Sanctuary 76 out now: Celebrating ‘light touch’ stories

Sanctuary 76 is all about light touch stories: small projects with big results. 

In Australia, we hold the record for the biggest new homes in the world! Building smaller – only what you really need – saves money and materials, and is one of the best things you can do to achieve a sustainable home. And indeed, sometimes it’s the small things that deliver the most dramatic results. In this issue, we celebrate ‘light touch’ stories: small-footprint builds and projects where little interventions made a big difference. We visit homes across the country made comfier and more efficient through fresh fitouts (like this newly colourful apartment), internal rejigs, and micro extensions – including one that’s just five square metres. There’s also a modest new home for the architect’s mum to age happily in her familiar Tasmanian community, and a flexible self-contained backyard studio in the Perth suburbs. On our cover, a modest Queenslander didn’t need an extension at all – just a low-budget reconfiguration for extra light and air.

We revisit a now-complete Design Workshop project in Melbourne where the young owners opted for a reconfiguration instead of an extension, achieving a much more liveable layout within their existing footprint. And when it comes to light touches, changing up your colour scheme might be the ultimate hack for a more joyful room. Artist and colour designer Sonia van de Haar sings the praises of colour as an easy and cost-effective way to transform your space, and gives some hints to get you started.

Take a look inside Sanctuary 76

Kitchens are in the spotlight this issue, with a ten-page feature. Amelia Lee, aka the Undercover Architect, offers her advice on avoiding ‘showroom’ kitchens and designing a functional, more sustainable space for the way you actually live. Experts give us their hot tips on greener materials, flood-resilient kitchens, getting off gas for cooking, designing for flexibility and longevity, and more.

As we search for cheaper and more sustainable ways to build new homes, we explore the exciting possibilities of 3D-printed buildings that use more eco-friendly materials than traditional concrete. Plus, reimagine your outdoor space as a wonderland for outdoor play with the help of Rewilding Suburbia author Mel Logozzo.

Sanctuary 76 is arriving in subscribers’ letterboxes and is now on sale in newsagents. You can buy a copy here, and if you haven’t already, subscribe to get every issue delivered. 

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