the home’s true heart. Eschewing traditional fixed partitions and built-in cabinetry, the space is designed for effortless transformation—an open-plan canvas that can morph from kitchen to dining area, from lounge to entertaining space, depending on the needs of its inhabitants.
At the core of this seamless spatial flow are sliding patio doors that dissolve the boundary between the interior and the walled courtyard beyond. Brick walls and floors unify these zones, lending a quiet robustness that grounds the home. Material choices are not merely aesthetic but deeply functional: the use of concrete block and brick ensures durability, a practical response to the site’s adjacency to an overland flow path. Courtyard walls have been strategically arranged to obscure views of neighboring properties while framing borrowed vistas of a nearby greenbelt and distant hills, fostering an unexpected sense of openness within the compact footprint.
A split-level core—a layout borrowed from commercial architecture—further amplifies efficiency. Housing a laundry and powder room at its base, a pantry and fridge at mid-level, and a DJ booth at the top, this vertical arrangement ensures that daily functions are neatly compartmentalized, leaving the surrounding spaces uncluttered and free-flowing.
In contrast, the restored worker’s cottage at the front remains the domain of private quarters. Here, original timber beams, posts, and ornate trims have been meticulously preserved, allowing the home’s heritage to stand in subtle counterpoint to the modernist rigor of the new extension. A restrained greyscale palette envelops the timber structure, softening its transition into contemporary minimalism.
Lineburg Wang’s intervention is a study in balance—between preservation and progression, intimacy and openness, constraint and creativity. The result is a residence that defies its compact scale, offering a quietly radical lesson in spatial ingenuity. In this Brisbane home, small does not mean compromised; rather, it becomes a framework for thoughtful, enduring design.
