Northcote House No.3 By Ancher Architecture Office & Pipkorn Kilpatrick
With architecture by Ancher Architecture Office and interiors by Pipkorn Kilpatrick, Northcote House No.3 leans into an earthy palette and country ease—holding heritage close while embracing its future.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos MARTINA GEMMOLA Architecture ANCHER ARCHITECTURE OFFICE Interiors & Interior Styling PIPKORN KILPATRICK Build SENMAK CONSTRUCTION
“Northcote House No.3 becomes a dialogue between past and present—shaped with measured clarity by Ancher Architecture Office and Pipkorn Kilpatrick.”
On a quiet Northcote street, a double-fronted Victorian is reimagined for modern family living; heritage held close, additions opened to light, and an earthy hard-wearing palette shaping the everyday.
With architecture by Ancher Architecture Office and interiors by Pipkorn Kilpatrick, the Northcote House No.3 carries a country ease—grounded in history yet distinctly contemporary in its spatial sensitivity.
The front rooms are generous in scale, rich with traditional detailing and have been treated with respect. Instead of forcing a new language onto the old bones, the studio worked with restraint. A study and three bedrooms sit within the front volume, reconfigured with thoughtful tweaks: skylit central bathroom, laundry split from bedroom space, warm creams and off-whites enhancing the original features rather than competing with them.
The back of the home however, needed complete rethinking. A previous extension had left the rear dark, inward, and disconnected from the garden. The answer was subtraction before addition. The add-on volume was removed entirely and in its place Anna Ancher of Ancher Architecture Office was brought in to reimagine proportion, shell and detail—ensuring generous winter light could reach the south-facing new addition.
Two internal courtyards now sit as breathing space between eras, original and extension separated, but always visually linked. A glazed walkway connects old and new, drawing soft light across recycled messmate floors that slip from heritage rooms toward the contemporary living realm beyond.
The living, kitchen and dining volume is robust, grounded and communal. Bagged brick blades softly zone spaces; built-in bench seating creates intimacy within a large open footprint; and the protruding dining nook frames the garden without heavy massing.
Materials remain earthy and consistent: full-height blackbutt windows, recycled brick, messmate island, hand-painted joinery panels concealing pantry and fridge. The kitchen’s minimalism feels purposeful — almost generous — leaving space for life rather than storing objects no one needs.
Outside, the courtyards perform — not just decorate. Summer brings indirect light and breezes; winter brings welcome warmth. Western herbs sit beside the kitchen, and above the living bench a void funnels light down from the ensuite, giving glimpses to tree canopies beyond.
At just 189 square metres, the house feels unexpectedly expansive, threaded with quiet surprises: framed pockets of garden, long sight lines to the street, and small moments that reveal themselves over time. Beyond the architecture, simple pleasures set the rhythm of family life: a fire pit, studio ping-pong, an edible garden, and a persimmon tree made for climbing.
