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The Fig Tree Pocket 60s House was an exercise in breathing new life into a tired and poorly renovated 1960s house. The original house was typical of its time - flat roof, low ceiling, central clerestory windows. While having wonderful views to the river to the south, little north light reached the interior and there was no external space that could access northern light or winter / morning sun.  

The renovation and extension works reworked the entire main floor, opening up the middle of the house from north to south with the kitchen in the middle. Kids bedrooms and bathroom were then allocated to the east side and Master bedroom suit (and existing garage) to the West. Running across almost the entire width of the house was a rebuilt central clerestory window pop up orientated to north in lieu of the existing south orientation.  

Additional ceiling height was sneaked by removing the plasterboard ceiling and exposing the existing hardwood rafters. In addition to the internal works a new entry path / gatehouse together with an outdoor room was constructed to make a northern outdoor sitting and entertaining area connected with the small amount of flat lawn on the property. This enables the three young boys to seamlessly flow from their bedrooms and play area to the outside whilst remaining in full view of the kitchen. A sympathetic but not derivative material palette to that of the era of the house was developed – new and retro elements combined to make warm and rich interior and exterior spaces.

Photography: Toby Scott

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Fig Tree Pocket 60s House
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House

Professionals used in
Fig Tree Pocket 60s House

About the
Professional

Bligh Graham Architects is a small studio based architecture practice in Samford Village, Australia. The studio’s reputation for developing sustainable, functional and responsive sub-tropical architecture has been acknowledged through many industry awards and a multitude of publications.

Established in 2002, Bligh Graham Architects is situated on the outskirts of Brisbane City primarily undertaking work throughout Brisbane, Moreton, Sunshine Coast, and Northern Rivers region. The majority of the work completed by the firm is residential in nature with aged care, cultural, interior and commercial projects also commissioned. Budgets have ranged from $100k to $20m. The practice only takes on a limited number of projects at a time to ensure a high level of service and professional delivery. 

Bligh Graham Architects believes that beyond fulfilling their function, buildings should enrich peoples everyday life, promote a sense of wellbeing and engage with our culture and landscape. Such architecture is not only functional but has a timeless warmth and richness, simplicity and humility. It is a tailored response to each client and site, resulting in highly resolved works that both engage the senses and provide efficient solutions. It is as much about the making of landscapes and gardens as it is about enclosures – of private and public worlds. 

Sustainability is a core concern that we address at all scales and phases from the initial site planning to the consideration of material selections and additional mechanical services. From the start we look to the holistic integration of passive design principles into the spatial and material logic of our designs.