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A Colorful House That’s Built in a Backyard

After living overseas for years, this family returned to Northcote, in inner north Melbourne, Australia, to find that the housing market was too steep to be able to buy anything. They lucked out when an owner of a large piece of property agreed to subdivide her backyard to help her with retirement, giving them a piece or property they could afford. The owners and designers, of Architected, purchased the backyard and the result is the Northcote Laneway House, an environmentally-friendly, two-story house built around a garden.

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The L-shaped plan puts the living spaces, along with a home office and studio, on the ground floor overlooking the garden.

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Despite a limited budget, the house is full of fun, colorful elements making the home both personal and inviting. The wood floors are made from recycled 100-year old Tasmanian Oak floorboards from demolished houses.

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Low or zero VOC paints and finishes were used throughout keeping the interior safe for their second baby that was due around the completion date.

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The large, double glazed windows are all wood framed in Tasmanian Oak and because of the way the house was designed, cross-ventilation is utilized to help with heating and cooling costs.

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The red bricks are also from old demolished buildings and were originally made by a nearby company.

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Loving the yellow tile in this bathroom and how they laid out the tiles vertically.

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Photos by James Morgan Photography.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.