Cultivating Community Spirit Through Great Space

Growing up, Brisbane Grammar

School Old Boy John Macdonald ‘99 learned the importance of a close-knit community and family ties by osmosis – his family established a clothing alteration business in Queen Street, in 1934.

Macdonald worked for his father, BGS Old Boy George Macdonald ‘66, for many years, and strong family values have followed him into adulthood and into opening businesses of his own.

After gaining experience in London, Barcelona and Paris for many years, Macdonald returned to Brisbane with creative ambitions of his own and opened Lightspace, a boutique event venue and coworking warehouse.

Many developers and entrepreneurs would have viewed an old smash repair garage, hidden in the corner of the Fortitude Valley near train tracks, as a rundown eyesore. When the building became available in the mid-2000s, however, Macdonald saw an opportunity to bring something new to Brisbane while preserving historical charm.

Seated in the cocktail area of Lightspace, surrounded by a small jungle of potted plants, Macdonald explained: “Restoring and bringing new life to character-rich buildings is fundamental – it is an important part of Brisbane’s story that deserves to be appreciated.”

Established in 2009 and the first of its kind in Brisbane, Lightspace is an architecturally transformed home available to hire for weddings and events, as well as coworking and private office space.

“There wasn’t really anything like this in Brisbane when we first started – we took a leap and thankfully it worked.

“Everyone who has hosted events with us has made their own special mark on the space.”

Following the success of Lightspace, Macdonald opened Prospect Studios in 2015, which is another plant-rich, converted 1960s warehouse.

The two coworking spaces are now home to creatives, designers and small business owners.

In 2018, Macdonald and his partner in life and business, Danielle White, revived another heritage-listed building in The Valley, which turned 100 this year. Tucked behind James Street, Loyal Hope of the Valley is the smaller sister wedding and events venue.

This year, the couple and their team will host 300 events of which 100 will be weddings. They expect about 25,000 people to pass through their doors.

Staying true to his roots of valuing tight-knit relationships in business, John credits his success to his team and Danielle, who was named as one of Brisbane’s leading wedding and events planners.

Keen to keep things local, the couple and their two sons — who Macdonald hopes will go to BGS in a few years — live in a heritage-listed cottage, just a short stroll from both Lightspace and Prospect Studios.

“When we started 14 years ago, there was nothing here — no neighbours, only warehouses.”

Now, the couple’s home and businesses are surrounded by a thriving hub of creative activity — very much their natural habitat.