The large-scale renovation of this heritage home in Melbourne’s Northcote spanned three years, navigating the complexities of heritage town planning and an extended build. The end result was worth every moment though, says developer and interior designer Courtenay O’Keefe. Here, she shares the renovation journey.
I loved the journey of creating our own incredible family home by the Yarra River, and it was that same sense of magic and design-led vision I wanted to bring to Northcote. Helen Street was the perfect canvas. My background is in graphic design, but I’ve recently transitioned into interior projects, which has been even more rewarding—seeing spaces evolve and come to life. The principles remain the same: considered design thinking, creating balance, layering light and shade, and crafting a harmonious palette through texture and form.
For this home, I worked closely with the team at Tecture on the architecture, with one guiding goal: to deliver warmth and light, a space that feels calm, uplifting, and built for entertaining. The brief was simple: it had to be an epic entertainer, built for families.
An early 1900s Victorian, this home had been held by the same family for over 60 years but was in desperate need of revival. Many of its original heritage details had been lost over time, leaving only the beautiful proportions and soaring ceilings to build upon. Beneath its charming façade, lay significant structural challenges that called for a complete rebuild from the frame up, including re-stumping, new joists, fresh weatherboards, and the careful restoration of key heritage elements.
The window frames and doors were replaced with pieces true to the home’s era. The new extension needed to visually respect the original structure, which was helped by setting it back and leaving the original roof untouched—at least at first. Unfortunately, we did have to revisit it. We’d hoped the beautiful old slate could be repaired and retained, but closer inspection revealed it was delaminating and well past saving. In the end, we made the tough call to replace it with new Spanish slate, carefully reinstating the fish scale pattern to match the original. It was a costly decision, but absolutely worth it. The result looks incredible and will see the home through another hundred years.
The heritage section was reimagined as the master suite, home office, guest bedroom, and bathroom. The rest was demolished to make room for an extension and second story.
The design steps down into the extension, unfolding into a generous open-plan kitchen and living space. With 3-metre ceilings and seamless flow to the alfresco and pool, the area captures the home’s northern aspect beautifully. A new children’s wing sits neatly above as a second story, carefully designed not to disrupt the heritage roofline—it quietly reveals itself as you move through the home. From the street, it’s modest and understated, offering only a subtle glimpse of what lies beyond.
The property had an enormous backyard with excellent rear access, perfectly suited to the vision I had for creating an incredible family home. Today, it’s unrecognisable from what it once was—completely reimagined and brought into a new era, all hidden behind its modest and unassuming façade.
The two original front bedrooms were combined to form a grand master suite, featuring a generous bedroom that flows through to a spacious walk-in robe and a beautifully appointed master bathroom, illuminated by a large skylight that fills the space with soft, natural light.
While much of the original structure was retained, stripping it back to the frame allowed us to seamlessly integrate the modern comforts of a contemporary home—efficient heating and cooling, improved insulation, and an abundance of natural light.
The front bedroom was reimagined as a versatile study and multi-purpose space, opened up with grand double doors that enhance light and connection throughout the home.
We demolished the flimsy rear addition, revealing that the house needed to be taken back to its original roofline and the heritage rooms at the front. This approach left a generous blank canvas and plenty of scope to reimagine the rear of the home.
What began as a tired relic has been transformed into a calm, elegant, light-filled family home—one that perfectly balances its restored heritage with the ease of modern living. Where the old meets the new, the transition is marked by a shift in palette and materials, deliberately contrasting with the heritage fabric.
The seamless indoor-outdoor connection to the alfresco and pool has come together exactly as envisioned, with shimmering water reflections dancing across the ceiling.
This transformation was far from straightforward. The journey was filled with unexpected hurdles, frustrating delays, and countless moments that tested my resolve—and the timeline! Projects like these rarely run to schedule, and with a four-month caravan adventure planned with my family, juggling the final phases became almost impossible. I’m incredibly grateful for my network of women in building, especially Kribashini Hannon from Build Play Live, whose expertise and steady guidance helped me through the most challenging stages. When I had to step away, she took the reins, managing the builders and finishing touches with skill and care, giving me the peace of mind to enjoy time with my family and return to a home that had truly come to life.
The home recently sold through Jellis Craig.
Architect/Interiors: @tecture_ | Photos: @spacecraft___ | Project: @_flintmade | Build Support: @buildplaylive | Styling: @arch_melbourne
