Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

A Family’s Queenslander Cottage Is Cracked Open With an Airy, Shed-Like Addition

A Family’s Queenslander Cottage Is Cracked Open With an Airy, Shed-Like Addition

The extension by design firm zuzana&nicholas features a lofted interior and massive sliders, creating a space that flows into the surrounding gardens.

When Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper set to work updating an aging worker’s cottage for a young Australian family, the first challenge was the home’s orientation. "We wanted to connect the interior of the house with its garden-a vital space for the family and their children, and one that the cottage previously turned its back on," explains Kovar.



Located in the Annerley neighborhood of Brisbane, the small cottage was built in the traditional Queenslander style of the area, with a timber structure and corrugated metal exterior. Starting with the home’s existing compact footprint, zuzana&nicholas sought to make the space feel larger by creating visual and physical connections to the outdoors.

"These relationships not only provide an interconnectedness and improved access to light and ventilation, but also allow for a generosity of space within an otherwise small house," says Skepper.



Using the garden as a touchpoint, the duo reconfigured the home’s previously introverted layout and designed a small addition inspired in form and materiality by a garden shed. The designers kept to a tight budget by working with what they already had. "The goal was to maximize the preservation of the existing cottage and garden space," says Kovar.

The new extension juts out from the back of the cottage, replacing an old lean-to laundry structure. A pitched roof in corrugated Zincalume echoes the roof of the original home, and gives the new addition the look and feel of an outdoor shed. A concrete base and stone-paved terrace anchor the extension in the verdant garden.



Now, sightlines through the house connect interior spaces to the backyard, and an updated layout sets the kitchen, dining, and living room adjacent to the garden. "The cook in the kitchen can converse with someone in the garden, while a child reading in the bay window can interact with her sister playing in the living room, and a visitor at the front door can make eye contact with the host in the garden," explains Skepper.

The result is a comfortable home that spills outdoors, allowing the family to utilize their beloved garden as a multifunctional outdoor space.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×