Some homes are designed for a season of life. This one was designed for all of them at once.
Completed in December 2025, this Gordon Park Queenslander renovation is the result of a close collaboration between Brisbane interior design studio Connors & Co. and builders Soza Projects. The brief was clear from the start: create a home that could comfortably accommodate three generations under one roof, without sacrificing a single gram of style.
The owners, Peter and Beth, had imagined a future of grandchildren arriving for extended stays. That future came faster than expected. Their youngest daughter and her young family moved in on completion, meaning the house needed to work immediately — for babies, toddlers, grandparents, and everyone in between.
Pattern, palette, and the Art Deco thread
Every good renovation starts with listening to the house. For interior designer Kate Connors of Connors & Co., the answer was right at the front door.
The home’s Art Deco casement windows, with their distinctive diamond motifs, became the design’s guiding thread. Those same diamond shapes reappear in Mutina Puzzle Edge tiles from Ace Stone + Tiles across the kitchenette and bathroom floors. The palette draws from the leadlight glass, with greens and blues flowing through joinery colours throughout. Original VJ walls, ceilings, floorboards, and fretwork were retained wherever possible.
“Gentle pattern play and a repeating palette carry a quiet rhythm through this renovation,” Kate explains. “A nod here, a whisper there, creating harmony and connection between old and new.”
Two kitchens, one vision
Peter and Beth had another specific requirement: two kitchens. One upstairs for daily family life, one downstairs for the kind of long, unhurried entertaining that Queenslander homes were made for.
The lower kitchen anchors the ground floor, with Geostone Capri polished concrete flowing seamlessly through to lounge and alfresco zones. Builder and project manager Scott Armour of Soza Projects knew from day one how critical that floor would be. “Laying a perfect off-white polished concrete floor is make or break,” he says. The team poured the same mix to form a continuous plinth running the full length of the ground floor, incorporating stairs, landing, seating, and fireplace base. The result is a ground level that feels entirely of a piece.
Upstairs, the kitchenette was tucked into the original sleep-out beneath a ceiling raking in multiple directions. A round breakfast bar floating above the island reoriented seating to overlook the living space, keeping eyes on the children rather than the kitchen. Green cabinetry by Ambient Projects, with timber knobs and characterful pulls, brings the whole thing quietly to life.
Designing for real family life
With toddlers underfoot daily, some material choices made themselves. Natural stone was never going to work. Stone-look porcelain (Ceppo Porcelain Ivory from Perini Tiles) and silica-free Quantum Zero engineered stone from WK Stone deliver the beauty without the maintenance anxiety.
When a planned nib wall opposite the kitchenette proved too modest for the space, the team wrapped joinery around the original architrave and fretwork to create curved built-in seating. “This became one of the nicest features of the space,” Kate notes. It’s the kind of solution that only comes from a team paying close attention.
Layered living, thoughtfully finished
Storage is woven throughout the home, with appliance cupboards keeping benches clear and built-in seating concealing the inevitable accumulation of games and toys. Astra Walker tapware in Brushed Platinum runs consistently across all four bathrooms. The upper bathroom echoes the kitchenette’s diamond floor tile; the lower introduces green Mutina Mews tiles on the splashback for depth and movement.
Jardan sofas, dining and coffee tables anchor the living spaces, with a mustard Arthur G sofa adding warmth downstairs. Artwork by Lauren Jones via Studio Gallery, handmade ceramics by Ceramics by AK, and pieces from Ebb & Flow complete the picture.
Related article: A colourful and comfortable interior designed for family life
“It ticks all my personal preferences in finish and layout,” Scott reflects. “People always stop and compliment the owners.”
The clients agree. The house has become exactly what they hoped: a centrepiece the whole family gravitates toward, gathering weekly under one well-loved roof.
Interior design: Connors & Co. | connorsandco.co | @connors_and_co
Builder: Soza Projects | sozaprojects.com.au | @soza_projects
Photography: Kosk Photography
