Deliberate Recalibration – Booth House by State of Kin

Returning to its 1970s-era roots, Booth House becomes an open love letter to its origins, grounded in exploration and new opportunity. State of Kin strips back the multitude of alterations added over the years to reveal the original and intended character of the home whilst readying each of its parts for an extended contemporary relevance.

Like many early suburban homes sited within Perth in the 1970s, Booth House was designed and built as a time capsule among some iconic and bold midcentury offerings. Reflective of the innovations that allowed for the use of longer spans of glass within a more residential setting, the contemporary renovation reawakens playful curiosity and outward connections. Unearthing and returning the home back to these grounding principles, therefore, became a formative part of the recent brief. Awaiting official inclusion on the heritage list, and reflecting the many owners it has had over the years, the home needed a high-level realignment.

Reflective of the innovations that allowed for the use of longer spans of glass within a more residential setting, the contemporary renovation reawakens playful curiosity and outward connections.

Originally designed by Bulgarian-born architect Iwan Iwanoff, whose explorative work also featured a brutalist sensibility, the home’s return to this narrative was imperative for State of Kin. Located in City Beach, and with influences from the likes of Palm Springs, the stripped back and reworked structure is shaped by a new contemporary identity, with hints to its ‘Iwanoff’ modernist character. In opening and aligning the planning with a more free-flowing movement, the interior and surrounding landscape are once again reconnected. Throughout the home, the signature interplay of texture and light that Iwanoff was known for is subtly re-introduced.

The new restoration works become a venture into the simplicity of returning architecture to the original conceptual principles whilst avoiding a faux or unauthentic replication. By connecting the spaces to the site, past and present, the interweaving of volumes can capture those who currently reside within. With a gentle touch, State of Kin seeks to erase the marks left by time, meticulously revitalising what once was and ushering in a new era of design that reverberates with the spirit of respect, preservation and reinvigoration. Central to the endeavour is respecting the lessons of the past. By following a considered and directed movement across the site, an intimate connection between interior and exterior is reignited.

The new restoration works become a venture into the simplicity of returning architecture to the original conceptual principles whilst avoiding a faux or unauthentic replication.

The mission of Booth House extended well beyond restoration and played into the original philosophy of accommodating the aspirations of modern living. State of Kin resets the canvas with reimagined spaces ready for a historically sensitive, contemporary occupation.