Brisbane's best-kept secret: A luxe family home atop a commercial building

Perched atop a commercial building in Newstead – an inner-northern riverside suburb of Brisbane – the Newstead Apartment defies expectations, offering a warm and inviting family home that contrasts its urban surroundings.

This penthouse, crowning a mixed-use building constructed in 2015, has been reimagined by Sydney-based design studio Partridge Daniels into a subtropical sanctuary that seamlessly combines rich colours, tactile surfaces and abundant greenery with breathtaking city views.

The project began after a well-travelled professional couple with two children bought the apartment in 2020 when relocating from Sydney to Brisbane.

They sought to create a warm and welcoming family home and turned to Partridge Daniels for their expertise.

Studio co-founder Lucy Partridge explains the initial challenge: “The apartment wasn’t too old, but it was dated. And far too open-plan – you felt lost.

“It had a lot going for it, though – good bones, fantastic location and pretty incredible views.”

Partridge and her business partner, Emma Daniels, saw past the stark, yawn-inducing open plan and envisioned something extraordinary.

The designers took a specific approach to address the vast open volume.

“We stripped the interior back and defined the zoning by creating a series of rooms reminiscent of a more traditional home,” Partridge says.

This strategy involved introducing curved openings to add detail and maintain views throughout the apartment without sacrificing intimacy.

Stepping into the Newstead Apartment is like entering another world.

It’s like Dorothy stepping into Oz, but instead of a yellow brick road, there are herringbone floors, a recycled-timber ceiling and metal-framed glass doors leading to the entry hall.

The warmth and richness of the interior provide a striking contrast to the commercial lobby and lift, and visitors are greeted by a covered terrace with a pool table and south-facing city views.

The central space cleverly accommodates a number of functions. A study and bathroom occupy one side, while a media room on the other features ingenious joinery concealing two double Murphy beds for guest accommodation.

It’s like a magic trick, but instead of pulling rabbits out of hats, they pull beds out of walls.

As you move deeper into the home, a large-scale artwork by Valerie Sparks serves as a dramatic backdrop to the dining area, offering a view to another world with a high-up vista of clouds and trees.  It’s so realistic it will have you checking for mosquitoes.

The dining table is another work of art – a single timber slab with yakisugi treatment and live edges.

The seamless indoor and outdoor space integration is by far one of this project’s standout features.

“The perimeter of the whole apartment is wrapped in an outdoor terrace, some covered and some open,” Daniels says.

“It was essential to blend inside and outside and make the terrace a beautiful, green space.

Collaborating with landscape practice Steven Clegg Design, the team transformed six (yes, six!) outdoor areas into a lush, green paradise.

A north-facing terrace features a plunge pool, a barbecue area, and even a potting shed, further blurring the lines between interior and exterior. Who needs a holiday when your home is basically a resort?

The apartment exudes a palpable sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The designers took a page from the Brazilian modernism playbook and cranked it up to 11, opting for bold and moody aesthetics while maintaining high levels of comfort and functionality.

“The clients have exceptional taste and an appreciation for quality materials and craftsmanship,” Partridge says. “We used solid timber, handmade tiles, wild stone, and bronzed brass. There’s a real sense of the handmade throughout.”

From the custom-designed dining room cabinet inspired by the Palm House doors in London’s Kew gardens to the impressive stainless steel block housing the kitchen’s stack of ovens, every element has been carefully considered and executed. And every surface is begging to be touched.

“We love that we have a happy client,” Partridge says. “That says it all!”

The Newstead Apartment is more than just a pretty face; it’s a home that tells a story of urban living reimagined.

It’s proof that with a bit of imagination (OK, a lot of imagination), you can create a slice of paradise anywhere – even on top of a commercial building in Brisbane.