The Evolving Family Home

Spaces that allow flexibility, autonomy, and togetherness were key to designing the ultimate family home in Dalkeith.

When it comes to multigenerational living, a trend becoming increasingly prevalent in Australia, the arrangement of a house is crucial in determining its architectural design, concept, and layout. Like a traditional family home, multigenerational living requires separate private and functional spaces, as well as communal areas that encourage connections between different generations.

The architectural concept for the Marlin Court project in Dalkeith by Giorgi, the exclusive home builder Perth, hosts two families spanning three generations under one roof. Perched on an 11-metre cliff, the vertical layout of the three-storey house provides individual living units on different levels.  Each provides its inhabitants with personal space and facilities while maintaining proximity to communal gatherings. Despite the construction challenges, the site’s natural cascading landscape and topography were imaginatively leveraged to anchor both living quarters. “We dedicated the upper level to the parents providing an all-inclusive living space, while their children and grandchildren reside on the level below in their own fully equipped custom home,” architect Logan Dongray of Giorgi Luxury Home Builders in Perth explains. “The bottom level is a shared zone that extends to the alfresco, pool, and BBQ spaces for entertaining.”

The home’s interiors take a similar approach with a minimalist architectural palette, raw materials and angular and curved shapes, providing a simplistic yet dynamic backdrop for daily life. A considered palette of concrete, American walnut veneer and large-format ceramic floor tiles simultaneously project a sense of coolness and warmth while curvaceous voids and organic ceiling forms reference the home’s waterscape location. The contrast between the natural landscape and the concrete gives the home a unique sense of place. Circular and angular windows, skylights, and floor-to-ceiling glass panes frame views, allowing for natural light, breezes, and a connection with the river that tempers the interior spaces.

The home focuses on space and volume, taking a holistic approach to home design to meet the family’s aesthetic and practical needs as well as WA’s unique lifestyle. The lower level features a six-car garage with a car lift, wine storage area, cellar, workshop, and a change room that serves the outdoor area shared by the two families. This outdoor space includes an infinity pool, spa, expansive dining and lounge areas, and a conversation pit, all enveloped by simplistic yet lush gardens and landscape.

The two fully equipped modern residences featuring smart home design occupy the upper levels and comprise five bedrooms, each with an ensuite and walk-in robe, offices, custom kitchens with generous walk-in pantries, and dining and living spaces. The home’s architectural design drives internal custom features imbuing spaces with warmth and texture, such as the Caesarstone kitchen island bench, which features, like the home’s architecture, smooth curves and cantilevered planes, as well as custom walnut veneer joinery.

“The interplay of outdoor and indoor areas and the creation of social and spatial boundaries are key to the home’s success, not only for multigenerational living but also as a house with lasting appeal,” Dongray  says.  “Marlin Court beautifully showcases how interiors can balance privacy and shared gathering without compromising excellent structural layout and innovation.”

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