Abbott Street House

When tasked with bringing new life to an existing Queenslander in Brisbane’s sought-after New Farm neighbourhood, K.Co Design created a radically contemporary extension that cleverly juxtaposes light and dark elements in both the architecture and interior. Tongue & Groove solid European Oak boards were essential in the transformation, bringing warmth to a palette rich in concrete, steel, and dark timber. “Originally, the ground floors were all concrete,” explains K.Co Director, Kristy Bay. “After our first design meeting, however, we suggested switching to timber to bring warmth into the spaces.” Freado’s textured, classic finish became a natural choice. “The range of colours that Tongue & Groove offers can complete any scheme so well,” says Bay. The design team used Tongue & Groove in Freado across the ground and first floors, and cleverly integrated it as a back wall to the bench seat in the mud room. The same boards have also been used to craft the home’s feature staircase, bringing a sense of harmony to the fit-out. “The staircase took a couple of days to put together, but our tradies crafted beautiful mitred edges, which we specified with hidden balustrade fixings,” she says. “Having a solid substrate underneath the pre-finished Tongue & Groove boards allowed us to achieve this level of detail.” The rest of the interior palette was built around the neutral cool tones of the Freado boards – think white and grey marble in the kitchen and bathrooms, and black-painted timber batten walls in the kitchen and wine cellar. “The way the dark walls contrast against the floor is perfection,” says Bay. “We also had great support from Tongue & Groove throughout the construction process.”