Northcote House by Lisa Breeze
Melbourne-based architect Lisa Breeze has redesigned a Victorian cottage for herself – transforming it into a spacious, functional and light-filled home.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Cathy Schusler
The dining area looks out to the backyard featuring landscaping by Amanda Oliver Gardens. Window bench seat top in Laminex Spinifex. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The exterior of the newly-extended family home designed by the owner, architect Lisa Breeze. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The calm blue grey tones feature throughout the house, including the kitchen space. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
Back in 2019, Lisa Breeze and her husband were in search of a new home and a new project, where the architect could inject her distinctive style along with the needs of her family.
They stumbled upon a period home in Melbourne’s Northcote, the perfect canvas for their next project.
Located on a small site in a dense street, the home needed some attention as even though liveable, it didn’t fit all the family’s needs.
For Lisa, designing her own home was a dream, ‘Testing new ideas was the best part - there is quite a lot space, utility and storage Tetris-ed into a small footprint here and it works well, although I may not have necessarily designed the home this way for others,’ says Lisa.
And the most challenging part? ‘Not having the feedback I usually have with working with clients collaboratively.’
The new extension includes a more open living area; the previous meals area was converted into a third bedroom; and the previous living space turned into a bathroom, powder room and laundry. At the front of the house, all rooms under the old roof were retained, maintaining the integrity of the Victorian cottage.
References to the old home and surrounding areas were 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 spaces. The colours are soft and calming: moody in the old part of the home and bright with the natural light nto the bright contemporary space of the extension.
‘I love our blue bedroom and glossy wardrobe doors. It’s so lovely to sleep in a dark room,’ Lisa says.
‘The blue colour is consistent throughout the home with subtle differences helping to delineate the spaces. Also, I like blue, my husband likes blue, and hopefully the pets and baby like blue!’
The light-filled living space with artwork by Tonee Messiah. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
‘The darker moody old part of the home opens up into the bright contemporary space of the extension,’ says Lisa Breeze. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
Artwork by Louise Tuckwell. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
“The blue colour is consistent throughout the home with subtle differences helping to delineate the spaces. Also, I like blue, my husband likes blue, and hopefully the pets and baby like blue!”
Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
‘I love our blue bedroom and glossy wardrobe doors. It is lovely to sleep in a dark room,’ says Lisa Breeze. Artwork by Marisa Purcell. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The home features holes and nooks for the cats to explore! Artwork by Bridie Gillman. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The extension mirrors the heritage facade. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
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The Carlotta + Gee colour palette inspiration comes from the Australian bushland, with a warm range of natural and earthy tones. Carlotta + Gee will also release two new limited colour editions every season, such as Rosewood and Ochre.
Contrasting the muted tones, some bold colours add a nice addition such as Musk, Apricot and Lake Blue. Mix and matching colours is a must - all the tones complement one another!
The pair also have some exciting news to share: they have recently launched their new quilts, made from flax linen and organic cotton, as well as the release of new sizes and shades of tableware and bedding such as French Navy, Nature Grid and Black Grid.
In the months to come, the girls plan to tweak their colour palette, with some new and exciting shades, as well as a new napery collection collaborating with a very influential designer.
There’s also an exciting experience in the making where they’lll be offering the opportunity to try products in an incredible location - make sure to follow Carlotta + Gee on Instagram for updates… we can hardly wait!
