Plans for Queensland Bungalows (1937)

In 1937, the fourth edition of Queensland Bungalows, compiled by architect Joseph Vaudville Douyere Coutts was published.

Front cover of the 1937 edition of Queensland Bungalows by J.V.D. Coutts

The 48 page booklet served as a guide to house styles, providing inspiration to prospective home-builders. Each design includes a floor plan for the house as well as a sketch of the front facade.

Page 24 of the 1937 edition of Queensland Bungalows by J.V.D. Coutts

In his introduction Coutts states the previous three editions of Queensland Bungalows had sold out quickly due to the "demand for books of bungalows suitable for our Queensland climate".

Page 39 of the 1937 edition of Queensland Bungalows by J.V.D. Coutts

Coutts also stresses the importance of engaging an architect. "An architect, just as a doctor or lawyer, has nothing to sell except disinterested personal service, and receives no payment other than the fees paid by his clients. His knowledge is derived from many years of study and experience in the designing of buildings and the supervision of their construction”.

Queensland Bungalows also features a number of illustrated advertisements for a variety of building products.

Advertisement from 1937 edition of Queensland Bungalows by J.V.D. Coutts

The 1937 edition of Queensland Bungalows has been digitised and can be viewed online through our One Search catalogue.

You can find examples of Queensland bungalows in the Corley collection. From the 1960s to the 1970s, Frank and Eunice Corley drove the suburban streets of Queensland in their pink Cadillac, taking photographs of houses and selling them to homeowners. A database containing over 61,000 photographs can now be searched and viewed online. Can you find house on the Corley database?

The Corley collection is the focus of State Library of Queensland’s latest exhibition, Home: a suburban obsession, which runs from 7 December 2018 until 14 July 2019.

Myles Sinnamon - Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland