Newtown Residence
Renovation & Extension Interior Design in Toowoomba
Project Type: Renovation and Extension
Project Phase: Pending Construction
The Starting Point
A circa 100 year old Queenslander home, offered a single bathroom and 3 bedrooms. Though the house featured water damage, mould, and significant wear and tear. The new owners sought to create a home for the young family, with a focus on wellness, wellbeing and sustainability, so they engaged The Paradigm Room.
The project commenced in 2024 as a Feasibility Study, to investigate the best options for the property. The goal was to reveal how the client’s priorities and desires could be met within the budget, without overcapitalising on the property value.
The Feasibility Study then developed into a formal design project, creating a documentation package for tender, or costings, in 2025. These plans incorporated two bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, a multipurpose study and guest room space, and an open plan kitchen, living and dining within a new north-facing extension.
Then 2026 saw the budget revisited, and we reduced the scope to a single large family-friendly bathroom internally, with a European-style laundry and walk-in pantry. The extension was revised, and a shed was added to the backyard that also offers a working-from-home space with storage.
The plans
Sam drew up all the plans required to see the interior design scope go to construction, pending Development Approval by council prior:
First, let’s take a look at the cost-saving architectural design decisions.
EXISTING & DEMOLITION FLOOR PLAN
NEW WORKS FLOOR PLAN
Cost-efficient architectural choices
We retained existing structures where possible, especially to the southern end of the house, to reduce the construction scope and cost. Though we had the flexibility to position the new bathroom, laundry and kitchen where the spatial planning worked best because of the timber floor (as opposed to a slab foundation).
The extension followed the existing roof line in a rectilinear fashion to also reduce unnecessary expenses, and the interior spatial planning worked seamlessly around that.
Sustainable Interior Design
The client has a deep passion for sustainability too. We opted to retain existing elements where we could or where they could be repaired, which included some glass pendant light shades, a silky oak telephone table, and even brass curtain rods. The intention is to also reuse as much of the existing hoop pine floor boards and VJ timber wall panelling wherever possible.
The design featured a new feature ceiling finish to the open plan kitchen, living and dining area, made from Durrapanel suspended ceiling panels, which offers thermal insulation and a renewable substrate made from wheat straw.
A visualisation of the bathroom design, featuring salmon-coloured tiles to the wet zone, and greige tiles to the dryer zone complimented with contrasting grout. A terracotta small-format tile lines the floor.
Health and efficiency by design
All materials were selected with health in mind, as well as being family friendly and colourful.
Though in addition, sufficient ventilation was included to the new main bathroom and also the walk-in-pantry to minimise moisture and mould risks. And all previous water damage was recommended to be removed and remediate by a qualified IICRC professional.
Encouraging natural light flow through the extension, as well as a connection to the gardens, was also a priority to enhance wellbeing and incorporate biophilic principles.