10 Of Our All-Time Favourite Victorian Cottage Renovations

A Compact Kid-Friendly Home In The Heart Of Fitzroy

Since signing the lease on this unassuming 1860s brick cottage in Fitzroy, Undressed owner and IN BED journal editor Zoe Cuthbertson, and artist Richard Healy, have barely had to lift a finger to make it feel like home.

The recently renovated interiors were already perfect for the couple (who were then expecting their first child when they moved in)… all the house needed was some thoughtful styling to maximise its small footprint, and make the interiors really sing.

The result is stylish and tidy, without forgoing what Zoe calls the ‘signs of life’ typical of a young family home.

Read the full story here.

Photographer Eve Wilson’s Palette-Perfect Inner City Family Home

If you’ve been reading The Design Files for a while, you probably recognise the name Eve Wilson. She’s been photographing TDF stories for almost 10 years, including the very home you see here today, which happens to be her own family’s former home in Cremorne, Melbourne.

The house itself is a small weatherboard cottage, with an extension designed by Studio Bright that packs a punch, to say the least!

The architects capitalised on every inch of the 144 square metre block (that’s only 4.22 metres wide!) to create a three-bedroom home that’s not only generous, but utterly unique. Breeze blocks on the facade provide the home with a distinct design identity, while filtering light through the interiors and offering privacy.

Read the full story here.

An Architect + Builder’s Victorian Worker’s Cottage Renovation

A derelict, heritage-protected house is not high on many people’s ‘dream home’ wishlists, unless they have the vision and skill of architect Natasha Nardella and builder Joshua Best.

The couple have fully restored the facade of their 1890s worker’s cottage, while a new contemporary addition pays homage to former brickworks in the area.

Read the full story here.

How An Architect Couple Created Their Clever + Adaptable Family Cottage

For architects Stephanie Burton and Joseph Lovell, renovating their own inner Melbourne worker’s cottage meant redefining their ideal of what a family home should look like.

The couple behind Lovell Burton retained the original 1870s structure and replaced its incongruous additions with a ‘patchwork’ of adaptable new living spaces interwoven between gardens.

Their ethos was ‘loose fit, long life’: prioritising flexible zones designed to evolve as their young children grow up.

Read the full story here.

This Little Cottage Maximises Space With A Clever Renovation

Despite their enduring appeal, most Victorian cottages in Melbourne’s inner-city neighbourhoods were not built for modern family living.

The owners of this home — a family with two teenagers — lived in the Richmond house for almost a decade before engaging Tsai Design to reconcile the original building with its series of awkward additions, to maximise space on the narrow block.

Without straying from the house’s existing footprint, a clever renovation and a raised roofline have captured newfound natural light, garden views, and plenty of warmth.

Read the full story here.

A Barrister’s ‘Gently Energetic’ Brunswick Worker’s Cottage

Barrister Hannah Douglas bought a worker’s cottage in Brunswick, Melbourne in 2018 that changed the course of her life.

The kitchen and bathroom had previously undergone a simplistic 1990s renovation, but a west-facing light well provided a rare abundance of natural light for a terrace, and the home had good energy.

Working with a dream team of collaborators (and leaning on friends for advice), Hannah has now renovated the home to introduce a sophisticated interior and connections to the outdoors.

It’s still the compact inner-city house she fell in love with — just a more stylish and functional version!

Read the full story here.

A Lovingly Renovated 1890’s Melbourne Worker’s Cottage

Melbourne’s Victorian terraces and worker’s cottages are as charming as they come.

It was exactly this that drew design manager and stylist Nicola Rogers to her 1890s worker’s cottage in South Yarra, Melbourne.

After purchasing the home just over a year ago, she’s already turned it into a sanctuary of calming tones and perfect vintage finds — with original features maintaining pride of place.

Read the full story here.

How An Inner Melbourne Victorian Worker’s Cottage Maximises Light + Warmth

A single-fronted Victorian home in Fitzroy North was a lucky find for Melbourne couple Simon and Mooey — particularly one with a double brick foundation.

But a north-facing heritage facade and narrow structure meant the rear living areas were dark and pokey. To help maximise natural light and warmth as much possible whilst retaining the home’s period charm, the pair hired Imogen Pullar Architecture to reimagine the space.

See how a rear extension and central courtyard completely changed its dynamic!

Read the full story here.

A Worker’s Cottage Redesigned For Multigenerational Living

This clever home occupies a relatively compact 175 square metre site in Richmond, Melbourne, but step inside the newly-extended house and the property’s nearby neighbours and busy city roads feel worlds away.

The project is the work of Figr Architecture & Design, who recently transformed the existing single-fronted Victorian house to be more dynamic, light-filled, and supportive of multigenerational living and guest accommodation.

Unlike the conventional approach of adding an open-plan extension to the back, this project places a guest bedroom at the rear, creating two separate ‘units’ that share a central kitchen and dining zone.

Read the full story here.

Jenna + Josh Densten’s Dreamy New Family Home

Back in 2018 we shared the pint-sized North Melbourne home of Josh and Jenna Densten, who first renovated the tiny cottage, before building a larger family house right behind the original weatherboard!

The designers and seasoned renovators (you probably remember them from their days on The Block!) worked with Foomann Architects to bring this project to life.

While the family has since moved on from the inner-city home to a sprawling country homestead, their serene cottage remains one of our favourite renovations!

Read the full story here.