Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 13 New Zealand | Page 63

It’s always a balancing act for a renovation,
creating an open, modern home that at the same
time evokes the character of the original design.
The brief for this project was to reinvent a
one-level-plus residence on a sloping site into a
spacious three-level home with nods to the past.
Architect John Mills says the owners wanted
a floor for their daughters and a master bedroom suite for themselves that connected to the
sloping backyard rising steeply behind.
“The original period interior was a typically
claustrophobic arrangement of a corridor and
small rooms. This was virtually gutted, with the

basement dug out to incorporate a new lower
bedroom level. Prior to the renovation, a spiral
staircase had accessed a single top floor room
which has now been expanded as a complete
level, incorporating a study and master suite.
“Heritage rules required that the existing
street elevation was retained. However, new
contemporary fretwork complements the classic painted weatherboard and at the same time
hints at the modernity of the reworked interior,”
says Mills.
The front door opens into the central living
floor that separates the two bedroom levels.

Preceding pages: This renovation
by architect John Mills retains the
classic looks of the original exterior.
The only visible exterior reference to
a transformed interior are a new roof
peak and a modern fretwork design.
Above left: Flooded with sun, the
lounge has a dark wall tone. The
raised ceiling echoes the roofline.
Top and above: A Pacifica floral motif
is continued from the existing island
to the new custom kitchen cabinetry.

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