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Creating a Home That Not Only Looks Beautiful, But Feels Great
Every house, no matter its size, layout & orientation, has the potential to be a wonderful home, says this designer
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Who: Mario Tascone of Tascone Design
Where: West Perth, WA
In his own words: “For a home to be a joy to live in, it needs to be more than just functional and stylish – it should also feel good and personal to you, too. This largely comes down to a few key factors, namely light, comfort and sense of flow.
“Achieving all three can sometimes be harder than you’d imagined if you’re building or renovating – say if your property is narrow, hemmed in, or you have a less than ideal orientation. This is where a good building designer comes in,” says Tascone. With over 30 years’ experience designing beautiful custom-designed homes and renovations across Perth, Tascone has the trained eye to transform even the trickiest of blocks and properties into an inviting and comfortable home.
Where: West Perth, WA
In his own words: “For a home to be a joy to live in, it needs to be more than just functional and stylish – it should also feel good and personal to you, too. This largely comes down to a few key factors, namely light, comfort and sense of flow.
“Achieving all three can sometimes be harder than you’d imagined if you’re building or renovating – say if your property is narrow, hemmed in, or you have a less than ideal orientation. This is where a good building designer comes in,” says Tascone. With over 30 years’ experience designing beautiful custom-designed homes and renovations across Perth, Tascone has the trained eye to transform even the trickiest of blocks and properties into an inviting and comfortable home.
Building designer Mario Tascone established his award-winning, Perth-based practice in 1987. “I love the creative aspect of my work, as well as the personal interaction with my clients,” he says.
“Every detail matters when you’re creating someone’s home as it affects how they and their family live on a day-to-day basis. It’s challenging, but ultimately very rewarding.”
“Every detail matters when you’re creating someone’s home as it affects how they and their family live on a day-to-day basis. It’s challenging, but ultimately very rewarding.”
Tascone is known for designing contemporary homes with timeless and versatile floor plans that adapt to a family’s changing needs over the years.
“Good, long-term design is always the priority with a custom-designed home or renovation,” he says. “When a home works both functionally and aesthetically for a client both now and years down the track as their children grow, that is the greatest reward for us as designers.”
Here, Tascone shares three key ingredients for creating a joyful, long-term home – and how to achieve them, even in challenging locations.
“Good, long-term design is always the priority with a custom-designed home or renovation,” he says. “When a home works both functionally and aesthetically for a client both now and years down the track as their children grow, that is the greatest reward for us as designers.”
Here, Tascone shares three key ingredients for creating a joyful, long-term home – and how to achieve them, even in challenging locations.
Builder: Studium by Todd Huxley.
1. Light & cross breezes
“Having plenty of natural light is the first step to making a home feel inviting – and for this, generous, well-positioned glazing is key,” says Tascone. “Light is not only a natural mood lifter, but having views to the garden creates that all-important connection to nature.
“Ideally, orient your windows or glazed doors towards the north so you can enjoy warmth and light inside your home on winter days, with window shading in the form of roof overhangs or eaves to keep out the harsh sun in summer,” he says.
But if your windows are small or your living areas aren’t facing north, don’t despair. “In these situations, we look to find creative ways to bring in the light. You might, for example, add a skylight in the ceiling or a light shaft that captures light from another part of your home and directs it where you want it. Or, if your home is narrow and poorly oriented, you might consider adding an internal courtyard in the middle of your floor plan,” he says.
Another way to capture the light is to go upwards. “If you’re extending, consider elevating the new addition and adding a row of highlight windows around the perimeter to draw in light from above – this solution also works well if your house is surrounded by taller properties that block out your light,” he says.
In this new build in Quindelup, south-west of Perth, Tascone specified stacker-sliding doors on both sides of the kitchen/living/dining area to create a cooling cross-breeze effect, while providing uninterrupted bush views on one side and ocean views on the other.
1. Light & cross breezes
“Having plenty of natural light is the first step to making a home feel inviting – and for this, generous, well-positioned glazing is key,” says Tascone. “Light is not only a natural mood lifter, but having views to the garden creates that all-important connection to nature.
“Ideally, orient your windows or glazed doors towards the north so you can enjoy warmth and light inside your home on winter days, with window shading in the form of roof overhangs or eaves to keep out the harsh sun in summer,” he says.
But if your windows are small or your living areas aren’t facing north, don’t despair. “In these situations, we look to find creative ways to bring in the light. You might, for example, add a skylight in the ceiling or a light shaft that captures light from another part of your home and directs it where you want it. Or, if your home is narrow and poorly oriented, you might consider adding an internal courtyard in the middle of your floor plan,” he says.
Another way to capture the light is to go upwards. “If you’re extending, consider elevating the new addition and adding a row of highlight windows around the perimeter to draw in light from above – this solution also works well if your house is surrounded by taller properties that block out your light,” he says.
In this new build in Quindelup, south-west of Perth, Tascone specified stacker-sliding doors on both sides of the kitchen/living/dining area to create a cooling cross-breeze effect, while providing uninterrupted bush views on one side and ocean views on the other.
Builder: Distinctive Homes.
2. Good traffic flow
“Whether you’re designing a new home or renovating an older one, aim to keep the floor plan as simple as possible,” says Tascone. “A home feels far more calm and liveable if you can move freely from one end to the other, and between inside and out, without having to make any awkward twists and turns.
“Create a sense of space and openness by avoiding uncomfortably long and narrow hallways or traffic routes between zones. Also bear in mind the size and position of your furniture – it shouldn’t block the flow of traffic.
“When we design a home with an open-plan living/kitchen/dining area, such as this one in Applecross, Perth, we aim to seamlessly connect them from every angle. Sight lines are also key; as a rule of thumb, it’s always more pleasant if you can see right across the entire living and dining space from behind the kitchen island, as well as through to the outdoor entertaining area and garden,” says Tascone.
2. Good traffic flow
“Whether you’re designing a new home or renovating an older one, aim to keep the floor plan as simple as possible,” says Tascone. “A home feels far more calm and liveable if you can move freely from one end to the other, and between inside and out, without having to make any awkward twists and turns.
“Create a sense of space and openness by avoiding uncomfortably long and narrow hallways or traffic routes between zones. Also bear in mind the size and position of your furniture – it shouldn’t block the flow of traffic.
“When we design a home with an open-plan living/kitchen/dining area, such as this one in Applecross, Perth, we aim to seamlessly connect them from every angle. Sight lines are also key; as a rule of thumb, it’s always more pleasant if you can see right across the entire living and dining space from behind the kitchen island, as well as through to the outdoor entertaining area and garden,” says Tascone.
Builder: Studium by Todd Huxley.
3. Year-round comfort
Often it’s the unseen elements in a home that determine how relaxed and comfortable you’ll feel in it – and insulation is a great example, says Tacone. “Quality insulation in your walls and ceiling is an important investment as it helps keep the interior of your home comfortable, whatever the weather, while reducing your heating and cooling costs.”
Appropriate glazing for your home’s location and climatic conditions is also crucial; “Double glazing is generally the preferred option, but it is expensive. If you’re more concerned about noise than temperature control, you might consider more affordably priced acoustic glass. Or, if temperature control is a priority but you’re watching the budget, consider low-e (low emissivity) glass, which will reduce summer heat and maintain winter warmth inside your home, for less than the cost of double glazing,” he says.
In this modern, mid century-style home in Quindelup, Perth – an area with cold winters – Tascone combined wall and ceiling insulation with low-e glazing to keep the interior of the home temperate, even on those chilly nights, while optimising the property’s views. The result? A family home that draws you in, while remaining thoroughly connected to its surrounds.
More: For more information on Mario Tascone and examples of his work, visit his Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
3. Year-round comfort
Often it’s the unseen elements in a home that determine how relaxed and comfortable you’ll feel in it – and insulation is a great example, says Tacone. “Quality insulation in your walls and ceiling is an important investment as it helps keep the interior of your home comfortable, whatever the weather, while reducing your heating and cooling costs.”
Appropriate glazing for your home’s location and climatic conditions is also crucial; “Double glazing is generally the preferred option, but it is expensive. If you’re more concerned about noise than temperature control, you might consider more affordably priced acoustic glass. Or, if temperature control is a priority but you’re watching the budget, consider low-e (low emissivity) glass, which will reduce summer heat and maintain winter warmth inside your home, for less than the cost of double glazing,” he says.
In this modern, mid century-style home in Quindelup, Perth – an area with cold winters – Tascone combined wall and ceiling insulation with low-e glazing to keep the interior of the home temperate, even on those chilly nights, while optimising the property’s views. The result? A family home that draws you in, while remaining thoroughly connected to its surrounds.
More: For more information on Mario Tascone and examples of his work, visit his Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Tascone Design is an all-encompassing Building Design and Interior Design Firm located in Perth, Western... Read More
Review by Adam and Elena Capolingua:
Tascone Design are the answer you are looking for! Having sat with a few designers, as soon as we sat down with Mario, we knew we had found 'the one'. Mario and the team from start to finish are unf...More