GROWTH SPURT

A Brisbane abode was upsized and updated to create a timeless forever home for a family of six

- STORY KYLIE JACKES & VICTORIA KINGSBURY | PHOTOGRAPHY LOUISE ROCHE

When Annalise and Scott bought their Brisbane home 15 years ago, they had one young child and a baby on the way, and the place felt more than big enough. However, as their family grew to four children, the couple weighed up buying a bigger place elsewhere or staying in the area they loved and renovating their home.

MOVE OR RENOVATE?

“We seriously considered moving and looked around for a year, but couldn’t find a house with six bedrooms and a large entertaining area, which were our key requirements, so we decided to renovate and create what we wanted,” says Annalise.

Central to the brief were generous spaces for the family and a liveable layout catering to effortless entertaining. “We gave Invilla pretty much free reign to do what they wanted with the initial design, and the plan they came back with was amazing,” enthuses Annalise. To create more space, the redesign involved adding a third level where four new bedrooms and a leisure room were positioned to take advantage of the elevated outlook.

Throughout the existing levels, walls were removed, which let the family rezone and expand the kitchen and living areas. Internal stairs were shifted to create a more open-plan feel, with space spared for a lift to make traversing the home’s three storeys a breeze and a whole lot of fun for the kids.