Family Room

Design ideas for a large contemporary family room in Other with white walls, plywood floors, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Large beach style open concept family room in Sydney with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a wall-mounted tv, timber and a ribbon fireplace.

Custom cabinetry in Dulux Snowy Mountains Quarter and Eveneer Planked Oak shelves. Escea gas fireplace with sandstone tile cladding.
Inspiration for a large beach style open concept family room in Sydney with white walls, light hardwood floors, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and panelled walls.

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.

Photo of a large beach style open concept family room in Geelong with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

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.

Rustic beams frame the architecture in this spectacular great room; custom sectional and tables. Photographer: Mick Hales
Design ideas for an expansive country open concept family room in New York with medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.

Fireplace Surround and Built-In Storage - Glenbrook Cabinetry
Inspiration for a large traditional open concept family room in Philadelphia with beige walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Inspiration for a large country open concept family room in Other with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Design ideas for a transitional family room in Indianapolis with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, brown floor and planked wall panelling.

Margaret Wright
Design ideas for a beach style family room in Charleston with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Mid-sized country open concept family room in Denver with a ribbon fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and white walls.

Country farmhouse with joined family room and kitchen.
Mid-sized country open concept family room in Seattle with white walls, medium hardwood floors, no fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, brown floor and planked wall panelling.

Photo of a mediterranean open concept family room in Dallas with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, brown floor and vaulted.

Mid-sized traditional loft-style family room in Other with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, brown floor, vaulted and panelled walls.

Inspiration for an expansive contemporary open concept family room in Houston with white walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, exposed beam and panelled walls.

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

After
Large transitional open concept family room in Orange County with beige walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, brown floor and a wall-mounted tv.

Inspiration for a transitional open concept family room in Denver with white walls, light hardwood floors, a tile fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, a ribbon fireplace and brown floor.