Houzz Tour: Welcome to the Jungle in the City
An Australian architect builds into the slope below an old Brisbane cottage to create a terrarium-like living space
Terrarium House is the home of architect John Ellway and his partner, Amber Winter. After an 18-month search for a house, they stumbled across a one-bedroom cottage in Brisbane, Australia. Although many people would have passed on the century-old building that was crumbling into a backyard jungle, Ellway and Winter saw its potential and transformed it into a lush, light-filled home that embraces its wild surroundings.
Before: Ellway and Winter wanted a home that could adapt to a young family and stay comfortable throughout the seasons. After looking at houses for a year and a half, the couple had almost given up when they spotted this one-bedroom cottage. At 100 years old, it had seen better days, but Ellway and Winter saw its potential.
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Find an architect in the Houzz pro directory
Before: “The land falls about [8 feet] from the footpath to the yard, and this change in level meant that the cottage could grow by inhabiting the open undercroft below,” Ellway says. “The streetscape and the cottage’s relationship to its twin neighbor could remain intact without raising the house.”
The cottage has a north-facing backyard. Tucked into the slope, it receives sunlight throughout the day while maintaining cooler inside temperatures during the hot summers in Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland.
Size and cost were the main constraints. The lot was a relatively small 2,315 square feet, the cottage needed extensive repairs, and the budget allowed only for a small increase in footprint.
“Planning was key to ensuring every space in the house enabled multiple uses or borrowed from one another,” Ellway says. “We created bedrooms that could become larger play areas; vanities that open onto circulation; openings that borrow views from neighboring backyards; a laundry space that serves as an extension of the kitchen; and a living space that feels as open as an outdoor patio.”
“Planning was key to ensuring every space in the house enabled multiple uses or borrowed from one another,” Ellway says. “We created bedrooms that could become larger play areas; vanities that open onto circulation; openings that borrow views from neighboring backyards; a laundry space that serves as an extension of the kitchen; and a living space that feels as open as an outdoor patio.”
The top, street-level floor has two flexible bedrooms at the front, and a bathroom and master bedroom toward the rear. There are also two voids: The first is at the entrance to the house, where a walkway and stairs provide access to each level; the second is above the ground-floor dining area next to the first-floor master bedroom.
A mesh screen abutting the sidewalk is covered with a passionfruit vine, concealing the front of the house. The screen is secured so that the large doors and panels around the house can remain open for cross ventilation.
A metal-and-wood walkway provides access to the house, crossing the void at the entrance. This south-facing void has lush ferns and other plants that don’t like a lot of sun, and the passionfruit vine protects them from early-morning and late-afternoon rays. Ellway also selected the vine for its rapid growth. “I like that it is a productive plant — one we can use and eat. Passionfruit cocktail time?” Ellway says.
A translucent ceiling protects the exterior walkway and stairs, which descend to the garden on the lower level. “The fundamental strategy was to create an ambiguous line between internal and external garden — are you inside or out?” Ellway says. “One of the key reasons for this was to make the spaces feel bigger. The house has only [1,130 square feet] of internal floor area, but the ambiguity of the planting makes the perceived area much larger.”
A translucent ceiling protects the exterior walkway and stairs, which descend to the garden on the lower level. “The fundamental strategy was to create an ambiguous line between internal and external garden — are you inside or out?” Ellway says. “One of the key reasons for this was to make the spaces feel bigger. The house has only [1,130 square feet] of internal floor area, but the ambiguity of the planting makes the perceived area much larger.”
The bedrooms are grouped together and accessed through the original cottage door. Ellway and Winter hope that the two front rooms will be children’s rooms one day. The rooms have wide openings off the hallway to make a larger room for kids to play together. The bathroom is in the center of the floor, and the master bedroom is at the rear, next to the void above the dining area.
Sliding panels, instead of doors, can be adjusted to manage the level of privacy and openness in the front bedrooms.
The bedrooms have custom beds and shelves made out of native blackbutt and plywood.
The rooms feature nooks for trinkets and treasures inspired by memories of the owners’ childhood homes.
Closets, built-in beds and shelves: Mast Furniture
Closets, built-in beds and shelves: Mast Furniture
A large panel wall slides open to allow breezes through the house from yard to street, and a garden sits across the void. Widely spaced blackbutt boards provide a deck-like flooring surface. The bathroom vanity sits outside the wet space at left.
“Its placement here is for two reasons: The first is that toothbrushes should never be in the same space as a [toilet], and second — and probably more important — the daily ritual of brushing teeth and drying hair becomes a social one that isn’t hidden away,” Ellway says.
“Everyone can communicate while breakfast or dinner is being made. Not just on the upper floor of the cottage, but down through the void to the kitchen and living areas.”
“Everyone can communicate while breakfast or dinner is being made. Not just on the upper floor of the cottage, but down through the void to the kitchen and living areas.”
The shower, like the front entry space, has a semitransparent polycarbonate roof that lets in light and the sound of rain. The floor is wooden decking, and the walls are covered with limestone tiles.
“The bathroom was inspired by memories of showering in houses and hotels while traveling in Asia,” Ellway says. “During the day, it is a light-filled space that feels almost open to the sky. At night, the space becomes a dark cave with a dim source of warm light near the entry.”
Blackbutt boards offer a warm, free-draining surface. Regular floor tiles lie beneath them.
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“The bathroom was inspired by memories of showering in houses and hotels while traveling in Asia,” Ellway says. “During the day, it is a light-filled space that feels almost open to the sky. At night, the space becomes a dark cave with a dim source of warm light near the entry.”
Blackbutt boards offer a warm, free-draining surface. Regular floor tiles lie beneath them.
Find natural stone tiles in the Houzz Shop
Ellway worked closely with cabinetmakers and carpenters. Carpenter and welder Ash Brown did much of the steel work, experimenting with less conventional ideas such as the bathroom’s rail and shelf.
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Find a cabinetmaker near you on Houzz
The master bedroom sits next to the large void, allowing passive surveillance and communication throughout the house. “The connection of the two levels enables chatter and activity,” Ellway says.
The stairs at the front of the house descend to the garden at the bottom of the void. Concrete blocks on the retaining wall create a terraced garden.
Steel stairs and balustrade: Ash Brown
Steel stairs and balustrade: Ash Brown
On the lower level, the living space sits below the front of the house, with the dining area and kitchen opening to the backyard. The kitchen wraps into the laundry and a second bathroom, and the walkway of the master bedroom overlooks the space.
“The lower level has been designed and detailed to conjure memories of the former shadowy undercroft, with black-stained ceilings creating compression as you enter,” Ellway says. A solid wall to the west protects the space from afternoon sun, while fine-textured glass to the east captures winter morning sunlight.
The artwork, Pool VI (2016), is by Jordy Hewitt.
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The artwork, Pool VI (2016), is by Jordy Hewitt.
Find original artwork on Houzz
Large wood-framed sliding doors enclose the north and south sides of the lower level. They are invisible when open, sliding behind exterior walls and creating spaces that feel ambiguous. “Are you inside the house or still outside?” Ellway says.
The perimeter ledge around the living and dining area creates the feeling of sitting below garden level. “This is a space sitting in shadow, allowing retreat from the intense Queensland light,” Ellway says.
Many details in the house were subconsciously inspired by Ellway and Winter’s personal memories, which they realized only after living in the house. “The translucent obscure glass and the use of screens to open and divide space evoke our travels to Japan,” Ellway says.
Deep eaves protect the glass to the north in summer and allow sun to stream into the house in winter. Dappled light and shadows filter through the textured glass, which, like a soft-focus lens, blurs the view of the lush plant life along the side of the house. “I love watching the way the light changes throughout the days and seasons,” Ellway says.
The lighting is minimal and features only where needed —over the kitchen counters and dining table and for reading — creating an ambient environment that aids relaxation in the evening before sleep. The rest of the space is lit by garden lighting outside the windows to enrich the sense of being surrounded by lush greenery.
PH 5 pendant light by Poul Henningsen: Louis Poulsen
PH 5 pendant light by Poul Henningsen: Louis Poulsen
The kitchen has two zones: a public area for food preparation, cooking and entertaining, and a hidden area for appliances, washing and the pantry.
Look up from the dining area and you can see the bathroom vanity, giving a sense of the openness and connection within the interior.
Look up from the dining area and you can see the bathroom vanity, giving a sense of the openness and connection within the interior.
The kitchen island sits on a narrow, rendered-block plinth, which reduces the island’s scale and makes it feel more like a piece of furniture floating in the space. The island is made of solid blackbutt and topped with black granite. Ceramics fill the open shelves, while appliances are concealed on the other side.
Lunar Black granite countertop with leather finish: SNB Stone and Precision Stone Services
Lunar Black granite countertop with leather finish: SNB Stone and Precision Stone Services
A large concrete countertop extends along the western wall of the house, which is partly below ground level to protect the living areas from afternoon sun. The cantilevered concrete counter is structural, poured as part of the wall construction and then honed and polished. Wide wooden drawers and the dishwasher hang from the underside of the counter. “Keeping the polished-concrete floor visible below the cabinetry makes the space feel larger and wider — an important strategy in a house of only [1,130 square feet],” Ellway says. A wood pelmet hides the custom exhaust fan and the LED lighting.
The fridge, washer, dryer and pantry are at the other end of the kitchen. “The pantry has a secret,” Ellway says. “A large metal hinge allows it to pivot away from the wall as a complete piece of cabinetry. Behind it sit many of the services for the house, including instantaneous hot water, patch panels, LED transformers, a solar inverter and a space for future batteries.”
The fridge, washer, dryer and pantry are at the other end of the kitchen. “The pantry has a secret,” Ellway says. “A large metal hinge allows it to pivot away from the wall as a complete piece of cabinetry. Behind it sit many of the services for the house, including instantaneous hot water, patch panels, LED transformers, a solar inverter and a space for future batteries.”
A steel rod with a wooden shelf hangs from the ceiling above the countertop. The rod holds everyday items, such as utensils and tea towels, and the shelf is for pots, knickknacks and plants.
Oven, fridge, gas stove and integrated dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel
Oven, fridge, gas stove and integrated dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel
A large sink at the far end of the kitchen counter is multipurpose. “It can be used for laundry, as a bath for children and for the washing of large pots and pans. It’s a memory of the precast tubs found beneath many Queenslanders,” says Ellway, referring to traditional Queensland homes that are often elevated.
A semioutdoor bathroom with a shower is at the end of the kitchen, enclosed by a textured-glass sliding door. It’s next to a fern-filled garden and opens to the front void, enhancing the terrarium-like space.
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A semioutdoor bathroom with a shower is at the end of the kitchen, enclosed by a textured-glass sliding door. It’s next to a fern-filled garden and opens to the front void, enhancing the terrarium-like space.
More on Houzz
Read about other homes around the world
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for home products
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect John Ellway and Amber Winter
Location: Highgate Hill area of Brisbane, Australia
Size: 1,130 square feet (105 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
“The house began as an exercise in pragmatics and managing problematic site conditions, and finished as a flexible, adaptable family home layered with our memories of childhood and travels,” Ellway says.