Clifton Hill Courtyard House | Studio mkn + Eliza Blair Architecture | Clifton Hill, Australia

• Project: Clifton Hill Courtyard House
• Architect: Eliza Blair Architecture
• Location: Australia, Clifton Hill
• Year: 2022
• Area: 224 m2
• Photography: Shannon McGrath

A Light-Filled Extension Reinterpreting a Victorian Worker’s Cottage

In the leafy inner suburb of Clifton Hill, Studio mkn and Eliza Blair Architecture have breathed new life into a late-19th-century weatherboard worker’s cottage. The Clifton Hill Courtyard House is a refined dialogue between heritage fabric and contemporary architecture, where a carefully proportioned brick and glass addition transforms the home into a light-filled, flexible family residence.

Designed to optimize northern light and southern garden views, the project balances heritage sensitivity, spatial fluidity, and sustainability. A two-storey garden studio at the rear extends the site’s livability, creating a lush backdrop and enhancing the home’s long-term adaptability.

Concept & Design Intent

The brief called for a comprehensive re-model of the existing 1890s cottage to accommodate a family with twin toddlers, a teenager, and frequent overseas guests. The architects’ response was guided by three principles:

1. Respect the original dwelling.

2. Maximize light on a narrow south-facing block.

3. Design for flexibility across generations.

Replacing a dated 1980s addition, the new extension introduces open-plan living spaces that engage directly with the garden while maintaining the cottage’s intimate scale. A central courtyard became the project’s organizing device — a source of daylight, ventilation, and visual relief within the elongated floor plan.

Spatial Organization & Flow

The reimagined layout unfolds through a sequence of light-modulated zones:

• Front Heritage Zone: The restored weatherboard cottage accommodates the master suite, two children’s bedrooms, a central bathroom, and laundry, preserving the street’s historic character.

• Central Courtyard: Inserted at the heart of the plan, this northern-oriented courtyard floods the interior with sunlight, offers cross-ventilation, and creates a sense of pause within the long hallway.

• Rear Extension: A brick and glass volume houses the living, dining, and kitchen areas, connected to both the courtyard and rear garden. This dual aspect ensures that natural light reaches deep into the plan.

• Garden Studio: Accessed via the laneway, the two-storey outbuilding functions as a multi-purpose space — part guest suite, part home office, gym, or teenage retreat — ensuring future flexibility.

The result is a zoned plan that accommodates multiple generations under one roof while maintaining openness and visual connection.

Courtyard as Climatic and Social Core

Though it occupies valuable floor area, the central courtyard is the project’s spatial and climatic heart. Its benefits far outweigh the reduction in backyard size:

• Sunlight & Warmth: The courtyard captures low northern sun, distributing warmth throughout the interior.

• Visual Relief: A deciduous tree provides seasonal variation and a calming focal point from multiple rooms.

• Zoning & Privacy: The courtyard naturally separates social and private areas while maintaining sightlines — ideal for supervising young children while offering older family members independence.

This courtyard typology — characteristic of contemporary Melbourne terrace renovations — transforms what was once a dark, narrow cottage into a breathing, light-responsive home.

Materiality & Detailing

The architectural language is one of balance between solidity and transparency.

• The rear extension employs robust brickwork for longevity and expansive glazing to invite light and connection to the garden.

• Inside, the palette remains soft and neutral — white walls, pale timbers, and natural finishes amplify light and create calm.

• The garden studio mirrors the main house in material tone while asserting independence through its verticality and laneway access.

Texture plays a subtle yet vital role: the coarse brick, smooth glass, and timber warmth create tactile continuity between interior and exterior spaces.

Sustainability & Performance

Sustainability guided every design decision, embedding passive and active strategies within the project’s DNA:

• Retention and adaptive reuse of the existing heritage structure.

• Passive solar orientation to improve living comfort year-round.

• Super-insulated walls and ceilings for thermal stability.

• Double-glazed windows and high-performance glass for energy efficiency.

• Thermal mass in the brick extension moderating internal temperature.

• Solar panels installed on the roof to offset energy use.

Together, these measures ensure Clifton Hill Courtyard House performs as efficiently as it looks refined.

Clifton Hill Courtyard House by Studio mkn and Eliza Blair Architecture is a masterclass in urban renewal and sustainable family living. Through its considered interplay of light, materiality, and proportion, the project turns a constrained heritage lot into a versatile, serene, and enduring home.

By combining heritage sensitivity, environmental intelligence, and spatial generosity, this residence stands as a benchmark for contemporary Australian domestic architecture — a home designed not only for today but for generations to come.