Lockyer House
Shaun Lockyer’s own home in Brisbane’s Newstead is designed around a lush internal courtyard and highlights the architect’s love of art, natural materials and the outdoors.
Designing a home for yourself is no ordinary brief. For Shaun Lockyer, founder of Shaun Lockyer Architects, it became “quite a special and existential process” that drew on decades of thinking about what makes a house truly meaningful. Created with his wife Julie, the residence was designed for a new stage in their life – the couple now downsizing as their kids have left home – with a focus on landscape, light and art.
The kitchen is notable for its stunning Alpi Verde stone benchtop and beautifully integrated Miele appliances.
Lockyer describes the abode as a “green leafy sanctuary” – its privacy and lush outlook often surprising guests, despite its proximity to the city. While it has a more modest footprint, the home still packs a lot in through a thoughtful floor plan that prioritises a close relationship with the outdoors.
Visitors move from the hidden entry to arrive in a north-facing pavilion that opens onto an internal garden on two sides. Here sits the kitchen with a stunning Alpi Verde stone benchtop and beautifully integrated Miele appliances. “This is really the heart of this whole place,” Lockyer says. “I’ve personally been dealing with Miele for about 35 years in the projects that we’ve done and it’s just a natural choice for us.”
A focus on natural materials was also key to creating a functional yet playful home that leans into experience rather than aesthetics. Concrete, stone and richly textured blockwork establish a sense of permanence and resilience, while layers of timber introduce warmth and patina. Art was equally important, with many pieces acquired specifically for the house and even incorporated into the technical drawings from the beginning.
The project is what Lockyer describes as a “perfectly imperfect house” where the signs and story of its making add invaluable character. “That sense of transference of energy – from people making and loving something to being manifested in the way that we get to enjoy this house now – really kind of fills our heart with joy and gives us a sense of real purpose.”
