Houzz Tour: Shades of Japan in an Updated ’60s Gem
The zen-like nature of this renovated two-level home in Auckland brings an instant feeling of tranquility
The brief was clear for architects Dave Strachan and Martin Varney of Strachan Group Architects. They were commissioned to provide a home update that keyed into the owners’ appreciation of Scandinavian and Japanese design, while celebrating its original 1960s design and making the most of its leafy, secluded setting. “They had owned the home for 10 years and enjoyed its position among beautiful native trees,” says Strachan. “We came up with the plan to ‘recycle’ the building; it had good bones but needed more of a connection with its surroundings in both physical and visual ways.”
Clad in cedar weatherboard and with a low-pitch gable roof and exposed rafters, the original home was typical of its time. The spaces were small and impractical and the interiors gloomy. The home has been reconfigured in line with the needs and wants of modern living. Key to the changes was the creation of a ‘blade’ – a plastered wall that extends the original chimney breast to the outdoors where an alfresco fireplace echoes the interior one. Definite but delicate, the structural lines of the home are evocative of another time and place. The transformation has turned this unremarkable product of its time into an oasis of serenity and classic style.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A mature professional couple
Location: Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Size: Lower floor is 72 square metres plus 34 square metres of deck. Upper floor is 194 square metres (including 50-square-metre garage and 40-square-metre deck). On the upper floor is an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. There are two bedrooms (one with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe), a study, laundry, garage and deck. On the lower level is a self-contained guest apartment.
Clad in cedar weatherboard and with a low-pitch gable roof and exposed rafters, the original home was typical of its time. The spaces were small and impractical and the interiors gloomy. The home has been reconfigured in line with the needs and wants of modern living. Key to the changes was the creation of a ‘blade’ – a plastered wall that extends the original chimney breast to the outdoors where an alfresco fireplace echoes the interior one. Definite but delicate, the structural lines of the home are evocative of another time and place. The transformation has turned this unremarkable product of its time into an oasis of serenity and classic style.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A mature professional couple
Location: Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Size: Lower floor is 72 square metres plus 34 square metres of deck. Upper floor is 194 square metres (including 50-square-metre garage and 40-square-metre deck). On the upper floor is an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. There are two bedrooms (one with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe), a study, laundry, garage and deck. On the lower level is a self-contained guest apartment.
Alongside this 14-metre path, horizontal louvres bring a geometric elegance to the journey to the front door. Strachan’s son, Campbell Strachan of Strachan Group Landscape Architects, was responsible for the landscaping. He decided to break the lengthy path into separate steps – each stair seems to hover over the one before it.
A set of floating concrete stairs, softened by a fringe of native grasses, leads to the entrance. The new entrance to the upper level nestles beneath a flick of roof, a geometrical symmetry that is repeated above the garage on the other side. Vertical shiplap weatherboard cladding of the original home was dark-stained and the architects used Shadowclad exterior plywood on the additions. “The dark stain makes the home more contemporary in style,” says Strachan. Louvres provide natural ventilation and honour the 1960s era.
The owners are both fans of Scandinavian design and the furnishings they have chosen have a spare, pared-back aesthetic. Simple globe lightshades are in keeping with ’60s style. Custom-designed hoop pine shelving and cupboards were later additions, while carpets were lifted to reveal the original Victorian ash timber flooring.
In respect of the existing 1960s home, the design put great value in the craft of the building and paid special attention to the existing structural detail. The living and dining area is now an open-plan space achieved by the removal of a kitchen wall. New stacking cedar sliders allow access to the deck, which nestles beneath the trees. The floors and distinctive rafter ceiling were the best features of this area. Carpet was lifted and the floors sanded and finished. The rafters were stained in Resene Woodsman’s ‘Hackett Black’.
The fully renovated kitchen remains in a south-facing position in order to take advantage of the existing plumbing. Hoop-pine cabinetry and stainless steel benchtops with a square edge and satin finish were used. A partition to the laundry was removed to make this more of an open-plan space. The windows previously ran from floor to ceiling, but the base of these were filled in with ply to provide more warmth and containment.
The sliding windows installed above this allow birdsong to fill the space when the weather is fine, adding to that ‘glade-style’ sanctuary feel.
The sliding windows installed above this allow birdsong to fill the space when the weather is fine, adding to that ‘glade-style’ sanctuary feel.
Keeping the atmosphere modernist in mood, and with a focus on natural materials, the architects commissioned a custom-made pebble mosaic floor for the base of the open shower. They added some colour to offset the pale timber floors with sparkling glass mosaic wall tiles – Vixel in a Verde/Aqua mix from Artedomus. Finally, the team chose a wall-hung toilet to make the room feel less cluttered.
Behind the cedar wall in the master bedroom is a walk-in wardrobe. The wall does not reach up to the ceiling, which lends a feeling of spaciousness. The pared-back nature of the interiors is echoed in minimalist furnishings that complement the simplicity of space, form and materials found around the home.
When visitors come to stay, they can make use of the self-contained apartment on the lower level. This links seamlessly to a deck that seems to hover in the trees. The ribcage detailing of the ceiling here is new but makes its own statement that’s just as strong as the existing low-pitch rafters on the storey above.
Timber slats, battens and louvres allow an unencumbered connection with the leafy glade from every room. The dynamic play of light and shadow also enhances the everyday experience. On this walkway, the architects used acrylic-panel roofing to filter the light and keep that important link with nature.
The Warmington Nouveau fireplace ensures this outdoor area is just as inviting during the cooler months as it is in summer. A touch of Scandi style is evident in the woodbox where the log ends are perfectly presented, almost as a design feature.
Crafted around an existing ginkgo tree, the west-facing deck is the perfect place to read the Sunday paper. Greenheart timber (used regularly in the marine industry) was chosen for the decking. This is a superbly dense hardwood that is resistant to borer and weathers to a beautiful silvery tone.
Both indoor and outdoor spaces in this home have access to the peace and tranquility provided by the surrounding glade. As a nod to Japanese design, nature takes centre stage, with the help of simple materials and forms that also allow for a functional yet relaxing home for the owners; and with a lower-level flat that’s just as peaceful, friends and family are also invited to get away from it all.
Both indoor and outdoor spaces in this home have access to the peace and tranquility provided by the surrounding glade. As a nod to Japanese design, nature takes centre stage, with the help of simple materials and forms that also allow for a functional yet relaxing home for the owners; and with a lower-level flat that’s just as peaceful, friends and family are also invited to get away from it all.
Upstairs, the spaces were reconfigured to create a master bedroom with ensuite, a new main bathroom and additional bedroom. Downstairs, guest accommodation includes a patio area that looks out over landscaped gardens.
By retaining original features such as the Douglas fir rafters but defining the additions with timber battens and louvres that filter light and maintain open-ness, the renovation has created a Japanese aesthetic. “The timber slatting allows transparency to the design, while the strong horizontal elements settle the home into its environment,” says Strachan.
Rendered over the original brick, the plastered ‘blade’ wall was an integral part of the five-year renovation. The internal fireplace wall was continued so that it traverses to the outside and forms a backdrop to a newly created alfresco area with north-facing decks. The wall extends down into the lower level of the home to the guest accommodation. It’s an element that helps to unify the two storeys. In the guest kitchen, the island bench extends to become a bar leaner/diner.