Aria — Kodiak Projects, Brisbane and Noosa
On an elevated, wedge-shaped block in Bardon, a 1930s Art Deco home sat abandoned mid-renovation — walls and windows missing, the roof barely worth the name. Aria is the story of how that house was rescued and rebuilt across three levels, honouring its heritage while bringing it firmly into the present.
The place
Set in Bardon, in Brisbane's leafy inner west, Aria sits high on a 951m² wedge-shaped block with open outlooks across to Government House. It's a quiet, established pocket — close to the city, but a world away from it.
Originally built in the Art Deco era, the home's curved forms and proportions set the direction for the entire project. The brief was clear: honour what made it special, and rebuild everything else properly.
- Bardon, Brisbane QLD 4065
- Elevated 951m² inner-west block
- Open outlook to Government House
- Around 10 minutes to Brisbane CBD
the home
Across three levels, Aria is built around light and flow. Curved walls — inside and out — trace the home's Art Deco origins, while floor-to-ceiling glass opens the living spaces to the outlook and pulls the garden in. It's a home designed to be lived in, not just looked at.
Five bedrooms and three bathrooms across three levels. The ground floor holds three bedrooms, an office, laundry and storage. The middle level is the heart of the home — open living and dining flowing out to covered entertaining through banks of glass sliding doors.
A dine-in kitchen opens to a wine cellar. Above, the top floor holds a private master suite and a second bedroom — a level that wasn't in the original plans at all.
Adding it meant craning an 800kg steel beam over the house to carry a cantilevered floor. Done properly, so it looks like it was always meant to be there.
Every space was considered — from the curved staircase and the round entry mirror to the elevated lap pool and the alfresco kitchen built for Brisbane living.
- Three levels — five bedrooms, three bathrooms
- Two car spaces
- 951m² wedge-shaped block
- Original 1930s Art Deco home
- Rescued from an abandoned renovation
- Curved walls, inside and out
- Floor-to-ceiling glass throughout
- Dine-in kitchen with wine cellar
- Private top-floor master suite
- Office, separate laundry and storage
- Curved staircase across all three levels
- Elevated lap pool
- Alfresco area with outdoor kitchen
- 800kg steel beam craned over the house
- Cantilevered top floor, added at lockup
- Significant structural engineering for the pool
- Stone retaining walls through the landscaping
- Three-level build on a steep, wedge-shaped site
- Outlook across to Government House
AROUND LIGHT
From Sydney, locked out of Brisbane through Covid, Alex and Shadi never set foot on site. Every decision — every structural change, every finish, every revision — was made over WhatsApp, with circles and arrows scribbled on photos sent back and forth. More than 5,000 images in all. They didn't see the finished home in person until after it sold.
Courier-Mail
Debra Bela's feature — 'Distance made project fonder' — told the whole story: a Sydney couple who renovated a Brisbane home they never once stood inside, named Aria after their daughter. Years on, they're still close friends.
“Mr Biggs brought realism to my most extravagant imaginings — and he appreciated the occasional pushback on an idea, to come up with an even better result.”
— Alex Haddad
finished home
The material palette is calm and consistent — warm timber, white render, natural stone and soft, neutral tones. Materials chosen to feel good to live with, and to age well.
conversation
Planning a major new build or renovation in Brisbane or Noosa? Reach out. We'll have a straightforward conversation about your project.
Kodiak Projects — Brisbane & Noosa
Built with trust. Made for legacy.
