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.

Legacy at Silverleaf

AFT Construction

This home features many timeless designs and was catered to our clients and their five growing children

Emerald Fields

Benjamin Marcus Homes

Hendricks Churchill New Farmhouse

Amanda Kirkpatrick Photography

Farmhouse on the Prairie

Range Custom Homes

For this home, we really wanted to create an atmosphere of cozy. A "lived in" farmhouse. We kept the colors light throughout the home, and added contrast with black interior windows, and just a touch of colors on the wall. To help create that cozy and comfortable vibe, we added in brass accents throughout the home. You will find brass lighting and hardware throughout the home. We also decided to white wash the large two story fireplace that resides in the great room. The white wash really helped us to get that "vintage" look, along with the over grout we had applied to it. We kept most of the metals warm, using a lot of brass and polished nickel. One of our favorite features is the vintage style shiplap we added to most of the ceiling on the main floor...and of course no vintage inspired home would be complete without true vintage rustic beams, which we placed in the great room, fireplace mantel and the master bedroom.

Ranch Style Conversion

Reef Design Build

Connie White

Allentown, Pa New Build Pennsylvania Custom Farmhouse and Barn

lisa furey interiors

North Tustin - Addition and Remodel

Pacific Coast Builders, Inc.

This living space is part of a Great Room that connects to the kitchen. Beautiful white brick cladding around the fireplace and chimney. White oak features including: fireplace mantel, floating shelves, and solid wood floor. The custom cabinetry on either side of the fireplace has glass display doors and Cambria Quartz countertops. The firebox is clad with stone in herringbone pattern. Photo by Molly Rose Photography

The Hunter - Kirkland WA - Family Room

Enfort Homes

The Hunter was built in 2017 by Enfort Homes of Kirkland Washington.

A Renovated Reproduction

Meadowlark Design+Build

A wood burning brick fireplace with extra high ceiling is the centerpiece of the family room in this traditional home. This was part of a whole home renovation done by Meadowlark Design + Build in Ann Arbor, Michigan