Periscope House draws light into a young family’s home, adding thoughtful solutions and flexible spaces to 1950s Art Deco foundations. Our clients engaged us to undertake a considered extension to their character-rich home in Malvern East. They wanted to celebrate their home’s history while adapting it to the needs of their family, and future-proofing it for decades to come. The extension’s form meets with and continues the existing roofline, politely emerging at the rear of the house. The tones of the original white render and red brick are reflected in the extension, informing its white Colorbond exterior and selective pops of red throughout. Inside, the original home’s layout has been reimagined to better suit a growing family. Once closed-in formal dining and lounge rooms were converted into children’s bedrooms, supplementing the main bedroom and a versatile fourth room. Grouping these rooms together has created a subtle definition of zones: private spaces are nestled to the front, while the rear extension opens up to shared living areas. A tailored response to the site, the extension’s ground floor addresses the western back garden, and first floor (AKA the periscope) faces the northern sun. Sitting above the open plan living areas, the periscope is a mezzanine that nimbly sidesteps the harsh afternoon light synonymous with a western facing back yard. It features a solid wall to the west and a glass wall to the north, emulating the rotation of a periscope to draw gentle light into the extension. Beneath the mezzanine, the kitchen, dining, living and outdoor spaces effortlessly overlap. Also accessible via an informal back door for friends and family, this generous communal area provides our clients with the functionality, spatial cohesion and connection to the outdoors they were missing. Melding modern and heritage elements, Periscope House honours the history of our clients’ home while creating light-filled shared spaces – all through a periscopic lens that opens the home to the garden.

Patching Residence

Dylan Barber Building Design

Living Room

Look Design Group

Contemporary and Cozy

Jefferson Street Designs

Larkspur Custom Home 2

Patterson Custom Homes

Chad Mellon Photography

Coral Cay

Laura Brophy Interiors

Coventry Lake Contemporary Stunner

Nosan Signature Homes

The spacious great room in this home, completed in 2017, is open to the kitchen and features a linear fireplace on a floating honed limestone hearth, supported by hidden steel brackets, extending the full width between the two floor to ceiling windows. The custom oak shelving forms a display case with individual lights for each section allowing the homeowners to showcase favorite art objects. The ceiling features a step and hidden LED cove lighting to provide a visual separation for this area from the adjacent kitchen and informal dining areas. The rug and furniture were selected by the homeowners for everyday comfort as this is the main TV watching and hangout room in the home. A casual dining area provides seating for 6 or more and can also function as a game table. In the background is the 3 seasons room accessed by a floor-to-ceiling sliding door that opens 2/3 to provide easy flow for entertaining.

Lake House New Construction

Leighanne LaMarre Interiors

Transitional Kitchen and First Floor Flock Remodel - Naperville

Redstart Construction, Inc.

Picture Perfect House

Casual Family Living in San Antonio Texas

BRADSHAW DESIGNS LLC

Casual comfortable family living is the heart of this home! Organization is the name of the game in this fast paced yet loving family! Between school, sports, and work everyone needs to hustle, but this casual comfortable family room encourages family gatherings and relaxation! Photography: Stephen Karlisch

Mid-Century Raised Ranch Remodel

The Artisans Group, Inc.

Winner of the 2018 Tour of Homes Best Remodel, this whole house re-design of a 1963 Bennet & Johnson mid-century raised ranch home is a beautiful example of the magic we can weave through the application of more sustainable modern design principles to existing spaces. We worked closely with our client on extensive updates to create a modernized MCM gem. Extensive alterations include: - a completely redesigned floor plan to promote a more intuitive flow throughout - vaulted the ceilings over the great room to create an amazing entrance and feeling of inspired openness - redesigned entry and driveway to be more inviting and welcoming as well as to experientially set the mid-century modern stage - the removal of a visually disruptive load bearing central wall and chimney system that formerly partitioned the homes’ entry, dining, kitchen and living rooms from each other - added clerestory windows above the new kitchen to accentuate the new vaulted ceiling line and create a greater visual continuation of indoor to outdoor space - drastically increased the access to natural light by increasing window sizes and opening up the floor plan - placed natural wood elements throughout to provide a calming palette and cohesive Pacific Northwest feel - incorporated Universal Design principles to make the home Aging In Place ready with wide hallways and accessible spaces, including single-floor living if needed - moved and completely redesigned the stairway to work for the home’s occupants and be a part of the cohesive design aesthetic - mixed custom tile layouts with more traditional tiling to create fun and playful visual experiences - custom designed and sourced MCM specific elements such as the entry screen, cabinetry and lighting - development of the downstairs for potential future use by an assisted living caretaker - energy efficiency upgrades seamlessly woven in with much improved insulation, ductless mini splits and solar gain

30 - Park City, Utah Residence

Magleby Construction

Upper East Side Duplex

Mahle Design LLC

Upper East Side Duplex contractor: Mullins Interiors photography by Patrick Cline

Mountain Star Custom Home

Sarah Carr Design

Ric Stovall

Westlake Remodel

Spaces Designed, Interior Design Studio, LLC

Remarkable focal points in each area aim to capture the personality of the homeowners – An elegant vintage chandelier that draws the gaze when sitting in the parlor, baroque hand made paintings that add a French colonial charm to the dining room and a stunning marble fireplace with a pattern that just takes the viewer’s breath away and adds glamour to the living room. A lighter toned color brightens up the entire space while creating a rustic and comfortable decor overall. Comfy Shag rugs on the sofas ensure the family dog has a cozy spot to snuggle in. A vintage area rug with hand-selected accessories in the cabinets around the fireplace finish out a gorgeous and welcoming room. Dining area chairs with a pop of blue around a sturdy round oak table personify energy yet are classically elegant. A lot of time, effort and of course, patience went into this 4-year project. But the end result is a balanced, harmonious space that reflects the personality of the people who use it, which is what good Design is all about.