Paddington Pad is a project designed by Studio 15b in 2018, covers an area of 290 m2 and is located in Brisbane, Australia. Photography by Angus Martin.

Starting life as a small workers cottage on a sloping site at Paddington, Brisbane – this home was in desperate need of some TLC. Our clients wanted to take the big step of moving closer to the city after spending many years in the suburbs. Their brief was to create a home that included spaces for themselves and their older children, but also to create a connection between the home and the outdoors with space for entertaining.

From the street, our design of this home sits seamlessly within its context, while incorporating the modern necessities such as double garage and an inviting entry. The rear however is a modern reinvention with a distinctive bold sloping window frame. The home is fully opened to the rear treed view with a double volume space that can be seen from the main bedroom suite.

It was important to keep on budget by not allowing the size of the home to get excessive. Studio 15b has worked hard on the planning to ensure there is minimal wasted space. For example, the new internal stair was designed to sit over the garage space which assisted in keeping the planning compact, while giving space to entertaining areas. The stairs are a focal point of the open planned living zone, with the black painted steel zig zag stringer giving the stair its quirky feel. It sits within the largely bright white interiors.

The large timber rear sliding doors open the home to the outdoor living and clear plunge pool, which is perfect on a summer’s day.