Our clients loved their elegant villa, but wanted to update it to suit their way of life and bring it into the 21st Century. After exploring a range of design options together, the result is a sunny comfortable family home that ticks all the boxes and makes the most of its fantastic location.
Located in an elevated position above Wellington’s Aro Valley, the existing 1900s house failed to take advantage of the site’s all-day sun and panoramic harbour view. It also lacked a decent sized family space and connection to outdoor spaces.
Our solution was to open up the north side of the house to the views and sun with a new family orientated open-plan kitchen, dining and living room. Two new outdoor areas are easily accessed from the house: an elevated deck bathed in morning and early afternoon sun and a compact sheltered courtyard that catches the last of the evening rays. The newly configured bedrooms make the most of the available space and the laundry, previously external, is now tucked away in a space-saving alcove in the bathroom.
Interior details are sympathetic to the old but do not mimic them. The new bay window in the dining area is a simple contemporary structure, embedded in a traditional villa veranda. New steel supporting structure is exposed rather than concealed. Architraves around interior doors have been replaced with a negative detail, but the original large skirting boards were retained. Doors are supersized at 2.4 metres high and plywood doors on industrial sliders have been added to the bathroom and study.
This project is a great example of close collaboration between client, architect, kitchen designer and builder - the end result speaks for itself.
Project Location - Aro Valley, Wellington, NZ