Northside Terrace

Northside Terrace reinterprets a classic Victorian terrace, renewing its enduring presence through a contemporary architectural lens. Internal planning has been carefully reshaped while the original façade and period detailing are meticulously restored, allowing the home’s historic identity to remain intact.

The brief responded to the evolving requirements of a growing family, seeking the introduction of two children’s bedrooms alongside a generous open-plan kitchen and living area. A substantial rear addition was developed, with its façade conceived as a deliberate contemporary counterpoint to the existing terrace. The new work reflects the weight and permanence of the original building through carefully selected brickwork sympathetic to its Victorian origins.

2025
Clifton Hill, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land

Site Area

392m²

Internal Area

302m²

External Area

222m²

Bedrooms

Bathrooms

2.5

Combining heritage character and modern living, the design realises the clients’ intention to create a home built with the lasting presence and endurance of a classic Victorian terrace.

Within the retained portion of the house, the sitting and dining rooms continue to function as formal spaces, defined by a composed and restrained atmosphere. Solid timber bi-fold doors provide adaptable separation, while a deep grey finish to the walls accentuates the scale of the rooms and sets up a deliberate contrast with the original cornices, skirting boards and ceiling roses.

The kitchen and adjoining living spaces are organised around a central island bench, where gentle curves inform joinery elements and introduce a softer spatial rhythm. Timber detailing and subtle historical references anchor the spaces, while the arrangement supports relaxed daily use and informal gathering.

A carefully curated interior palette brings balance and warmth, combining natural timber with tactile finishes that encourage comfort and adaptability. Referencing the clients’ Balmoral Beach artwork by iconic Australian artist Ken Done, the colour selections for the furnishings draw on sandy hues, warmth and restrained blue undertones that flow consistently throughout the home.

Extending across the full width of the site, the new volume maintains the generous proportions of the original house and is defined by expansive steel-framed glazing that opens the living areas directly to the garden. Brickwork continues internally, reinforcing a sense of continuity while adding depth and tactility to the interiors.

Counterbalancing the solidity of the rear form, a semi-circular skylight introduces northern and eastern daylight deep into the centre of the plan. The curved opening softens the geometry of the addition and subtly references the ornate parapet pediment of the original façade, strengthening the relationship between past and present.

Above, the rear elevation is articulated through a nuanced composition of horizontal, vertical and screened brickwork, marking shifts in scale and volume. Recesses and cutaways are defined through changes in bond, while the first-floor balcony provides privacy and modulates light into the upper-level spaces.

On the first floor, the main bedroom remains within the original terrace envelope, preserving its period proportions and detailing. The ensuite is similarly positioned to the front, where a reinstated double-hung window restores daylight and reinforces the home’s heritage character. Throughout the wet areas, a unified selection of finishes brings cohesion, combining handmade Moroccan tiles, emerald green quartzite vanities with scalloped splashbacks, and terrazzo flooring.

Together, the careful integration of old and new allows Northside Terrace to support contemporary family life while retaining the dignity and permanence of its Victorian origins. Through considered planning and restraint, the house achieves a quiet confidence that feels both enduring and resolved.