A Builder's Forever Home – Arcos by Joe Adsett Architects & Graya

Using the bones of a pre-war Queenslander house, Joe Adsett Architects has designed a palatial home in Brisbane’s Paddington that draws on Spanish Revival influences to create spaces whose charm lies in balancing their grand scale with a warm and tactile nature.

Entry into the home takes place through a dramatic, softly-litarched tunnel of rendered concrete. Emerging on the other side, visitors are met with a series of awe-inspiring interior and exterior spaces. Dubbed ‘Arcos’ (Spanish for arches), this is the home of Robert Gray, managing director of high-end construction company Graya, and psychologist Meghan Gray. Graya built the house, which aside from being the couple’s ‘forever home’ is also used as a setting for fashion shoots.

The colour and material palette is largely governed by the rendered concrete, which provides a soft, neutral base throughout the house. Where additional materials are introduced, there remains a sense of unity and cohesion, such as in an elevated sitting room near the arched entrance way that features blond oak timber cabinetry with curved edges that melt into the walls. Oak is also used for the kitchen, where it provides a break away from the soft tones of the rendered concrete and lends some contemporary detailing to the space while tonally complementing the base palette.

With its lofty spaces, grand proportions and welcoming curves, this is a house in which to spread out, entertain family and friends, and enjoy sharing more widely as a photoshoot location.