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It was a case of right place, right time, that brought Jamie and Marika Perrow to The Glass House — a mid-century modern home breathtakingly suspended above the treetops in Castlecrag, NSW.
In 2022, Marika and Jamie returned to Sydney, after a decade living overseas, in search of a family home where they could raise their three sons, Sunny (13), Teddy (11) and Cassidy (7). Ideally, somewhere close to relatives and the coast for surfing, but they were also open-minded — aware of the post-COVID real estate market’s rapidly rising prices.
One listing kept popping up in their searches: The Glass House. Completed in 1957 by architects Bill and Ruth Lucas as their own family home, the residence was built as an innovative experiment, both in engineering and its ethos.
Made up of economical materials and off-the-shelf components, the slender steel-framed glass and timber construction invites the outside in at every turn, with floating walkways that make minimal impact on the steep bushland site below.
Meanwhile, the 140-square-metre floor plan is uniquely shaped around a central deck and a void featuring a towering tree. Today, it’s recognised as a seminal example of the lightweight, shelter-in-nature buildings designed in Sydney after World War II.
Despite its inclusion on the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2016, the architectural gem was in ‘terrible condition’ when Marika and Jamie first stepped inside.
‘Glass was cracked, decks were rotten, the roof had leaks, the floors were uneven. It was a huge and challenging project that no one else seemed to be willing to take on,’ Marika says.
And yet, the couple felt instantly compelled to give the special house a second life — bolstered by their deep appreciation of mid-century design and Jamie’s renovation skills.
‘He’s very hands-on and loves a project,’ Marika says.
Another twist of fate led the Perrow family to the perfect architect for the project, Peter Lonergan from Cracknell & Lonergan Architects.
Shortly after buying the property, Marika saw that Peter had curated an exhibition and self-published a book chronicling Bill Lucas’ work and his enduring legacy. As the custodian of the Lucas archives, Peter was uniquely placed to be their guide for the 12-month restoration that lay ahead: ‘His vision and understanding of it is unlike anyone else.’
The painstaking restoration was a collaboration between Jamie and Peter, who also brought in Bill Lucas’ son Peter Lucas, a skilled builder and master craftsman.
Conservation work included installing new decks, floors, glass, roof and the kitchen, which was all informed by original drawings, sketches, photos, and handwritten notes by Bill himself.
Every element was reshaped in The Glass House’s original image, ensuring the essence of the home and its floor plan remained very much intact.
Rooms inside don’t have traditional doors — in fact, none at all — forming an inviting, maze-like arrangement, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms located at the back of the house, overlooking the endless greenery of a nature reserve.
The front of the home features the kitchen, dining and two lounge rooms; one now nicknamed the ‘adult’s lounge’.
Marika notes while the house might be considered small, the floor plan is highly functional for their modern family of five.
‘Australia’s got such an enormous amount of space, and the houses seem to just be getting bigger and bigger, which I think was probably why the house was not appealing to a lot of people,’ she says.
‘But for us, coming from our 10 years abroad living in very high-density locations like Shanghai and New York City, we had been accustomed to smaller spaces. If anything, it forces you to be more connected with each other as a family, and with the natural environment.’
The Glass House’s immaculate restoration has since won a range of awards, all recognising how the ethereal abode models a different form of family housing that is modest, economical, and environmentally conscious.
Its structure remains utterly enchanting and, best of all, liveable, even 70 years since it was first built — a true testament to Bill and Ruth Lucas’ enduring visionary design.
An edited version of this story originally appeared in The Design Files Magazine Issue 04. Subscribe to the biannual print magazine here.
