Emilio from Nest Architects waters his Florence Street House green roof in suburban Melbourne (via Lunchbox Architect)

Urban Homes

Florence Street House by Nest Architects

Urban homes come with a lot of constraints. Tight sites, neighboring houses, heritage controls and planning regulations affect how urban homes are designed. Obviously constraints breed innovation because architecturally designed urban homes are some of the most innovative and interesting houses around. At Lunchbox Architect we pride ourselves on sourcing the best examples of small urban homes. We argue that homes don't have to be huge to great. In fact, small urban homes are easier to maintain, cheaper to run and, when designed right, a joy to live in.

Urban homes come with a lot of constraints. Tight sites, neighboring houses, heritage controls and planning regulations affect how urban homes are designed. Obviously constraints breed innovation because architecturally designed urban homes are some of the most innovative and interesting houses around.

At Lunchbox Architect we pride ourselves on sourcing the best examples of small urban homes. We argue that homes don't have to be huge to great. In fact, small urban homes are easier to maintain, cheaper to run and, when designed right, a joy to live in.

Block out the hustle and bustle by concentrating on these top-quality urban homes we've featured on Lunchbox Architect:

Collection Terrace Renovation Full of character but dark and stuck with a long, narrow block, terrace renovations are a challenge, but the outcomes can be incredible.

27 November 2020

Article Introducing Architopia: beautiful house designs you can purchase for a simple flat fee Not everyone needs a completely custom-designed home. Now you can access high-quality architectural house designs for a flat fee.

Shadow Roll House by Megowan Architectural

Featured Project An Incredible Addition Tucked Behind a Heritage Protected Cottage From the street, all you can see is a sliver of the stunning new addition, designed to protect the heritage value of the original home.

Paddo Terrace by Sandbox Studio Architecture & Design

Featured Project Light and Bright Addition Turns This Tiny Terrace Into Spacious Home At 52 square metres, this two-storey terrace was about the same size as a two-bedroom apartment, now there's space to entertain guests.

Mass and Void by Sparks Architects

Featured Project This Home Stands Out in Its Housing Estate for All the Right Reasons Even a block in a typical housing estate can benefit from an architect's touch, creating a home that's a joy to live in year-round...

Knocklofty by Preston Lane Architects

Featured Project Voids, Volume and Views. This Warehouse-inspired Home Has It All… Transforming a 1980s house into a warehouse loft-inspired home involved removing the roof but the results are more than worth it!

Paperback House by Ben Callery Architects

Featured Project Home for Two Publishers and Family Makes a Hero Out of the Bookshelf Every good architectural story needs a hero. In this renovation, it's a striking bookshelf which screens a work-from-home space...

Featured Project South Facing Backyard? You Can Still Enjoy Passive Solar Design... This addition to a post-war brick home has a trick up its sleeve to guarantee access to sunlight despite the backyard facing south.

Glebe House by Supercontext

Featured Project Addition on a Narrow Four Metre-wide Site Defies Its Constraints Defying its narrow site, challenging east-west orientation and heritage restrictions, this skinny home manages to feel spacious.

Balgowlah Residence by

Featured Project Transforming a Californian Bungalow Into the Perfect Family Home A west-facing backyard and poorly-designed additions left this family with dark mornings and overheated afternoons, but no longer...

Brick Residence by Preston Lane Architects

Featured Project Renovating a House That Has Been in the Family for Almost 70 Years… Imagine having a classic modernist house in the family for three generations? How would you sensitively renovate it?

Back Box House by OOF! Architects

Featured Project A Staged Reno Over 10 Years Helps This Home Change With Its Family Staging the renovation of this home into two phases made budgetary sense and allows the home to adapt to the family's changing needs.

Article 2 scenarios where a bridging loan will help you in your home loan journey Buying a new home and selling your current property can be tricky, that's where a bridging loan might be able to help...

Split House by FMD Architects

Featured Project Original Home Inspires a Respectful But Radically Different Addition The roof and layout of the original home serve as the inspiration for a new addition, but a modern twist creates perfect family home.

North Bondi House by Josephine Hurley Architecture

Featured Project Location, Location, Location. And, Now, the Other Three Ls... This 1980s-era home already had a stellar location. Thanks to an internal reno, it has everything else you'd want in a home, too...

Paddington House by Supercontext

Featured Project Traces of the Original Are Left to Tell the Story of Paddington Reno The substantial renovation of this terrace transforms the home, but reminders of the past are woven in to create a rich tapestry.

Feng Shui House by Steffen Welsch Architects

Featured Project Feng Shui Helps This Reno Achieve Harmony and Happiness In many ways, Feng Shui aligns with the principles of good design. Here, Feng Shui achieves a light, harmonious and delightful home.

Stafford House by TONIC Design

Featured Project High Ceilings, Large Windows Make This Home Look and Feel Larger It's amazing how high ceilings can offer your home an extra sense of space, just take a look at this light and bright example...

Oye Mi Canto House by CplusC Architectural Workshop

Featured Project The Secret to Ensuring Light and Breezes for this Long Narrow Home... Three distinct pavilions create the breathing room needed for maximum light and breezes on this narrow inner-city block.

Northcote Residence by Melanie Beynon AD

Featured Project A Timber-rich Addition Creates a Warm, Character-filled Home A beautiful new living space wrapping around a courtyard deck plus main bedroom suite creates the perfect home for a family of six.

Featured Project A Beach House That Feels Private Without Missing the Views A beach house doesn't need to feel like a glass box on stilts, this home feels intimate while still celebrating the views.

Pool House by Zen Architects

Featured Project Multi-generational Family Pool Their Resources to Create Perfect Home Pooling for a pool: would you join forces with your parents to create the ultimate inner-city pad complete with a rooftop pool?

Deepwater House by Dieppe Design

Featured Project Building on a BAL-FZ (Flame Zone) Site Made This Home a Challenge With the site's Bushfire Attack Level of Flame Zone, achieving the incredible expanses of glazing took incredible attention to detail.

The Good Life House by MRTN Architects

Featured Project A Home Designed for a Family to Come Together or Find their Own space Bringing together all the things they loved from previous houses, their new home represents the good life for this family of five.

Maison de Famille by Sandbox Studio Architecture & Design

Featured Project Why Move When Renovating Means You Can Achieve Everything You Want? The only way was up at this home, but renovating meant this family were able to achieve everything they wanted without having to move.

Puzzle Box by Amrish Maharaj Architect

Featured Project This Home Addition Was More Like Solving a Complex 3D Puzzle With the option of renovating or selling, this family chose to renovate to stay in the area they, but that was easier said than done!

Cooks River House by studioplusthree

Featured Project It's Hard to Believe This Home is Tucked in Sydney's Inner-west. With its lush, wild setting, this home could be worlds away from the city and that's exactly what the owners wanted to achieve.

Article 15 Architects Share Their Favourite Three Projects Architects show us some of their proudest moments and explain what they love so much about what they do.

Garnet Street by Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

Featured Project New Layout of this Inter-war Home Makes it Perfect for Modern Living By rethinking the layout of this home, a more efficient plan that's perfect for modern living was found within the existing footprint.

Oxford Cottage by Bones Studio

Featured Project Queenslander Renovation Transforms One-bedroom into Family Home Stunning Queenslander renovation retains the character of the original home while creating a modern addition for a growing family.

Masuto by Jamison Architects

Featured Project Rethinking the Typical Duplex Development Offers Numerous Advantages 'It's the way things have always been done' doesn't mean it's the best solution! Questioning the norm can unlock hidden gold...

House B by Whispering Smith

Featured Project Amazing What an Average Post-war Brick House Can Become... This post-war brick house has been transformed into a stylish modern home with a thoughtful addition and creative reworking.

St Peters House II by Kreis Grennan Architecture

Featured Project A New Laneway House Celebrates This Inner Suburb's History of Bricks Celebrating the suburb's history, this laneway house demonstrates how to create high-quality housing in the inner city with flair.

Clovelly by Modscape

Featured Project Six Prefabricated Modules Create a Forever Home With an Ocean View Designed to make the most of the view, even from the backyard, this prefab modular home is like a viewing scope towards the ocean.

Apartment on Ballarat by Circle Studio Architects

Featured Project A Revamp Turns Tired '90s Townhouse Into Bright and Welcoming Home It's hard to believe 1994 was nearly 30 years ago, but this home was sure showing its age. No more thanks to a fun and bright revamp.

Palm House by Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

Featured Project A Series of Courtyards Turn This Dark Victorian Into a Lush Oasis Internal courtyards are the answer to finding natural daylight and preventing overlooking issues in this inner-city renovation.

ALB/ by PLY Architecture

Featured Project Beach House Maximises the Views Despite a Narrow Frontage Some clever solutions mean even a home on a long, narrow block can capture scenic, wraparound views of the ocean.

Brunswick East House by Studio Esteta

Featured Project Get the Ensuite and Kitchen You've Always Wanted Without Extending A more efficient floor plan could unlock the space for an ensuite, open-plan kitchen and plenty of storage without extending...

YrdPod by Kreis Grennan Architecture

Featured Project YrdPod Is a Designer Tiny House That's Perfect for the Backyard If you're squeezed for space but can't justify the disruption and cost of either moving or renovating, this might be the answer...

McNamara House by Tom Robertson Architects

Featured Project A Timeless New Addition is Quietly Hidden Behind the Original Home This new addition is unquestionably modern, but it has an enduring, timeless quality which makes old and new perfect companions.

Frankston Mid Century Modern by MRTN Architects

Featured Project A Recent Polish Leaves This Mid-century Modern Gem Sparkling With only minor changes over its 50-year life, this mid-century home retained its original charm but desperately needed a little TLC.

LVL/ by PLY Architecture

Featured Project A Modern Pavilion Is the Perfect Complement to This Heritage Home Full of light and opening onto the pool and outdoor area, this modern pavilion is the perfect addition to this heritage home.

Art House and Studio by Zen Architects

Featured Project A Home and Studio Created with Restoration, Re-use and Recycling A renovation to a Victorian-era home and detached studio shines thanks to the three Rs plus local manufacturing and craftsmanship.

Project Elsternwick Extension by

Featured Project Modern Addition Inspired by the Original Mid-century Modern Home The owners of a mid-century home loved the qualities of their home but needed a modern addition to bring it into this century.

The Balcony by Bastian Architecture

Featured Project Taking Advantage of a Corner Location to Reconnect With the Community On the corner of two main thoroughfares, a new room conceived as a large balcony gives this home a way to connect with the community.

Pattern Cottage by Kitty Lee Architecture

Featured Project Fun-filled Addition Transforms One-bedroom Cottage Into a Family Home An injection of pattern and brings plenty of personality to this cottage addition, perfect for a creative young family.

Balston House by

Featured Project Transforming This Single-fronted Edwardian Home for Modern Living While older homes have character baked in, they're not built for modern living. But, you can have the best of both worlds; old and new!

Nat and Gerry's Back Deck by Biscoe Wilson Architects

Featured Project A New Kitchen and Back Deck Become the Hub of This Home A back deck completely transforms the functionality of this home, creating a hub connecting living areas with the backyard.

Second Avenue Alterations and Additions by Philip Stejskal Architects

Featured Project The Challenge of Creating a Home for an Introvert and an Extrovert Creating a home for an introvert and an extrovert means balancing openness with a need for privacy; prospect and refuge.