The Charnley-Persky House defies contemporary notions of home design. Its most prominent feature is a second floor balcony set against an otherwise plain and symmetrical brick block of a building. The wooden balcony boasts a classical colonnade, a frieze decorated with geometric patterns and a balustrade prominently embellished with Sullivan’s signature foliage and pods (or ovals).
It is supported on wooden beams that are reminiscent of the domestic architecture of classical antiquity. An emphasis on the horizontal and a lack of adornment (on the majority of the façade) are the main characteristics distinguishing this as a modern, as opposed to historical, structure.