Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Kirsten and her team on our renovation. Kirsten possesses a natural design intuition and a level of professionalism and organisation that made the entire renovation process stress-free. Beyond her talent, Kirsten’s friendliness and empathy stood out and she took the time to genuinely understand our vision, lifestyle and budget requirements. The final spaces are perfectly tailored to our needs, and the finishes are simply stunning. The result is more than we ever hoped for, and we couldn’t be happier with our beautifully transformed home.

Kirsten was a fantastic person to work with throughout our most recent build on the Sunshine Coast. She was always available for any clarification and to work through details with the build. I have no hesitation in recommending Kirsten's services.

I found Kirsten from K J Architecture online and loved the projects that she had done, matching the aesthetic I was looking for in a final home for our retirement. We met up on the site of the old house and immediately liked and got along with Kirsten. Kirsten is very easy to work with and has always communicated quickly with any interaction and was always sympathetic to our wants and needs. As a result, Kirsten has designed a beautiful and unique home for us with new delights every day and night with light and shadows playing with the gorgeous materials used. We have had so many compliments, with people knocking on our door to ask about it. Everyone that visits say it's simply gorgeous. Rammed Earth and Timber being the standout. We would highly recommend Kirsten and K J Architecture to anyone wanting a beautiful home. Fran & John Volders

This is the second project where we have used Kirsten's services. Having moved back to Qld from Melbourne we embarked on building a new home on the Sunshine Coast. After some searching we couldn't find a local architect that resonated with us. We approached Kirsten about taking on a project in Qld and she quickly accepted ! What we love about Kirsten is that her designs are beautiful, thoughtful but completely functional. We are loving living in our new home - its so easy to live in! We are daily in awe of how stunning it is. There are so many beautiful features, including gorgeous timber panelling and little places to take time out. Another benefit that Kirsten brings is the detail in her documentation. This has meant very little variations in our build cost because everything has already been included in the drawings and speficiation used by the builders to prepare quotes. We have absolutely no hesistation in recommending Kirsten and her team.

Having worked with Kirsten and the KJ Architecture team on multiple projects now, as a builder, I can confidently attest to the consistently outstanding experience they provide. Kirsten's leadership and architectural design expertise consistently surpass expectations. The collaborative approach ensures valued input, leading to a smooth and enjoyable construction process. Meticulous attention to detail results in finished products that exceed objectives. Throughout construction, the team's responsiveness and adaptability showcase their professionalism. I highly recommend Kirsten and the team at KJ Architecture for their talent, dedication, and client-centric approach.

We had the pleasure of working with Kirsten from Kirsten Johnstone Architects on a recent architectural project, and we wholeheartedly recommend their exceptional skills, dedication, and expertise. Kirsten stands out for her impressive design sense and commitment to delivering innovative solutions. Throughout the project, we were consistently impressed by Kirsten's ability to turn abstract concepts into stunning architectural designs. Her creative vision and attention to detail shone through every aspect of their work. From initial sketches to final blueprints, her designs surpassed our expectations and perfectly captured our vision. What truly set Kirsten apart was her ability to balance functionality and aesthetics. She seamlessly integrated practical considerations with unique and imaginative elements, adding a distinct touch to the project. The end result exceeded our needs and left everyone in awe. Aside from her exceptional design skills, Kirsten was a consummate professional. She actively listened, collaborated effectively, and provided valuable insights. Her ability to explain complex architectural concepts in clear language helped us make informed decisions and ensured a smooth workflow.

We engaged Kirsten to design a home that incorporated many aspects that we like from Japanese architecture, while still being faithful to a modern western home. Right from the outset we knew that Kristen had a high attention to detail. For our first meeting she had already understood all the planning overlays (and there were quite a few) for our block and the challenges this may have for our design. This gave us a great deal of comfort. Kirsten is upfront and honest about what is and is not feasible. The KJA team's interaction with the council along the way also very encouraging and whatever the council required was provided in a timely manner and with the outcome we were after. In one instance this meant arguing for (and receiving) a special dispensation for one breach of the block's restrictions. The ultimate design was quite innovative in how it delivered on our brief whilst managing the restrictions. We also liked the way the KJA team provided good examples of materials and fixtures we might use to give life to the design. For time poor people this was very helpful indeed. Our overall experience was a very good one and we would have no hesitation in recommending Kirsten and her team to someone who wishes to design a bespoke home to enjoy!

Kirsten has been extremely professional and patient with us during our COVID-interrupted planning and renovation journey the last 3 years. She is always prepared during our meetings, takes on board our feedback, and is a delight to work with. Thank you Kirsten, and all the best for 2022!

Kirsten has been an amazing person to work with. She is extremely professional, efficient, proactive and personable. We had a few meetings during the sketch design process to refine the sketch each time to the one that suited us perfectly. The best part of the experience was that Kirsten was always honest as to the pros and cons of any ideas we had. If there was an architectural, design or practical reason as to why one of our ideas was not ideal/optimal for whatever reason (e.g. cost, functionality, buildability), Kirsten would provide the reasoning and we'd be able to make an informed decision. She was also quick to respond to emails and would provide an updated version of the sketch design within a few days/one week of our catch-up meeting. Kirsten also has a detailed knowledge of design ideas and building materials, and was able to provide a design that fitted with our sustainability and passive heating/cooling requirements. It was a pleasure to work with Kirsten and I couldn't recommend her highly enough!

Kirsten Johnstone Architecture prepared the design and obtained town planning approval for a major renovation at our Bayside home. Shen knew the requirements for working with sites less than 500m2 very well, and worked smoothly and efficiently to prepare the documentation. Unfortunately, we decided to change houses and so did not proceed with the renovation. Great working with Kirsten

We are so thankful that we found Kirsten Johnstone to design the transformation of our old home! From the time we first met, Kirsten made us feel completely comfortable which was important to us when inviting her into our rundown home filled with the clutter of a family of five. Kirsten’s kindness and use of humour plus her understanding of life in a busy household enabled us to easily build a rapport and gave us confidence that Kirsten understood our needs. Kirsten faced quite a challenge in designing the complete renovation and extension of our home. We needed more living space, more storage, larger bedrooms, a smart/functional kitchen/bathrooms and overall to have an interior/exterior facelift with the result being a home we could be proud of. Kirsten “nailed” our brief! Her designs offer wonderful functionality but also creativity and style which will modernise our home whilst preserving it’s character. Kirsten always listens carefully and has encouraged us to be creative with our ideas but she also has the knack of gently offering alternate options if our ideas were becoming unrealistic in relation to budget or practicality. We have been so grateful of Kirsten efficiently managing every step of our design process, including liaising with council, contractors and then builders throughout the tendering process. We can’t wait to see the end result of our project in 2021. We highly recommend Kirsten to transform anybody’s renovation dreams into a reality!

We have engaged Kirsten on three different home renovation projects. We have been extremely happy with the design process and outcome from each project. Kirsten's creativity, flexibility and professionalism enabled us to achieve excellent outcomes. Kirsten was great to work with as she was very responsive and communicated regularly with us throughout the projects. Kirsten was strongly focussed on meeting our requirements throughout the design and construction process but also offered creative and innovative design ideas. She was able to provide many thoughtfully considered, cost effective and visually appealing design features as we moved forward. These attributes assisted us to achieve attractive and highly functional living spaces in each case. We strongly commend KJ architecture for any prospective home builder or renovator seeking bold but practical architectural designs.