A Brisbane extension designed around a swimming pool has been named Australia’s House of the Year, after transforming a modest 1920s cottage into a light-filled family home without sacrificing its garden.
Half Light House, in Clayfield, northern Brisbane, was created by architect John Ellway for Annie and Jim, who bought the timber house in 2008. The project also won the House Alteration and Addition Over 200 Square Metres category at the 2026 Houses Awards.
The couple commissioned the work after their family grew to include three young children. They wanted an undercover pool, but were determined not to use up much more of the site’s green space.
“We knew we wanted the pool to be undercover so we didn’t have to mess about with sunscreen and rashies every time the kids wanted to swim,” they said.
Ellway’s solution placed the extension around the pool, with glass walls opening the rear of the home towards western views of hills and Brisbane sunsets. The original cottage remains white, while the new structure is dark, giving the house its name.
The design was also shaped by the family’s wish to keep the pool visible from much of the house. Ellway said safety and supervision were central to the plan, allowing the children to be watched from nearly every room.
A covered patio extends the living space outdoors, while a void above the pool allows the sky to remain visible. Sunlight passing through the opening creates shifting reflections across the ceilings throughout the day.
Managing Brisbane’s strong afternoon sun was another key consideration. Blinds control the western light, while the extension’s transparent walls ensure that the outlook remains visible from the original front door and from inside the house.
Half Light House wins Australia’s top residential design award
The Houses Awards jury described the project as “an inspired response to the perennial desire for outdoor living”. It said the approach suited Brisbane’s hilly landscape and the city’s elevated homes, which can often feel disconnected from their back gardens.
The judges also praised the house for achieving a “spatially rich and atmospheric” result without relying on a large building footprint. The Australian House of the Year is selected from the winners of the awards’ six primary categories.
Half Light House is the second Australian House of the Year win for Ellway, who previously took the top prize in 2021 for a Paddington home built across three platforms. The 2026 awards were presented in Melbourne on Friday, September 4, with the overall winner receiving a prize of 5,000 Australian dollars.
Landscape designer Andrew Coates worked with Ellway on the gardens, including native planting along the verge, a shaded undercroft garden, durable plants in the driveway and a small backyard forest.
Annie and Jim said the open rear of the house had changed how they experienced the property, allowing them to see the sunset from almost anywhere, even while approaching the front gate.
“When we wake up in the morning and open the sliding glass doors above the pool, with the sun shining in and the trees just outside, it feels like we’re on holiday,” they said.
