This house was designed for longtime residents and devotees of Devonport. Their brief was to achieve a heritage looking house, built with modern durable materials, which would enable a classic Auckland lifestyle while appreciating the spaces and detail of a traditional Victorian villa.

A design was established for a single storey house with a wraparound verandah and bedrooms concealed in the roof space. This was possible within the tight site restrictions and planning rules, giving the house the appearance of a classic Victorian villa.

Elements vital to the look and feel of a villa were incorporated such as a generous central hall and stairwell, high stud walls and bay windows.

The front of the house was designed in a traditional manner with rooms off each side of the hall holding a cosy but grand parlour, an office/study and bedrooms. The rear of the house offers an open-plan kitchen, dining and family space that opens onto the back yard through several sets of doors. The upper floor holds the master bedroom, ancillary rooms and a guest suite.

Considerable care was taken to give the rooms the correct proportions, lighting, details and finishes in keeping with the Villa theme.

Concealing the upper level rooms from view from the street preserved the appearance of a villa, while still enabling sufficient natural light penetration into those spaces.