Designer opens doors to home inspired by Ford ute

If the classic Aussie ute was a house, this would be it.

Though missing the signature tray and in a pastel green shade that’s more Kombi van than work horse white, the home embodies the versatile ethos behind the vehicle’s creation, according to its creator, celebrity architect Joe Snell.

The House Rules judge and host of Dream Homes Revealed and Australia’s Best House, whose high-profile clients include Guy and Jules Sebastian, put the realities of modern family life first when designing his own Queensland residence.

Conceived after Snell moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast with wife, Laura, and their three children, the home answers a common pain point — combining living and working environments for busy families.

Located in the Gold Coast suburb of Southport, this four-bedroom family home with a pool is also Snell’s architectural studio. It features a fully functional, multi-person home office, seamlessly integrating professional and personal life.

The ute was born in 1934 after a Victorian farmer’s wife asked Ford for a vehicle that could take her family to church on Sunday and haul pigs to market on Monday.

Ford designer Lew Bandt delivered the solution, creating the first “coupe utility” by combining the cabin comfort of a sedan with the practicality of a truck’s tray.

The design quickly took off, becoming a staple on farms across the country and an enduring symbol of Aussie practicality.

“To me, that is the great coming together of home and work in a vehicle and I decided to do that in a home,” Snell said.

“The house has a modern cube look which is quite commercial, then I used weatherboards as a way of making it more domestic.”

Combined with whites and timbers, the home’s distinctive mint hue feels fresh and inviting by day, deepening in the twilight to add another dimension of duality.

Sitting between a residential area and a business zone, the 2023-built UTE House

represents a new kind of dwelling: one that not only houses a family but also sustains it financially.

“I really believe the Gold Coast could lead in new ways of working where we should be encouraging people to come to the city, bring their knowledge and work in whichever way enables them to be successful.

“Entrepreneurial people tend to never switch off — my work is my life and my life is my work, I do way more than 9 to 5 but I do odd hours too, depending on when I am available or when an idea strikes, and a home office can be very helpful for that and not as invasive for the family,” he said.

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UTE house incorporates a separate entrance to Snell’s architectural studio, where he works with two full-time employees, and includes a boardroom along with interlocking doors to the family’s living quarters.

Upstairs, a study nook is located opposite the kitchen, a homework spot for the couple’s three sons, while Laura also works on her corporate gifting business, The Goods Tube.

The Snells opened the doors to their showstopper residence as part of this weekend’s Gold Coast Open House.

The event unlocked access to some of the city’s most intriguing spaces, from heritage landmarks to bold contemporary design, Gold Coast Open House chair Chris Cumming said.

“Architecture tells the story of who we are,” Mr Cumming said.

“From heritage treasures that preserve our history to bold new projects that redefine our future, design gives us a sense of place, belonging and identity.

“By stepping inside these spaces, our community and our visitors can discover how design influences our daily lives, our wellbeing, and the way we connect with each other.”

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