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F
or many of us, the idea of our neighbours
renovating or rebuilding is a nightmare.
Tradies crowding the street with their trucks,
jackhammers at 7am, dust everywhere – and
all you can hope for is an invitation to their
house-warming party at the end.
But for Brisbane couple Megan and Nathan
Fenner, it was their neighbours, Luisa Klinge
and her husband, Daniel, who suggested they rebuild. What’s more,
Luisa, an interior designer, went on to design the new home’s
interior, while Daniel, a builder, carried out the construction.
“Some people think you should never design for friends or
family,” says Luisa. “But for me, with Megan and Nathan, it felt
so natural. When you know someone as well as I know them,
you can pre-empt what they want from the design. Honestly?”
she adds with a laugh. “Not one thing went wrong.”
After moving into the home in 2010, it was through chatting
with Luisa that Megan and Nathan decided to knock down the
old Queenslander and rebuild on the site. “They asked us what
they should do,” says Luisa. “They wanted to change so many
things that it was easier to start all over again, with a fresh home.”
And when you have an interior designer for a neighbour, why
wouldn’t you take their advice?
“The first thing our architect, Chris Brumby of Big House
Little House, asked was, ‘What do you like about the house right
now?’ ” says Megan. “Nathan and I looked at each other and went,
‘Um... nothing!’ And that was a big relief, to start from scratch.”
The couple wanted a house that would be functional and
beautiful. The home had been renovated by previous owners, in
fits and starts. “It felt very disjointed,” says Megan. “We had this
gorgeous Queensland landscape in the backyard, but the house
didn’t reflect that. We wanted a sense of continuity between the
inside and outdoor areas. You should be able to step outside and
feel like you’re in the same space, not a completely different area.”
Working with Chris, the couple replaced the two-bedroom
Queenslander with a modern four-bedroom home, with a central
courtyard for light and air flow, a sitting room downstairs and an
upstairs retreat – and they overhauled the outdoor area, including
the swimming pool. “Now we essentially have three main living
areas plus two separate outdoor areas and a patio,” says Megan.
“We needed space to grow as a family, and now we’ve got it.”INSIDE homes