Renovated Queensland home with home office in former laundry room wins top prize at Houses Awards

A renovation of a 1910 Brisbane workers’ cottage that emphasises compact space has won Australian House of the Year at the 2024 Houses Awards.

Red Hill House and Studio is the home and office of architects Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper and their two young children. The renovation remains within the original footprint of the existing Queenslander, but the space has been adapted to balance the demands of working from home while creating a warm family home. The lower-level workspace is in a concrete and steel crypt (the former laundry room), while the private living spaces occupy the north side of the upper floor, with wooden interiors and glimpses of greenery from almost every room.

Red Hill House and Studio is the home and office of architects Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper. Photography: Clinton Weaver/Zuzana&Nicholas

Also a winner in the category of renovations and extensions under 200 m², the house’s new features include sliding rear walls that open the dining area to a bird’s eye view of the garden. Below, the entrance to Zuzana&Nicholas’ studio has been moved to face the side street, which is lined with steel fencing to provide a private passage for guests.

This year, hundreds of applications were received for the Houses Awards, of which 160 were shortlisted.

The home office on the ground floor of Red Hill House and Studio. Photography: Clinton Weaver/Zuzana&Nicholas

Juror and architect Lachlan Nielsen said this year the jury had rewarded projects of a different scale.

“Instead of rewarding all these projects that are bigger and not necessarily better… we decided to reward those that put in the most effort in terms of materials and construction budgets,” Nielsen says.

The Houses Awards jury praised the “ample” or adaptable spaces of Red Hill House and Studio. Photography: Clinton Weaver/Zuzana&Nicholas

A few projects exhibited what Nielsen called “flexible planning.” “Some rooms don’t necessarily have to be a dining room, an office, a study, or a living room. They can be any of those things.”