Australia’s best apartment designs for 2026 – in pictures
Alyx Gorman·2026-06-05·via The Guardian
The 2026 Houses awards shortlist celebrates the country’s most ‘intelligent, dynamic and visually compelling homes’. For the apartment category, jury chair Alexa Kempton says judges looked for ‘density done well’.
‘Building is high-cost and comes with environmental consequences, and the jury observed architects rising to the challenge,’ she says, adding that designing something that will ‘last well into the future and adapt to the changing needs of the occupants is essential’
Newport apartment in Sydney by Mima Architects. Photograph: Traianos Pakioufakis
Fri 5 Jun 2026 01.00 BSTLast modified on Fri 5 Jun 2026 01.47 BST
Brunswick apartment by Neometro
Instead of walls, the living spaces in this two-bedroom, two-bathroom Melbourne apartment feature custom joinery that breaks the space into distinct zones. Because these built-ins do not reach the ceiling, they allow for light and air to flow, offering some of the benefits of a standard open plan without the drawbacks. Photograph: Leo Showell
Neometro’s team reconfigured what was originally intended as two units into a single apartment large enough to house a family, within the existing structure of the building.Photograph: Leo Showell
Apartment on the Loop by Billy Maynard Architects
Located on the top floor of a 1930s building in inner Sydney, this redesign reintroduced some elements of the space’s art deco heritage that had been ‘compromised’ by a previous renovation in the 1980s. Photograph: Mary Gaudin
New windows improved the home’s thermal performance, while staying true to the building’s original design. The refresh minimised demolition and reused the apartment’s existing materials when possible, for instance repurposing old wall framings to infill floorboards. Photograph: Mary Gaudin
Darling Point apartment by Corben Architects
This formerly outdated Sydney apartment was renovated to maximise light and airflow, reducing the need for air conditioning and artificial light. Timber veneer panelling was matched to full-height cabinetry, giving the space functional storage that also feels like a coherent architectural feature.Photograph: Tom Ferguson
The designers used hardwearing natural stone and engineered timber, alongside locally made sanitary ware that was chosen for its durability. Photograph: Tom Ferguson
Egan Compact by Kieran McInerney
Kieran McInerney converted his warehouse studio in Sydney’s inner west into a family home, as ‘an affordable way to stay in our apartment building’. The home has a footprint of just 27 sq metres, which fits 65 sq metres of floorspace, allowing the family’s children their own bedrooms.Photograph: Oscar Read
The home packs two floors into the warehouse’s existing shell. Because the owner worked in the space before the renovation, this knowledge of the site’s sunlight, noise levels and views was applied in the design.Photograph: Jennifer Soo
The Esplanade: a Place to Pause by Duo Architects
An art deco apartment’s interior was reworked into a highly flexible space that took advantage of the Sydney unit’s high ceilings, heritage features and existing flooring. Photograph: Tom Ferguson
Integrated joinery was used to conceal a built-in laundry, appliances and even a bed; allowing the space to be used efficiently and for multiple purposes. Photograph: Tom Ferguson
Existenzminimum by Espinosa Studio
A 30 sq metre art deco studio in Sydney was renovated to increase the space’s functionality, largely through clever custom joinery. Creating a bed niche in the studio’s main room means the living area can be used for sleep or entertaining, while a restrained colour palette of white and natural woods keeps the unit calm. Photograph: Alia Grinvalds
Custom joinery integrated the kitchen and laundry along one wall of the apartment, increasing the size of the living area, while the addition of an entryway improved a sense of privacy. The project drew from a modernist concept Existenzminimum – the minimum space for a dignified life. The project’s team believe that making better use of existing housing stock would significantly reduce the need for carbon-intensive knock-down and rebuild projects.Photograph: Alia Grinvalds
Hide and Seek House by Tim Bennetton
ArchitectsThis renovation of a small beachside Sunshine Coast apartment was tailored to its occupants’ current and future needs. The result was a ‘hide and seek’ wall across the entire length of the apartment, allowing the owners to retreat or come together. Photograph: Shantanu Starick
The ability to open and close off spaces also improved the home’s thermal performance, allowing for cross ventilation, while taking advantage of or shutting out seasonal light.Photograph: Shantanu Starick
The internal fitout made use of the unit’s existing footprint, allowing its owners to remain happily in place for years to come, without needing to significantly alter the fabric of a building. Photograph: Shantanu Starick
Newport apartment by Mima Architects
A Sydney northern beaches penthouse apartment with a small internal floor area was reconfigured into a grander space, after extensive negotiations with the local council. Inside the apartment, a ‘central storage spine’ enhanced the unit’s functionality.Photograph: Traianos Pakioufakis
Durable materials that can be easily refinished were prioritised, while the interior’s palette was inspired by the owners’ beloved yacht. Photograph: Traianos Pakioufakis
Northcote Townhouses by Birthisel Wittingslow Architects, Studio Esteta and Carr
Three couples, all of whom work in the industry, came together to redevelop an under-utilised lot with a single family home into three separate dwellings, sensitively increasing density in the area.Photograph: Tom Ross
The all-electric homes are designed around passive performance, with planted voids to bring daylight deep into each townhouse, alongside shared and private gardens. Photograph: Tom Ross
North Melbourne Apartment by Card
This renovated brick walk-up prioritised reuse over expensive reconstruction. The kitchen was reconfigured, with a window that opened the apartment’s sight lines, while keeping mess concealed. Photograph: Tom Ross
Norton Street by Plus Minus Design
This Sydney project replaced a single ‘higgledy-piggledy’ three-bedroom house with two four-bedroom houses and two separate studio apartments. Photograph: Hamish McIntosh
The construction made clever reuse of materials, including repurposing leftover marble from kitchen benches into stair risers.Photograph: Hamish McIntosh
The project was developed for a relatively modest budget and prioritised layout and proportion over luxury materials.Photograph: Hamish McIntosh
Park Avenue Towers by Nic Morgante
A late-modernist apartment in Melbourne was completely renovated to rework closed-off interiors and centre the kitchen. The windows in the all-electric apartment were replaced with double glazing to improve thermal performance, with the reconfiguration enhancing natural light throughout. Photograph: Ben Moynihan
Integrated joinery, used throughout the apartment, improve storage, functionality, light control and privacy.Photograph: Nic Morgante
Patchwork Elizabeth Bay by Other Architects
This one-bedroom art deco apartment in Sydney underwent a ‘restrained’ renovation to update worn flooring and a dated kitchen and bathroom. The client prioritised sustainable materials, including salvaged offcut marble that was pulled out of a bin. These pieces were reassembled to create inlaid floors, borders and shelves.Photograph: Hamish McIntosh
Updates to the apartment’s lighting were made using face-fixed track lighting, without embedding additional wiring, and other design layers were designed for disassembly, in acknowledgement of the reality that most apartments are frequently re-renovated. This approach aims to reduce waste during future renovations.Photograph: Hamish McIntosh
Rose Terraces by Luigi Rosselli Architects
This set of four terrace homes in Sydney’s east were prefabricated from cross-laminated timber, with bricks from the previous one-storey building repurposed into brise-soleil screens and paving. The project was built in just six months. Photograph: Prue Ruscoe
Designed as build-to-rent housing, the self-funded, architect-led project was extensively documented, with the team behind Luigi Rosselli hoping it can serve as a replicable case study. Photograph: Prue Ruscoe
The PentHouse by Austin Maynard Architects
A double-storey apartment with a formerly ‘inefficient’ layout was wholly redesigned to allow its owners to age in place. The unit was reconfigured in a doughnut around a central block that contains stairs, an elevator, storage and service rooms.Photograph: Sharyn Cairns
Making use of a generous budget, the firm focused on design that could enhance wellbeing.Photograph: Sharyn Cairns
Ruby by Brad Swartz Architects
Redesigned for a downsizing couple, this Sydney apartment can be reconfigured into either a large one-bedroom space or a three-bedroom unit that fits visiting children and grandchildren, using sliding panels. Photograph: Tom Ross
A large foyer and previously under-utilised hallways were reclaimed into usable space, including a relocated ensuite. Photograph: Tom Ross
Studio8 by Partners Hill
Located in the basement of an architecturally significant, heritage-listed building in inner Melbourne, this project converted a former laundry into living space.Photograph: Tom Ross
The interiors were designed with deference to the building’s original architect, Roy Grounds, and made extensive use of custom joinery.Photograph: Tom Ross
Torbreck 2.0 by Kin Architects
No existing walls were demolished in this Queensland apartment’s reconfiguration. Instead, functionality was improved by additions including custom cabinetry. Photograph: Christopher Frederick Jones
The blue palette of the building’s exterior was brought indoors, including in a remodelled kitchen with durable Corian bench tops. The design prioritised recycled and recyclable materials throughout. Photograph: Christopher Frederick Jones
Torbreck Apartment by Amok Studio
Also located in Brisbane’s Torbreck building, this renovation of a 58 sq metre unit retained the space’s original floor plan. Custom joinery was used to significantly enhance the space’s storage and functionality. Photograph: Studio West Photography
The designers used a natural palette to give the space a feeling of softness, while drawing on the building’s mid-century heritage.Photograph: Studio West Photography
