Placement Architects’ ‘soft’ renovation for a family with teens maximises the original footprint and bones of a Melbourne terrace through deft interventions that introduce light, flow and multi-functional spaces for both togetherness and retreat.

Hiding in plain sight on a quiet urban street in Melbourne is a humble project that has created a series of important answers to some critical questions.

Splinter Society Architecture gave a classic Californian bungalow a 21st century reno that reconfigures its spaces for maximum enjoyment.

A couple and their young daughter have a new home, built as a second-storey addition to their parent’s ground floor bungalow. This simple decision has created an intelligent, stacked solution without sacrificing the beautiful garden out back.

An owner-built North Fitzroy renovation by Therefore has transformed a dark, damp ‘mess’ into a quiet gem of light, simplicity and timber craftsmanship with a geometric order creating delightful spatial freedoms.

Built around a veggie garden, Terracotta House flips multi-generational living and ‘house + rear garden’ thinking on its head.

Working within a constrained site and budget, Architect George prioritised outdoor space and personalised details in this Newtown terrace.

Inspired by FMD’s nearby Bustle House, a newish couple with a blended adult family turned to its creators to gracefully transform a dark Victorian share house into a flexible, light-filled home celebrating ornate Victorian detailing and contemporary connection to inner-city life, nature and self.

Built for ageing in place and for a family to gather, this innovative Hobart house soaks up buckets of warm northern light and aptly worships the distant kunanyi.

Brisbane’s Twin Houses by John Ellway are two separate yet identical houses that go to show how building more with less is a fruitful strategy in our cities.