The brief to bring new life to a tired and outdated townhouse within the city’s premier seafront apartment development. Nestled between adjoining townhouses and restricted by body corporate conditions the most significant changes would be to the interior spaces.

The design approach was to develop a strong architectural framework that maximized the extensive view of the coastline. The existing rooms were reconfigured and designed to become an assemblage of complementary spaces drawing from the tones of the adjacent landscape. Blacks and greys taking cue from the sand and rocks of the coastline, textured dark timber grains from the gnarled Pohutukawa trees and layered screening both reed and paneled, referencing the partially obstructed views.

The hero in this story is the central steel spiral staircase. Folded steel treads overlaid with oak hug the rendered plaster wall. The slim steel rods tensioned from above provide an elegant edge casting shadows through out the day and surround a beautiful original Parisian street globe.

Photography by Jason Mann Photography.