Photo of a mid-sized tropical open concept family room in Geelong with white walls, concrete floors, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace surround, grey floor and vaulted.

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

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.

Mid-sized beach style open concept family room in Toronto with medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a freestanding tv, white walls and beige floor.

This is an example of a mid-sized country open concept family room in Denver with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, grey floor and a home bar.

Was previously a red brick wood burning fireplace with a matching hearth. We refaced with MDF, Marble subway tile, Spectacular leather finished granite. The gas insert is a Kozy Heat Chaska 34, and the T.V. is a 4K Vizio. The flooring is BELLAWOOD 3/4" x 3-1/4" Select Brazilian Chestnut.

Martin King
Design ideas for a large traditional open concept family room in Orange County with beige walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Expansive transitional open concept family room in DC Metro with grey walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, brown floor, coffered and decorative wall panelling.

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

The great room opens out to the beautiful back terrace and pool Much of the furniture in this room was custom designed. We designed the bookcase and fireplace mantel, as well as the trim profile for the coffered ceiling.

This home is a bachelor’s dream, but it didn’t start that way. It began with a young man purchasing his first single-family home in Westlake Village. The house was dated from the late 1980s, dark, and closed off. In other words, it felt like a man cave — not a home. It needed a masculine makeover. He turned to his friend, who spoke highly of their experience with us. We had remodeled and designed their home, now known as the “Oak Park Soiree.” The result of this home’s new, open floorplan assured him we could provide the same flow and functionality to his own home. He put his trust in our hands, and the construction began. The entry of our client’s original home had no “wow factor.” As you walked in, you noticed a staircase enclosed by a wall, making the space feel bulky and uninviting. Our team elevated the entry by designing a new modern staircase with a see-through railing. We even took advantage of the area under the stairs by building a wine cellar underneath it… because wine not? Down the hall, the kitchen and family room used to be separated by a wall. The kitchen lacked countertop and storage space, and the family room had a high ceiling open to the second floor. This floorplan didn’t function well with our client’s lifestyle. He wanted one large space that allowed him to entertain family and friends while at the same time, not having to worry about noise traveling upstairs. Our architects crafted a new floorplan to make the kitchen, breakfast nook, and family room flow together as a great room. We removed the obstructing wall and enclosed the high ceiling above the family room by building a new loft space above. The kitchen area of the great room is now the heart of the home! Our client and his guests have plenty of space to gather around the oversized island with additional seating. The walls are surrounded by custom Crystal cabinetry, and the countertops glisten with Vadara quartz, providing ample cooking and storage space. To top it all off, we installed several new appliances, including a built-in fridge and coffee machine, a Miele 48-inch range, and a beautifully designed boxed ventilation hood with brass strapping and contrasting color. There is now an effortless transition from the kitchen to the family room, where your eyes are drawn to the newly centered, linear fireplace surrounded by floating shelves. Its backlighting spotlights the purposefully placed symmetrical décor inside it. Next to this focal point lies a LaCantina bi-fold door leading to the backyard’s sparkling new pool and additional outdoor living space. Not only does the wide door create a seamless transition to the outside, but it also brings an abundance of natural light into the home. Once in need of a masculine makeover, this home’s sexy black and gold finishes paired with additional space for wine and guests to have a good time make it a bachelor’s dream. Photographer: Andrew Orozco

Custom built-ins designed to hold a record collection and library of books. The fireplace got a facelift with a fresh mantle and tile surround.
This is an example of a large midcentury open concept family room in DC Metro with a library, white walls, porcelain floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and black floor.

Family Room, Chestnut Hill, MA
Photo of a large transitional open concept family room in Boston with beige walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

This is an example of a large transitional open concept family room in Salt Lake City with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a two-sided fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Family Room
This is an example of a mid-sized modern open concept family room in Miami with beige walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace surround, a built-in media wall and beige floor.

Large great room with floating beam detail. fireplace with rustic timber mantle and shiplap detail.
Inspiration for a beach style open concept family room in Other with a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, grey walls, dark hardwood floors and a ribbon fireplace.

The family room showcases a stone fireplace and large glazing. Photos by Eric Lucero
Photo of a large country open concept family room in Denver with dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.

Lioba Schneider Architekturfotografie
Design ideas for a contemporary open concept family room in Cologne with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and a plaster fireplace surround.

Photo of a large contemporary open concept family room in Baltimore with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.