By Solari Architects
Renovated Theatre and Café into a 5 bedroom home.
Client objectives and goals were to re-think/re-design an old theatre containing a retail store, cafe and 3 bedroom flat, into a welcoming contemporary home for a growing, energetic family.
The house exists as two levels, with 310 sq m on the ground floor and the remainder as mixture of enclosed upper level spaces and an open mezzanine space that shares the main central volume that is the living space.
When working on this project we were inspired not only by the original building but its location and the energy of the family. Not wanting to disconnect the building from its historic roots in Lyall Bay we created a space that continued to reach out to its surroundings. We kept a sense of freedom throughout the home with a very generous double height central living space that introduced a formal lounge area before rolling into a causal family space effortlessly blended into the back yard.
"We wanted to turn this very large building with multiple floor levels, a mixture of vast open spaces and a tiny warren of rooms into a home that both children and adults could enjoy - whilst making the most of the natural light and views the site offered."
Solari Architects specialise in multi-unit, residential and commercial throughout NZ.
We take your vision from pictures, words, half-formed or full-formed ideas and “ya knows” and translate them into architecture representative of your values, goals and personality. Our strengths lie in multi-unit, residential and commercial architecture projects where we work on the small and the large.
We’re all about less ego, more client. We know it’s cliché but the world is a village and our reputation is everything. Our work is the most vocal representation of our brand.
That’s everything from the way we communicate with our clients, consultants and local authorities, the documentation of our work, our interaction with contractors and of course the quality of the build.
We are all a bunch of architecture nerds at heart. The challenge of a project, be it a complex site or budget constraints, is exciting as it forces creativity and ef ciency. We crave opportunities to solve real housing problems through great living solutions more than chocolate, coffee and wine combined. We continue to educate ourselves at all times to be the trusted advisors that our clients need us to be.
It all starts with a chat
We get together and you tell us what you’re hoping to achieve.
The things we’re interested in are: the project site, your timeframes, your expected budget and your vision. We’re always happy to show you our previous work and talk to you about how we can work with you. You can bring cuttings, mood boards, words, scribbles, Pinterest boards, music - just anything that helps us get an idea of what you’ve got in mind. Also, tell us who you are. Knowing a little more about your lifestyle, family, hobbies, goals and an entertaining story helps us put together a together a complete picture of requirements and allows us to give you an accurate quote for our services.
From there you can decide if you want to partner with us to work on your project (fingers crossed).