Lockerbie Street House By Two Julius

On a compact inner-city Brisbane block, Two Julius has reimagined a traditional workers cottage around preserving the garden, shaping a home defined by light, landscape and family living.

Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos KRISTIAN VAN DER BEEK ‍Interiors TWO JULIUS Build ROBSON BUILDERS

On a compact inner-city Brisbane block, Two Julius has transformed a traditional Queensland workers cottage into a home that’s attuned to modern family life while retaining a connection to its original character.

The brief was shaped less by expansion and more by preservation. For the owners, a growing family living on a modest 435-square-metre block, retaining the garden became the project’s defining move. Rather than extending across the site, the existing home was raised, with additional living spaces carefully inserted beneath. The decision allowed the landscape to remain intact while creating the framework for everything that followed.

This approach carries through the entire home. There’s a clarity to the way the spaces function, responsive to family life, climate and context rather than aesthetics alone. A layered landscape strategy wraps the property in dense planting, softening neighbouring boundaries while creating a sense of retreat within the urban setting. The pool extends directly from the living spaces, reinforcing the ease between indoors and out that Brisbane living demands.

Inside, the interiors draw subtly from mid-century modern references. Clean-lined detailing and warm materiality create spaces that feel resolved yet relaxed. Cork flooring runs throughout, bringing softness and texture underfoot while lending the home a warmth that harder finishes often lack.

A floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace anchors the main living area, acting simultaneously as sculptural centrepiece and spatial divider between the dining and living zones. Solid yet permeable, it defines the spaces without interrupting connection through the spaces.

In the living room, a Camaleonda Sofa by B&B Italia reinforces the home’s mid-century sensibility while introducing a softer sense of comfort and informal living.

Despite construction extending beyond the original timeline and budget, the home feels calm and resolved – a house that responds thoughtfully to its site, climate and the rhythms of family life, without losing sight of its original character.

Location: Brisbane, Australia
Interior Design: Two Julius
Photography: Kristian Van Der Beek