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With two rapidly growing kids came the need to create more space, including a separate second living room and adjoining private adult suite, to be slightly removed from the rest of the house.
The brief also asked for an overhaul of the fairly small backyard area where the family does the majority of their living. A pool, lawn, garden, deck and built in pizza oven were required.
With limited land area the design needed to be a study in proportion and space, accomodating the requisite rooms without becoming too big for the site and still incorporating the backyard living area.
The new master bedroom suite extends towards the rear of the site on the western boundary and opens to the garden via full height bi-fold doors. Cedar clad and stained black, this “stealth-fighter” form is faceted along its walls and roofline in a dramatic contrast to the white painted weatherboards and traditional gable of the original.
The form which is stepped down, further accentuating the feeling of separation, flows into the bungalow proper via a cedar wrap, blurring the junction between the old and new and incorporates a raised timber deck and built in pizza oven and outdoor kitchen bench.
The affiliated second living space and built in office opens on two sides ensuring plenty of sun and an outlook onto the hidden garden of lush native planting on the boundary, giving privacy from the western neighbour.
A kitchen overhaul created room for a butlers pantry and separate laundry and storage space. White cabinetry contrasts nicely with a black kitchen bench which is wrapped with timber at both ends, tying into the timber-lined ceiling in the dining area and corridor link to the new suite.
A spacious family bathroom, private ensuite and plunge pool complete the brief and this family home is well and truly ready to accommodate the needs of this soon to be teenage family.
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We're an architecture and design studio creating warm spaces for human connection. We believe architecture thrives on play and exploration, where clever solutions and clear dialogue create a dynamic interplay between all the elements of a project, bringing them all into balance.
Our directors, Tim Dorrington and Sam Atcheson, have spent over twenty years developing a design philosophy that's playful, balanced and inclusive. Clever solutions to interesting challenges are one of the hallmarks of our work, as is an eternally-youthful enthusiasm for creating truly transformative design. We like to think of it as delivering just enough surprise to truly delight our clients.
We're proud of the impact our team has made on the built environment of Aotearoa, with multiple NZIA Awards to our name and a roster of happy clients. We specialise in residential projects, but have also had success with retail and commercial environments.
Our approach is highly collaborative. While we often draw on the rich lineage of mid-century modernism, we're not design dictators. Every project is a response to site, budget and our clients dreams and objectives. It's an honest and open process, which reflects in the materiality of our buildings and the experience of the spaces we create.
Our design philosophy:
playful, human, balanced, clever, inclusive, transformative.
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