A typical two-storey 1930s bungalow in one of Remuera’s most well-known leafy streets had seen various small-scale renovations over the years.  These had modernised the interiors to a degree, yet the essence of the bungalow remained with small, separate rooms and a lack of open plan living and natural access to the outdoors.

The site itself is an odd shape, sitting on a bend in the road, which meant the full potential of the 1034m2 site had gone unused for decades. That changed when the current owners of this traditional home enlisted the services of architect Matt Pearson of Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects.

The brief was to modernise and extend the home, and the landscaping, while complying with stringent streetscape requirements designed to protect the heritage nature of the suburb.

The clients, a family of five including three young children, required spaces conducive to a busy, modern family life for the home.

To achieve a suitable palette and design language, a decision was made to juxtapose old and new rather than try to retain the essence of the 1930s vernacular in a contemporary extension. 

The result is striking in its overtly juxtaposed form, with a significant addition created in the form of five ‘boxes’ clad in dark, vertical cedar that essentially wrap around and connect with the horizontal weatherboards of the original home. There’s a heralding synergy and movement between light and dark, old and new, and vertical and horizontal. 

At the entranceway, there’s just a hint of what’s to come; a glimpse of the contemporary additions as it expands into the private, rear of the building where the neighbouring houses drop away to the west. This move also allowed the extension to meet heritage requirements.

“When you look at doing a contemporary addition to an old house, there should be bit of magic, a delight between the old and new,” Matt says, “Our approach has been slightly different to many modern residential additions, we wanted to show both styles of architecture intersecting."  

The first box incorporates the new entranceway and provides the initial glimpse of the striking juxtaposition, blending dark and light-stained vertical cedar with the original white horizontal weatherboards. Here, another key element in the new material palette is also introduced in the form of a concrete stair and entrance path. 

Inside the entrance gallery, dark-stained vertical cedar wall panelling is a key feature and provides a synergy with the exterior façade. Visitors are introduced to a Tasmanian oak floor and stair leading down to the new open plan kitchen and living area - the second ‘box’. Above it sits the third, which houses an additional two bedrooms, and adjacent to these at the rear, western edge of the site sit the fourth and fifth boxes, the pool house and garaging. 

Combined, their interactions with the original are contiguous and gracious as they converge around a Brutalist pool area flanked by concrete walls, glass fencing and textured grey tiles. 

That delight is clearly evident here with the creation of new, functional, relaxed interiors defined by timber and a light. A neutral palette is underscored by dark cedar features that turn gracefully inwards to the smaller spaces that still offer their original charm, yet are highlighted more clearly with the introduction of white and light hues. The Tasmanian oak flooring introduced throughout the old house reinvents the aesthetic in a modern way and offers a clear link to the new. 

Words: Clare Chapman