Northcote House

A seamless connection Located in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote, only a stone’s throw north of the city, Northcote House is sited on a long and narrow block with a south facing backyard and secondary rear lane access. Like their neighbours (Northcote House 2) the clients wanted to keep the heritage frontage desiring a modern light filled, double storey addition to the rear, contrasting the dark and intimate rooms of the existing dwelling. Home to a growing family who love to entertain, the design for this home required the clever use of spatial programming to accommodate the client’s brief. The clients brief was for four bedrooms with two living rooms, open plan kitchen, dining, lounge area and a roof top terrace, all within a modest building footprint. The key to understanding and addressing the brief was thinking about the individual spaces as multi-functional entities. Spaces needed to be able to respond to the demands of the occupier depending on the activity that was being played out at any given time. Essentially the spaces needed a degree of flexibility. Double height volumes, skylights and highlight windows allowed the house to be in constant connection with the external environment giving the occupier the ability to control the aperture and movement of the outside world. Photographer, Sharyn Cairns