Skip to main content

Wairangi Villa

Julian Guthrie Architecture logo
  • 3.3K profile views
Visit Website
The Wairangi house is a careful renovation and extension of a generous Victorian Villa in Herne Bay, Auckland. Read more
Visit Website

Thoughtfully renovated Victorian Villa in Herne Bay, featuring open-plan living spaces, elegant detailing, and seamless connections to mature gardens and pool area, designed to accommodate a modern art collection and entertaining needs.

The Wairangi house is a careful renovation and extension of a generous Victorian Villa in Herne Bay, Auckland. The original parts of the home were beautiful and in good condition, but prior alterations were poorly designed and didn't suit the families requirements anymore. The family has an extensive modern art collection and enjoy entertaining, so the home needed to accommodate these.

Our approach was to remove the prior additions, and reconfigure the layout to create generous open plan living spaces, with wide visual and physical connections to the existing mature gardens and pool area. The new spaces feature high ceilings and elegant tall timber window joinery, so the modern spaces continue the grand scale of the original villa. Interior detailing includes the insertion of fine steel glazed doors, which enable spaces to be divided but retain lots of light and visual space. Elegant cabinetry and finishes add to the rich experience of this home.

Photography by: Simon Wilson

Building style
Classic
0h 2m

Professional Reviews

1 / 5

“We have been clients of Julian Guthrie for approximately 20 years, within which period of time he has designed both renovations and new homes for us. The briefs have all been very different (including a new home, new beach house, and major renovation). Without exception, the results have all exceeded our expectations. Throughout the foregoing projects, Julian has also played an integral role in the management of planning requirements, and in the case of our home in Herne Bay, that process involved the complexity of obtaining consents to incorporate a character villa with additions that complemented the original home. His advice through that process, in addition to the design undertaken by him, was invaluable. In terms of that design work, we have no reservation in recommending Julian. He is an excellent communicator, and very skilled at translating a brief from a husband and wife (who do no always agree) into an outcome with which we have both been very happy. Our homes are personal to us, but undoubtedly a testament to Julian’s skills. Julian was also retained by my law firm to re-design and refit our offices. The offices are located in a challenging heritage building in the central business district. He had to take on board a number of individuals’ and personalities’ requirements in the brief. The end product, achieved in a very short duration, on budget, is outstanding. His relationship with the contractors on site was very good, all issues being resolved between them, with little input from us as clients in that process. That was of enormous value to us as busy professionals. We therefore have no hesitation in recommending Julian Guthrie and his team.”

Stephen Langton

Professionals used in
this project

The practices and trades credited on this project.

Next Project

Keep scrolling
Pauanui Beach House