Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 10 New Zealand | Page 123

In terms of what lies beyond, the front of
the house gives little away. Narrow windows
frame a large concrete panel, with frosted glass
providing privacy for the master suite behind.
A pivoting front door opens to the entry
within a void that is almost two storeys high.
Wilson says the ceiling levels vary throughout
the house, depending on the space.
“The changes in height make the scale a little
harder to read, which is interesting visually –
there is a sense of ambiguity,” the architect says.
A dark-stained timber wall defines one side
of the key circulation route down to the family
living space at the rear, where the kitchen
occupies the central space.
“This kitchen is similar to our original plan,”
says Wilson. “It is literally the heart of the
home – we wrapped the house around it, so the
kitchen is a seamless part of the architecture. The
entire house flows, both visually and practically.
All the walls are white, so the kitchen cabinetry is also white. But we specified a high-gloss
lacquer to give the cabinets a reflective quality
and to make them different to the walls.”
The interior designer specified warm neutral
furnishings to complement the monochromatic
architectural palette.
“The downstairs area is more of an adult
space, so this is a little moody, with an Italian
feel, while the children’s area upstairs has a
brighter, slightly Scandinavian look,” she says.
“There was not a lot of furniture we could re-use
from the original house – the contemporary
architecture needed a more minimalist interior.
There are some bespoke furniture pieces, such
as the cabinets in the living areas.”
Both the family living area and formal
lounge open up to a large, covered terrace with
an outdoor kitchen and gas fireplace. Operable louvres in the roof above the deck can be
opened to let in the sun in winter, and closed to
keep the area shaded through the summer.

Preceding pages: A dark-stained
timber wall lines one side of the
main circulation axis – an Italian café
influence from the owners’ time
spent living in Australia.
Left, top and lower: The living areas
include a media room with bespoke
cabinet, and the formal lounge.
Top and above: The master suite
opens to a private courtyard.
Hexagonal Carrara marble tiles line
the walls of the guest bathroom.

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