Olaver's Laneway Studio, a glass-block garden studio in Melbourne

Rather than push yet another extension into the backyard, as director Emlyn Olaver says is the usual Melbourne answer, Australian practice Olaver built a separate two-storey studio at the back of a family-of-five's garden. Recycled white brick and a concrete band beam carry a first-floor wall of glass blocks, used to get around planning limits on ordinary windows. By day it throws soft morning light inside while keeping things private; at night, seen from the house, it becomes what the architects call a "glowing lantern".

Downstairs is one open room with terrazzo floors and oak joinery that hides storage, laundry and a TV nook, framing a bar with a stainless-steel sink. Sliding doors on opposite walls, glass to the garden and oak clad in steel to the laneway behind, let the space open right through, so it works as an extension of the pool terrace designed by landscape architect Penny Starr.

Upstairs, a study doubles as a guest room, with a fold-down bed tucked behind oak in a red-panelled nook, red wraparound tiles in the en-suite and a small roof terrace.

It's a private home, so this one is for reading, not visiting, but a neat idea for anyone weighing a garden studio against an extension.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 30 October 2026. Read the original

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