Continued Rigour – Normanby House by Pleysier Perkins

Expressing the differences between the old and new, Normanby House comes together as a heritage home with a contemporary addition matching in significance and grandeur to the original. Pleysier Perkins references the detail and rigour of the previous chapter in crafting the new, which extends outward deeper into the site.

Located in Brighton amongst similar generously-scaled homes, Normanby House draws from the firmly grounded past of the home originally built in the Victoria era and crafts an addition that sits in contrast. Instead of attempting to blend or fuse the two chapters together, the new is added as its own element of pride, elevated to match its predecessor. A continued appreciation of volume and proportion is then carried through into the new extension, with a generosity that carries throughout the home, regardless of its build date. The addition sees Pleysier Perkins make a statement regarding how contemporary homes are occupied today by comparison and how the dissolving of traditional separations allows for the coming-together of occupants, both for social and more intimate moments.

Instead of attempting to blend or fuse the two chapters together, the new is added as its own element of pride, elevated to match its predecessor.

In their enduring nature, the Victorian details are testament to their makers, both in the level of craft and skill needed and their quality. In conjuring the new elements of the home, which is built by RCON and has landscape design by Eckersley Garden Architecture and Signature Landscapes, Normanby House offers a modern take through expressive detail. What is interpreted ornately in the original home is then sculpted as refined, linear and concealed in the new. Spread over three levels, the home balances the quiet and the louder spaces, with the new addition accentuating the original home through the use of darker cladding, receding into the surrounds.

The arched and central corridor acts as the main thoroughfare, framing a visual connection to the rear living space and out into the landscape. Instilling a sense of connection throughout was key. While the original remains intact, the embedded separation allows for recessive spaces to sit apart from the convening areas, creating a balance. The use of colour and a revised palette then brings a fresh and contemporary sensibility to the old, while the new is formed with more muted and controlled materiality to balance the openness and ensure the focus remains on the connection between inside and out and between the residents.

What is interpreted ornately in the original home is then sculpted as refined, linear and concealed in the new.

Normanby House captures the spirit of coming together, both as a family and within a home. Pleysier Perkins allow the original to continue to remain in its position as the face of the home, while opening up and creating more meaningful opportunities for connection within.