Revival House

Completed in late 2025, just in time for Christmas, Revival House marks the transformation of a former church in Annerley, Brisbane into a contemporary family home.

Set on a gently sloping site, the original church sat elevated above the backyard, leaving the upper living spaces disconnected from the yard and pool at the rear. Early in the design process, we identified the opportunity to remove a series of low, light-restrictive additions that had accumulated behind the primary gable. In their place, a new extension peels away from the original form, angled to open the house toward the landscape.

This addition accommodates a parent’s suite, a secondary living space and new utility areas. Positioned between the original church level and the ground plane, a new outdoor living room forms a generous intermediary space. From here, the home reconnects to the yard and pool below, while maintaining a strong visual and spatial relationship with the open-plan living areas above and the green hills beyond.

Materially, the house is unified by a palette of natural, muted tones. Timber doors and windows within the main living spaces reinforce the calm, grounded character of the former church. In contrast, the new additions adopt a more contemporary language, expressed through crisp forms, aluminium windows and a soaring, loft-like ceiling within the parent’s bedroom.

We look forward to returning once the landscape is established, with new photography planned for 2026. A sincere thank you to all involved in bringing this project to life.

Build: Allen Brothers Construction
Images: Jack Gibson