Text below : As published in The Courier Mail in 2019.

A glamourous sub-penthouse with touches of southern California charm is not something you would expect to find in Townsville, Australia. Pam Ellis did just that on this CBD renovation project — her 23rd to be exact.

Initially attracted to the outlook the apartment provided, Pam Ellis bought the apartment in Townsville’s CBD in 2017. The entire apartment was stripped back to bare concrete. Even the original electrics, plumbing, floor coverings and tiles were removed and replaced. From there, every minute detail was re-imagined, the floor plan slightly changed and interiors — including slabs of marble — imported specifically for the project. Container loads of items were imported from the USA and Europe to make this a very unique apartment in Townsville.

From the custom American Oak flooring and solid marble bathroom vanities to the antique Californian bedhead and the 1950s Beverly Hills Hotel ‘Martinique’ wallpaper; the apartment has a very international feel. Read more on the Altitude Remodel Here.

Coming Soon - Family Home in Raleigh, North Carolina. This beautiful home needs some new energy … full gut and refurbish of kitchen bathrooms, and flooring. Stay tuned this will be a beauty.

- Due for completion late 2022 -

- Due for completion 2023 -

Following the devastating earthquake that hit central Italy in 2015, this 800 sq. metre historic 16th Century Palace was condemned by the authorities. As a result of extensive damage suffered during and after the main tremors, this beautiful building had become structurally unstable. Our project now is to bring this beautiful Lady back to her glory days by structurally making her resistant to future earthquakes, which will involve replacing the huge ancient solid oak beams that have held the roof up for so long with modern steel and concrete. Don’t worry - aesthetically she will look the same - and we are repurposing the ancient oak timbers to the Italy country house project we are constructing at the same time. The 16th century frescoes will be restored by local Artisans using the same pigments of old, and the rest of the building will be designed for modern living whilst reusing original materials in order to sustain all the features of the past. A very exciting project.

Stay tuned for more images and updates.

This 7-week on-site blitz involved partial demo & full remodel of this 1980’s 2-storey penthouse located riverside. Working with a beautiful client, we had so much fun with the design process. Commencing with demolition of a wall to create a larger yoga / zen studio, I also demolished part of a low ceiling to increase flow and energy to an outdated 80’s living area. The kitchen was completely removed, and I redesigned the new kitchen layout to increase counter space, storage and also add some mod-cons including a brass zip tap for instant hot, sparkling and filter water (very cool!). I designed a seperate ‘bar’ area with storage for glassware by opening up the under stair cupboard to the living room - thus creating an area where conversation and cocktails go hand-in-hand. I set about scouring the world for unique products that would set this home above and beyond, including statement hand-painted wallpaper from France & U.S.A., a custom glass coffee table, and feature oversized brass handles from the U.K. I utilised a combination of custom furniture, bespoke sentimental pieces that were imported from Jordan, whilst also repurposing meaningful family heirlooms into this modern design - reupholstering ‘Grandma’s chair’ in velvet with a modern colourful feather motif. The end result - a sophisticated 21st century penthouse that was totally unique to my Client. On seeing the apartment reveal, my client cried and said “this is life changing”. THAT is the best compliment I could ever hear. As a Designer, you put your heart and soul into every job (as well as every waking moment and sleepless nights), over months of preparation work and then gain onsite - to receive such a wonderful compliment makes me so happy. Having lost my Mother to cancer at the commencement of this project, to have such an understanding and wonderful client was ‘life changing’ for me too. #gratitude

** Some BEFORE and DURING photos are included at the end.

- Currently Under Construction -

A Luxury modern farmhouse for a family to enjoy holidays in rural Italy. This project is a full custom PEI project from concept, architectural drawings, interior detailing including scope of works, project management and final furniture/cabinetry design and staging.

This home will embody modern luxury using Italian natural resources such as locally sourced oak, and marble with the softness of leather, organic linens, and wool. Surfaces will combine the smoothness of polished concrete floors, polished plaster walls interspersed with tumbled travertine and the original 100 year old farmhouse bricks salvaged to add texture. Brass fitments throughout and simplistic Italian furnishings in recognition of making beautiful holiday memories in these amazing tranquil country surrounds.

Stay tuned. Due to be completed in late 2022.

Named after Nora Jones, the elderly lady who sold me the property after she lived in it for over 50 years. She sadly passed away soon after I purchased the home and I thought it would be a nice homage to her and her history with the place. With no air conditioning (in tropical northern Australia where winter temperatures average 25 degrees Celsius), very small rooms with very basic amenities, I made the commercial decision to demolish the original structure and build a beautiful 21st Century family home in honour of Nora Jones. I do need to point out that I LOVE restoration work, however, as the home had no historic features, was built in the 1960’s, extremely small, and was full of asbestos, I decided to start with a clean slate. Click to read more detail on the project.

‘Nelson House’, located in Townsville, Australia, was a neglected 115-year old homestead in desperate need of resurrection. Working in a depressed housing market where new large family homes sell for average $500,000, we had a challenge on our hands. With a minuscule budget, the interior design solution had to deliver a modern family home that celebrated a tropical relaxed vibe. However, working with the oldest homestead in the suburb, we also needed to celebrate the history and original beauty ‘Nelson House’ offered. This is the Eliza Doolittle story of home renovations and today She is a new woman, and we are delighted with the result.

Learn more about the Nelson House Remodel. Click Here.

- COMING SOON -

Located on the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia and within walking distance of pristine beaches, PEI in conjunction with Ellis Developments have teamed-up to design 3 luxury full-floor apartments at beautiful Mermaid Beach.

Each 250m2 sky home will take an entire floor of the building, with the lift arriving directly into your apartment entry foyer. Secure underground parking ensures privacy, and they each contain 3 bedrooms (Master Suite) - 3.5 bathrooms - seperate study - 2 living spaces - Internal sky courtyard - front & rear patios - European appliances - 2 secure underground car spaces with storage - secure door entry system.

These sky homes have been specifically designed with a high-level of convenience so you can choose to reside here 12 months a year, or simply lockup and leave when you want to travel - worry free.

Years of experience and design finesse have gone into ensuring these 3 luxury apartments contain the level of detail one would expect from such a qualified international team.

Coming Soon.

A beautiful Hamptons-Inspired family home from the PEI Luxury Design Collection in Belgian Gardens, Townsville. This home showcases the skills of PEI to deliver architecturally designed homes, coupled with interior designer flare to present a thoughtfully presented family home that truly considers every aspect of living with multiple generations.

PEI designed this home with young families in mind, and boasts 4 bed - 3.5 Bath - 3 Living Spaces - Media Room - massive covered outdoor Entertaining Deck - Walk-in Pantry - Mud Room - Double Garage - Plenty Storage - Space for pool. All within the Belgian Gardens school catchment area. Space for everyone in the family to have their own ‘break-out’ area, whilst also allowing open-plan living areas that unite and allow family gatherings and large entertaining areas.

Loaded with breath-taking designer details that PEI is renowned for, every minute detail has been thought-through. Architecturally the heart of the home was designed around a ceiling void over the dining area, which connects the upstairs living area to the heart of the home downstairs. High ceilings are prominent throughout, with the feature designer pendant lights flown-in especially for this home.

At the end of 2017, Savenio began the process of seeking a new corporate Head Office to house the ground-breaking first Savenio Travel Hub. The location and design needed to reflect their high expectations and reinforce their prestigious luxury travel brand. Pam Ellis International was onboarded to design a new Corporate Headquarters for Savenio in the prestigious Watermark Building in Brisbane. Read more here

This inner-city apartment is a part-time pied-à-terre for a busy professional family. With floor to ceiling windows (& subsequently amazing views), I needed to create privacy whilst furnishing this property with minimal fuss and maximum function. We installed sheers to filter the light and add privacy, and neutral black-out drapes to allow Sunday sleep-ins :) High-end furnishings and finishes were carefully selected to bring an overall ‘calmness’ upon entering the apartment, so as not to detract from the breath-taking inner city views of neighbouring botanical gardens. Beautiful clients help with the process - very easy to work with, they loved everything I suggested and the rest is history as they say.

Complete Build Project Management

Architecturally designed from scratch, this 4 bed home was built on a sub-divided block in South Townsville. The remit was to design the home around an ancient mango tree that commanded the rear portion of the yard. I wanted to retain the tree at all cost as it would not only add a phenomenal feature, but would also shade the home thus making it cool in summer. I achieved a split-level layout that actually made this home very unique with living on one level, and all bedrooms / utilities at the lower level.

The design remit for this project was to make this centre a ‘sensory experience’ for clients that makes them want to dream big about the largest purchase they will ever make in their life - a new home in the new HAVEN land estate.

I wanted guests at the centre to remember their visit because it was so unusual - a definite talking point. I devised the futuristic theme based on up-cycling 2 disused shipping containers converted into a luxury office space. I sourced unusual cladding to disguise the former purpose of the structure, and to create a draw for visitors to want to come inside and see what it’s all about.

As soon as visitors entered the space they are transported into another world. LED lighting softened by sheer curtains creates a cocoon effect, with built-in speakers & sound system softly pumping out chill anthems.

Furnishings, whilst futuristic in style, were carefully chosen to consider past design icons from all over the world including Japan, Finland, Italy, and USA.

The gardens were also designed so that the shipping containers looked as though they are floating on a bed of bougainvillea, whilst feature native trees and shrubs frame the landscape.

This Display Home was designed specifically with the ‘mature’ client in mind. Softer colour palette, and very textural natural fabrics such as linen, and rattan were used to enhance the ‘homely’ feel as soon as you enter this home.

Luxury elements were added in the Master Bedroom suite with real fur cushions, slippers and neutral colours to offer a relaxed vibe for potential clients.

To date this has been a very successful display home for the builder, and many clients have commented on the use of different colours and textures that create different ‘energy’ as they tour the home.

The 2nd bedroom is obviously a guest room, or a teenagers bedroom with vibrant colours and international artwork - all adding to the individuality of the different ‘zones’ in the home. Designed to create breakout space for each person occupying the home.

Obviously when designing a Display Home, the interiors are designed to appeal to the most amount of people, and therefore I avoid trends and focus more on the psychology of how people react to colour, smells and texture - all sensory responses that will help the potential client remember this display home above any others.

Coming Soon

First Time Buyers / Down-sizers / Unit lovers … this gem was designed for you!

Thinking outside the box, in 2012 we decided to build a series of stand alone 2 Bedroom / 2 bathroom homes that were the same ‘size’ of a standard apartment, however, on their own piece of land (120m2 to be exact). “Why?” I hear you ask … Because these little gems, we call ‘The Clans’, enable homebuyers to afford their own stand alone home WITHOUT the body corporate / HOA fees that come with living in a multi-unit development.

Just think …. The same size and convenience that apartment-living offers, WITHOUT the added on-going monthly expense of fees. Fees you may have no control over - yet you have no choice to pay for eternity, or until you sell the unit.

Brilliant! Because our ‘Clans’ are built on their own land with zero set-backs there’s no lawn to mow, but you have the benefit of your own front door, private lock-up garage and all the very cool design features added to make this carefree living with your own patio to invite friends over for BBQ’s.

Being such a unique product, our architectural team design these ‘Clan’ homes with utmost efficiency for space planning, furniture planning, and circulation - to ensure your Clan home feels spacious. Built to order, and each one completely designed from scratch using your wish-list, its a no-brainer moving forward in the 21st Century that anyone can purchase their own home. They also make great investment properties with demand for 2 bed - 2 bath a popular market and the rental returns are excellent.

For sales enquiries in Queensland contact:

Rosalyn Gordon : rosalyn@ellisdevelopments.com.au

Tammy Anastasi: tammy@ellisdevelopments.com.au

8 x Town Home Development, Townsville QLD

Completed in 2012, Hampton Court was a nod to my wonderful years studying Interior Design in the USA. These 8 homes were designed to be open-plan and spacious, whist maximising architectural floorpans to be highly efficient.

Designed to be built with light-weight construction, we were striving to enhance energy efficiency in this northern Queensland tropical climate - a very ‘new’ thought process for the Townsville building industry that had previously predominantly built block homes with render - a process that actually made homes hotter, retain heat, and therefore needed more air-conditioning.

We were determined to be cutting-edge, whist delivering a superior end product for our clients that encompassed the whole package of building efficiency right through to attractive external dressing and interior decor - delivering world class design & build techniques.

All 8 homes sold off-the-plan, and the demand for this product has not ceased.

Hubert House set on approx 400m2 block of land in South Townsville, has been fully architecturally designed by PEI as part of the Hamptons range. This characterful high-set home offers open-plan living which opens seamlessly to the outdoor spaces.

Ready for construction, design features and finishes have already been professionally selected by P.E.I., however it’s not too late to choose you’re own finishes prior to commencing construction if you wish to add your own design touches.

Hubert House has abundant street appeal with 2 huge mango trees framing the entrance to this home. Making it very welcoming and a unique natural green feature which will naturally provide shade and cool the home year round.

Planned accomodation includes a 4 bedroom - 2.5 bathroom - 3 Living areas including a seperate TV/media room - WIP - 2 car garage. The Master Bedroom Suite located upstairs, is a glorious space offering open plan WIR, Ensuite bathroom and large bedroom with sitting area - all with breath-taking cathedral ceilings. Imagine going to sleep every night looking at a beautiful cathedral ceiling?

Located in South Townsville only 2kms from the CBD and walking distance to Palmer Street restaurants, shops and the new Cowboys stadium, this home is waiting for a lucky family to enjoy in 2021.

Sunnylands House has been fully designed by PEI as part of the Hamptons range. Set on approx 600m2 block, this low-set home offers open-plan living which opens seamlessly onto a large rear covered entertaining patio.

Ready for construction, design features and finishes have already been professionally selected by P.E.I., however it’s not too late to choose you’re own finishes prior to commencing construction if you wish to add your own design touches.

Planned accomodation includes a 3 bedroom - 2.5 bathroom - seperate TV/media room - mudroom - pantry- 2 garage. The Master Bedroom offers WIR and ensuite bathroom, while the open plan Kitchen - Dining - Lounge is the heart of the home with reclaimed timber ceiling beams offering beautiful rustic features to the interior space.

Located in South Townsville only 2kms from the CBD and walking distance to Palmer Street restaurants, shops and the new Cowboys stadium, this home is waiting for a lucky family to enjoy in 2021.