In 2016, after years of living in various settings – from musty flats in London to a mid-century apartment in Brisbane’s Torbreck, which they had meticulously renovated – architect Aaron Peters and his partner, Rebecca, a scientist, purchased a cottage in Brisbane’s West End. The house, with tacked-on additions and a patchwork of primary colours inside, was a bit of a mess. Beneath the surface, termite-damaged floors and undersized joists required immediate attention, consuming their entire renovation budget and forcing them to pause progress.
This unexpected delay gave Aaron and Rebecca time to reflect on their preferences and priorities, understanding the reciprocity between spaces and activities that emerge over time. Their experience with the Torbreck apartment had taught them that design cannot force a new way of living: idealised, pristine…