Hughes Central reimagines a typical 1960s Canberra home, bringing light, warmth and vibrancy into the heart of family life—without adding a single square metre.
The original four-bedroom house, with a north-facing extension from 2005, offered generous space but poor connections. The kitchen was buried at the centre of the plan, enclosed on three sides and cut off from the living areas. Dark and awkward, it no longer suited contemporary family living.
The new design clears out the northern living zone and introduces a central services pod containing the laundry, powder room and walk-in pantry. This sculptural volume defines the home’s new flow, giving privacy to the entry, softly dividing living spaces and pulling light deep into the plan through high-level glazing. Around this form the house now rotates.
The kitchen stretches across the northern edge, connecting directly to garden views. Its palette—greens, greys and turquoise drawn from the surrounding eucalypts—pairs with Calacatta Oro marble for layered sophistication. Bathrooms are revitalised in bold tones of pink, red and yellow, while new joinery improves bedrooms, study and living areas.
Sustainability upgrades underpin the transformation. New insulation, high-performance windows and efficient heating and cooling systems make the home all-electric and significantly more comfortable through Canberra’s winters.
Hughes Central is a rebalanced and reenergised home—vibrant, sustainable and precise—showing that the best solution doesn’t always mean more space.
The Design Files
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Exploring the project in-depth enables us to deliver the unexpected and go beyond your expectations. We start with discussions and site visits and investigate what you need and want to achieve. Then taking a step back, we’ll research the context of your project and identify ways to make a positive contribution to the local community and neighbourhood. Examining the existing materials and architectural history helps us gain valuable insights and develop innovative solutions.
Through our open, collaborative approach, we’ll guide you through the design and build of your project from concept to completion, taking the time to make sure our design decisions are clear and logical and you’re informed about what’s going on. We believe client involvement and ideas lead to bespoke and tailored outcomes, resulting in buildings and spaces designed especially for you.
Our designs have a firm foundation in reality. It’s essential that our projects are not only visionary but also functional and feasible. We’ll meticulously investigate all constraints and requirements, whether related to planning rules and regulations or time and budget, to ensure the project is achievable and practical.
Sustainability and quality are ingrained in our work, and every project integrates first principles: orientation, passive design, insulation and air tightness. We advocate for adaptive re-use to minimise environmental impact. We strive to build smaller and better, creating more structures and spaces that are long-lasting and more efficient.
Through our holistic approach, we’ll consider interiors and exteriors together, and many of our projects call for one-of-a-kind elements and details, such as custom furniture, objects and lighting. These bespoke additions – designed in-house and manufactured by our team or local artisans – help achieve a unique and cohesive vision for your project
2025
ACT Institute of Architects Awards
2025
ACT Institute of Architects Awards
2025
National Architecture Award Shortlist
2025
House Awards
2025
ACT Institute of Architects Awards
2024
Australian Interior Design Awards
2024
ACT Institute of Architects Awards
2023
Eat Drink Design Awards
2023
ACT Institute of Architects Awards
2022
Master Builders Awards
2020
Master Builders Awards
Architecture AU
Behind the Bio Podcast
Canberra Times
Design Files
Design Anthology
13 Wiluna Street,
Fyshwick ACT 2609
02 6176 3438
hello@mymymy.com.au
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