ArchiPro Best of 2025
Written by
14 December 2025
•
7 min read
Top 10 Projects
These were the most-loved homes on ArchiPro in Australia in 2025. Different styles, different locations, but the common thread is clear: smart layouts, strong materials, and spaces that feel good to live in. Let’s count them down.
10. By The Sea by Habitat Studio Architects
By The Sea is a refined beachfront development that responds directly to its coastal setting. Layered forms, restrained materials and carefully placed openings maximise ocean views while providing shelter from sun and wind. The result is a calm, contemporary collection of homes that balance durability, privacy and everyday comfort with a strong sense of place on the Currumbin shoreline.
9. Honeysuckle House by Planned Living Architects
Honeysuckle House is a refined coastal residence that makes the most of its landscape and light. Thoughtful planning and generous openings connect interior spaces to the outdoors, while material restraint and careful detailing give the home a calm, cohesive presence. Gentle transitions between living zones and the external environment create a sense of ease and flow, resulting in a design that feels both composed and profoundly rooted in its place.
8. Sussex Residence by mckimm
Sussex Residence brings a layered, textural richness to everyday living, balancing solid form with refined details. Thoughtful material choices and spatial sequencing give the home a strong sense of calm and tactility, while large openings and connections to outdoor space create a sense of flow and light. It’s a measured design that feels grounded and intimately resolved, rewarding close attention without theatrical gesture.
7. Noosa House by Robinson Architects
Noosa House is a modernist coastal residence shaped by climate, restraint and long-term sustainability. Deep eaves, recycled structural elements and autonomous systems work together to create a calm, self-sufficient home, while a series of independent villas extends the architecture into a flexible, layered living environment suited to its subtropical setting.
6. The Barn by Paul Uhlmann Architects
The Barn reinterprets a familiar rural form with quiet precision, using simple geometry and robust materials to create a building that feels grounded in its setting. Careful planning brings light and proportion into focus, while restrained detailing gives the interior spaces a sense of calm and cohesion. It’s a study in thoughtful composition, where structure and atmosphere work together to shape a home that is both purposeful and serene.
5. Elwood House by Bryant Alsop Architects
Elwood House is a confident exploration of geometry and material contrast, where carefully composed masses and thoughtful detailing give the home a strong architectural identity. Generous openings and layered spatial sequences draw light deep into the plan, while robust materials create a sense of presence and shelter. The result is a residence that feels both resolved and responsive to its setting, balancing expressive form with lived-in clarity.
4. House in the Dry by MRTN Architects
House in the Dry is a quietly resolved response to a challenging site and climate. The architecture emphasises careful proportion and material simplicity, with robust forms that sit comfortably in their context. Generous openings frame light and landscape while interior spaces feel calm and connected. It’s a home defined by restraint and thoughtful spatial clarity rather than gesture.
3. Tinderbox by Studio Ilk
Tinderbox is a quietly expressive family home that unfolds through a series of refined spatial moments. Thoughtful planning creates generous light-filled interiors, while material restraint and careful detailing give the project a calm, cohesive presence. The result is a home that feels both composed and warmly inhabitable, with spaces that encourage connection without excess.
2. M House by Rama Architects
Tucked into the landscape of Clareville Beach, M House balances solidity and openness through layered materials and generous glazing. Drawing on modernist principles, the home uses timber, stone and concrete to feel grounded, while light and planting soften the architecture and connect it closely to its coastal setting.
1. Deco House by Cera Stribley
A thoughtful renovation of a 1930s Art Deco home that carefully restores its original character while introducing a calm, contemporary rear extension. Heritage details are respected and refined, with new living spaces designed for light, flow and everyday family life. A quiet, confident project where old and new sit comfortably together.
Lighting that stole the spotlight
Lighting was one of the most loved design layers last year. From statement pendants to softly diffused wall lights and refined ceiling pieces, these are the fixtures our community kept coming back to.
Furniture that felt right at home
Furniture was more than function. It was a way to define personality, proportion and comfort within a space. From bold patterns and sculptural tables to relaxed, generous seating and beautifully considered chairs, these pieces helped shape the way we live with design.
Kitchens that made everyday living better
The most viewed kitchen products weren’t about statement design, but about making daily routines smoother, faster and more enjoyable. Clean surfaces, integrated storage and considered appliances point to a shift away from showy finishes toward kitchens that feel intuitive, durable and easy to live with.
Bathrooms that became sanctuaries
Bathrooms emerged as one of the most thoughtfully considered spaces, evolving from purely functional rooms into places of retreat. Across the homes people spent the most time exploring, bathrooms were designed to slow the pace of daily life, with generous proportions, restrained material palettes and a clear focus on comfort and ritual.
Material moves we loved
Surfaces played a defining role across many of this last year's favourite homes. Timber and stone cladding stood out for their ability to add warmth, texture and a sense of permanence. Materials chosen not just for how they look, but for how they age and perform over time.
Joinery that made the architecture feel finished
The joinery people saved most was about precision and permanence. Built-in elements like sliding door systems, timber windows, stair details and architectural trims defined how spaces opened, moved and finished. These are the details that resolve junctions, sharpen lines and give architecture its sense of clarity and completion.
The professionals people kept coming back to
Beyond individual homes and standout products, attention consistently returned to the people behind the work.
These architects and designers were among the most viewed and revisited practices on ArchiPro in 2025. Studios people spent time with, explored across multiple projects and returned to as they refined ideas and shaped their plans.
With a strong track record in residential architecture, Planned Living Architects create homes that are rigorously planned, light-filled and built to last. Their work reflects a clear understanding of family living, where form, function and comfort are carefully resolved.
Robinson Architects are recognised for their modernist approach to residential architecture, delivering rigorously planned homes shaped by climate, landscape and sustainability. Their work balances strong form with environmental performance, resulting in houses that are both expressive and deeply liveable.
Bryant Alsop Architects creates striking residential architecture defined by confident forms, rich materiality and a clear architectural intent. Each project is shaped by a strong conceptual approach, resulting in homes that are visually powerful yet thoughtfully grounded in how they are lived in.
4. mckimm
McKimm’s work is defined by calm, confident architecture that responds carefully to site, climate and client. Through disciplined planning and refined material choices, they create homes that feel both contemporary and enduring.
Cera Stribley creates architecture and interiors that feel considered, confident and quietly expressive. With a focus on residential work, the studio brings together strong conceptual thinking, refined detailing and a clear sense of how spaces are lived in.
Together, these projects, products and professionals point to how New Zealanders are thinking about their homes as we move into 2026. Spaces that are easier to live in, better over time, and shaped by thoughtful layouts, durable materials and considered design choices.
ArchiPro makes it easy to explore more projects, browse the products used in homes like these, and connect with the professionals who design and build them. Whether you are planning now or simply gathering ideas for what comes next, there is more to discover.