Tighty Whitey, the affectionately named home by Maytree Studios, wears its compact, whited-out character with a wink, and behind that modest street front sits a design so clever it has earned a Houses Awards shortlisting, an Australian Institute of Architects commendation, and a place among the Grand Designs House of the Year contenders. Impressive for a house of barely 200 square metres, and set on a steep inner-city block in Kelvin Grove.
“With Rob and Emma, we explored how they wanted to live, not just what they wanted,” says Rebecca Caldwell, who leads Maytree Studios alongside fellow architect Andy Keeffe. Having spent eight years in their 140-year-old cottage, the couple needed more from their footprint without leaving the community they loved: four bedrooms, a self-contained granny flat, and a kitchen at the heart of it all for Rob, who loves to cook and host.
DESIGNING A RENOVATION FOR A STEEP, OVERLOOKED BLOCK
The block was steep, short on daylight, and overlooked from every side. Rather than fight those conditions, Maytree Studios reframed them. “We thought of the rear yard as its own light well, and the extent of the house as the hedge on the back fence,” Rebecca explains. Neighbouring homes were mapped to drive the placement of every opening, some set unusually low in the wall to preserve privacy from the higher neighbours behind. Optimum Structures and Milanovic Neale Consulting Engineers handled the structural and civil demands, while a northeast-facing courtyard, softened by landscaping from Green Care Project, extends the living spaces outdoors.
WORKERS’ COTTAGE RENOVATION: OLD AND NEW IN DIALOGUE
The original workers’ cottage was retained and “whited out,” with white walls against dark timber floors that hold the street presence and keep rhythm with its neighbours. Behind it, a sharp contemporary addition tells a different story: a singular gable form wrapped in custom orb steel and hardwood. The home is organised into three zones, the cottage holding the children’s bedrooms, a lofted parents’ retreat above the living space, and a granny flat tucked beneath, its “secret” front door hidden within the cladding. It is gentle densification at its most elegant, more living from the same land without sacrificing streetscape.
SMALL HOME DESIGN IDEAS THAT LIVE LARGE
For all its restraint, Tighty Whitey delivers real drama. At the intersection of old and new, a triple-height stair topped with a glass roof draws daylight deep into the home, white battens filtering it into a soft wash that shifts through the day, backed by a rich Artedomus tile. At the social heart is the kitchen, built around a moveable island that shifts from long lunches to sourdough baking to kids’ craft, alongside a two-storey library wall. The interiors, led by Maytree’s Alisha Bouris, bring warmth and a light industrial edge, layering an Akari table lamp from Living Edge, an Armadillo rug, sofa and chairs from MCM House, and Hay Palissade dining pieces from Cult.
“This is not a story of luxury through scale,” Rebecca says, “but of richness through thoughtfulness.”
Related article: Inside an Ashgrove bungalow redesign where every room has a personality
SUSTAINABLE HOME RENOVATION, BUILT TO LAST
That thoughtfulness by Maytree Studios runs deep in this clever, space-savvy cottage renovation in Brisbane. Retaining the existing structure reduced waste and embodied energy, while operable openings, solar power and durable materials support the home long term, delivered in close partnership with Petro Builders, whose negotiated tender kept variations to just 2.74 per cent. “Nothing about that form gives away the drama of the volume, light and privacy you emerge into within,” Rebecca reflects. The clients agree. “The end result is a home that not only looks amazing and is a pleasure to live in, but feels like us.” From a tight, overlooked block, a home that lives far larger than its footprint, proof of how to live better, not bigger.
Photography: Toby Scott
