Masterclass in indoor outdoor living

Ray White The Collective principal Matt Lancashire said the owners transformed the original 1930s house at 35 Katoomba Ave, Hawthorne with renowned architect DAHA.

“The design was conceived from a brief of light, space and a seamless blurring between indoor and outdoor living. This is exactly the sort of house every family wants in Queensland,” Mr Lancashire said.

He said the passive design was configured around a selection of inspired courtyards and gardens by Steven Clegg, allowing natural light, air and greenery to permeate the interiors.

Former Australian rower Justin Sires, and his wife Amanda, are selling their 12-month old renovated home to hit the road and work remotely with their two kids and go caravanning around Australia.

Their high end five bedroom home will be auctioned on-site on July 22 if not sold prior.

The owners were living in London and moved back to Brisbane when the pandemic hit three years ago.

“The brief to our designer (David Hansford of DAHA Architecture) was we wanted the ‘opposite of London’. We wanted light and indoor outdoor living so our house has lots of natural light,” Mr Sires said.

After a successful stint in the corporate world, Justin’s entrepreneurial journey started in 2010, fuelled by a determination to elevate the end-of-trip (bike parking and change room) experience in office buildings.

The keen cyclist founded a company called Five At Heart which specialises in bike parking and changing rooms across the world.

So there’s plenty of storage at 35 Katoomba, and everything from the bikes to books and the microwave all have a home.

The Sires retained and enhanced the heritage facade of the house but changed the whole layout inside.

Amanda Sires, a physiotherapist, said her favourite aspect of the house was the sunken courtyard with the established bottle tree.

An established bottle tree, sourced from Toowoomba, was planted before the build started.

“We basically built the house around the tree. There is no-more quintessential outback Aussie tree than a bottle tree and we love it,” Mrs Sires said.

The Sires have thought about every single thing in this house as it was to be their forever home.

The design is super low maintenance and everything is of the highest quality with tongue and groove flooring, aluminium screens and recycled timber on the deck and grand-stand seating, which will age naturally and not require any oiling.

“The kitchen, living and dining area is so open, with doors that push backs, so I can see the whole yard and living area which is important for any mum,” Mrs Sires said.

“The design is very clever, and opens up, we barely used the AC in summer as we get breezes that come through which are fantastically cool.”

Amanda Sires also loves the master ensuite with its big fabulous deck and bath.

“Young families or families with older kids will love this house as the bedrooms are all large,” she said.

“A recent medical condition has prompted a change in our direction. So while we love the house we want to elevate what's important in life, and so heading out to tour around with our kids and have those experiences is very important to us right now. Justin will work remotely from the road during this adventure.”

The house is located in the middle of Hawthorne, just a short walk to the sports fields and parks and the city cat ferry to the city.