CLOUD STREET

A sophisticated design with exquisite detailing elevates a top-floor penthouse into a world-class home for a returning local family.

As a city, Brisbane has really come of age and now boasts the top of the line in all fields. The owners of this penthouse in a buzzy inner-city precinct had left Brisbane 27 years ago to pursue their careers, living in Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago and New York.

With two pre-teen children in tow, they decided to return to Brisbane as it offered the ideal family environment as well as world-class restaurants, bars, shopping and gyms.

Having purchased a two-level penthouse with sweeping city views, one of two atop a commercial building, they approached Sydney design studio Partridge Daniels to transform it into a warm and embracing family home, an oasis in an urban landscape.

While the apartment had a lot of pluses - including its perimeter, which was wrapped in both covered and open terraces - the floor plan was dated. "It was vast and open and lacked intimacy and comfort, and the outdoor terraces were cold and uninviting," says designer Emma Daniels. The clients wished to blend indoors and out, and create a beautiful green space outside that would be welcoming at different times of the day.