An Architect’s Updated Victorian Cottage Savors the Neighborhood’s Fading Charm

Project Details:

Location: Northcote, Australia

Architect: Lisa Breeze Architect / @lisabreeze_architect

Builder/General Contractor: Never Stop Group / @neverstopgroup

Landscape Design: Amanda Oliver Gardens / @amandaolivergardens

From the Architect: This old home is a sweet Victorian cottage sitting in a narrow street, which paradoxically consists of converted warehouses, new apartment buildings and car parks! It is also this architect’s own home. The renovation sought to update the rundown house, add an additional Bedroom and to be made comfortable for a post-pandemic family lifestyle. To maintain the integrity of the old cottage, all the areas under the old roof remain. The charming heritage details are referenced in the renovation to the front of the house. While the extension is unabashedly contemporary in form and layout, with its Kitchen, Meals and Living area opening up with high sloped ceilings and opening out onto the back garden. References to the old home and surrounding areas are made with the use of brick and weatherboards. The internal finishes are repeated in both the old and new areas, such as the terrazzo tiles and calm blue grey tones throughout. The colors are soft and calming, moody in the old part of the home and bright with the natural light of the extension.