Remuera Renovation

The house already had good bones and they have been kept. Coffered ceilings, a deep bay window with a built-in seat, and generous proportions through the main rooms.

The living room works off that. A plastered fireplace surround runs floor to ceiling in a soft off-white, with the fire set into it as a clean horizontal slot. Against a room that pale, the furniture carries the colour: navy velvet armchairs with a fine stud detail, on a pale wool carpet.

The bathrooms are where the house takes more risk. The powder room is lined in a deep teal fluted tile, with an oval mirror, a timber floating vanity and a brass tap over a white basin. It is a small room doing a lot of work, and it is the most memorable space in the house.

The main ensuite goes the other way, quiet and grey, with mosaic to the walls, a timber vanity and black tapware. A second bathroom holds a freestanding bath beside a fully glazed shower.

In the dining room, joinery was built in either side of the window so the books and the display have somewhere to live, and the kitchen keeps a long stone island with stools along one side.