San Francisco–based architect Cary Bernstein has designed countless residential projects and worked with dozens of contractors. She knows well the difficulties of architect-contractor-client relationships, and she’s developed a pretty good system for making them work.
When tapped to redesign a darling cottage in Brisbane's Little Italy, the team at Cavill Architects was inspired by "architecture with veneration for the past." As a result, the newly remodeled dwelling now pays homage to the Italian migrant workers' housing that was a crucial part of the Australian city's post-war settlement. The open kitchen has a warm Mediterranean-like feel and overlooks the central garden.
Beginning at the front, the garden walls meander under the existing cottage and finish at the rear of the site.