{"id":615345,"date":"2026-09-05T13:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T13:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/615345\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T13:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T13:48:13","slug":"brisbane-queenslander-named-australian-house-of-the-year-at-prestigious-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/615345\/","title":{"rendered":"Brisbane Queenslander named Australian House of the Year at prestigious awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

A renovated Brisbane Queenslander has taken out the top honour at the prestigious Houses Awards, being named Australian House of the Year.<\/p>\n

The Clayfield home, called Half Lighthouse, may look like a classic Queenslander from the street, but through the front door the clay-filled cottage opens up to reveal a shaded pool at the heart of the home.<\/p>\n

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Queenslander home wins Australian House of the Year<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt works really well and it makes so much sense for Queensland,\u201d owners Annie O\u2019Rourke and Jim Jackson said.<\/p>\n

The couple had been dreaming about the renovation since they bought the property in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really driven by an expanding ageing family. We\u2019ve got three teenagers now,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Architect John Ellway designed the extension around the existing cottage, using glass and open space to draw the eye to the garden and view beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got five blinds that encase all of the extension, all of the glass, all of the opening, so that Annie and Jim and the family can sort of open and shut them when they need them,\u201d Ellway said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe property won the prestigious housing awards this year. Credit: 7NEWS\"TheThe family says it was to accommodate their ageing kids. Credit: 7NEWS\"ItIt features a shaded pool in the centre. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

The Brisbane home beat hundreds of entries from across the country, including winners of other categories in the New South Wales Southern Highlands and Melbourne.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just such a huge breadth of design talent in architect design homes in Australia,\u201d House Awards judge Michael Roper noted.<\/p>\n

Privacy and sanctuary were common themes this year among entries.<\/p>\n

At the Clayfield property, the garden doesn\u2019t just sit outside the home, it\u2019s part of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe acoustics and the garden out the back sort of keeps everything to ourselves while we still feel like we\u2019re part of a bigger world,\u201d the owners said.<\/p>\n

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