This Home Emphasizes the Tenets of Midcentury Modern Design

Little Big House

Text by Suzanne Hunt Architect

Our brief emphasised the tenets of mid-century modern design: individuality, colour and connection between family+house+garden. What resulted was the littleBIG ethos, a home that balances its modest budget and functional ambitions with the needs of a big family of two professionals and their five young children to grow, rest and play.   

Perfectly located 100m from Swanbourne beach, the 845sqm east-west facing wedge-shaped block sits uncomfortably between large homes in a small cul-de-sac.  The narrow east frontage was further impacted by a main sewer-line along the long northern side boundary, a BAL 12.5 rating and 9m/6m front/rear setbacks.

Suzanne Hunt Architect‘s brief emphasised the tenets of mid-century modern design: individuality, colour and connection between family+house+garden. What resulted was the littleBIG ethos, a home that balances its modest budget and functional ambitions with the needs of a big family of two professionals and their five young children to grow, rest and play.   

Perfectly located 100m from Swanbourne beach, the 845sqm east-west facing wedge-shaped block sits uncomfortably between large homes in a small cul-de-sac.  The narrow east frontage was further impacted by a main sewer-line along the long northern side boundary, a BAL 12.5 rating and 9m/6m front/rear setbacks.

Little Big House

littleBIG House takes advantage of its environment. The integration and connectivity of the architecture+interiors+landscape design was pivotal for this home to comfortably accommodate five children under 13.  Setback along the southern boundary shared spaces and bedrooms are steeped in light from the north and swept with the sou-westerlies. 

Seamless transitions extend the architectural lines of the interior outwards, while inviting the landscaping in with supporting courtyards. Providing a series of separate outdoor rooms, they expand the useable floor area to all boundaries, and provide visual connection across the site. The sky-blue Danpalon covered patio provides an all-weather communal entertaining area connected to the kitchen.  

The robust, low maintenance material palette of brick, timber and porcelain is integrated seamlessly internally and externally. Glazed white bricks sparkle as they ribbon around the first floor, while brick panels of taupe and chocolate ground the house and provide showcase feature walls inside.

External timber-boards line the garage and wrap around to the entry area, alongside the Besser block pool fence.

Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House
Little Big House

LittleBIG is an expression of the homeowners’ personalities. While the low maintenance, neutral external colour palette of the architecture settles the house into its locale, jellybean hues are used throughout the design against pared back cabinetry in Ply and Laminex, with black porcelain tops. 

It is through this eclectic use of colour we get to know each member of this family – Mexican tiles in the garden, child-led bedroom selections of vivid paint and wallpaper, to coloured glazing in blues and green that throw beautiful shadows on clean white walls. 

The seamless interior/exterior living spaces are furnished with the client’s collections – a lively mix of eclectic bric-a-brac, stylish vintage lighting and furniture reupholstered in vibrant fabrics, along with art, ceramics and signature plants. 

A bespoke handmade Tibetan rug in teal and autumnal tones in the sunken lounge grounds the interior design. The forms, line and flow of the architecture and interior palette are simple, colourful and joyful.  

This home is nuanced and playful. A canvas for the future, and a testament to the vision of our client.  

Little Big House

Photos by Jody D’Arcy