Weaving the owners’ childhood recollections into the materials of this renovated bungalow creates a meaningful family home.
When Sarah-Jane Paine and Laird Cameron moved to Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland from Te Whanganui-ā-Tara/Wellington, they bought a three-bedroom bungalow in Mount Eden. It was a cosy fit for their family of five. “The living room was very small. We had a three-seater couch for two adults, three children, a dog and a cat,” says Sarah-Jane. But the couple was taken by its potential for creating a home where they could anchor themselves, somewhere modern yet familiar, grounded in the memories and atmosphere of the homes that Sarah-Jane and Laird grew up in. After living in the house for a few years, they embarked on a renovation with Rogan Nash Architects.
Like every good architecture brief, theirs had two sides: the practical and the experiential. Functionally, this entailed more bedrooms, larger living spaces, a home office, utility areas and a strong connection to the outdoors. Notionally, it was about creating a relaxing and social home, embedded with personal and cultural meaning. Sarah-Jane’s iwi hails from Te Urewera, with her childhood spent around Lake Waikaremoana, and Laird has fond memories of school holidays with extended family at their century-old bach in the Marlborough Sounds. “These two backgrounds shaped a brief that called for a home deeply connected to Aotearoa — a place that would reflect their stories, culture and the landscape,” says Eva Nash, who founded the architecture firm with Kate Rogan.
Working with a strict heritage overlay, Kate and Eva freshened up the bungalow’s façade and designed a long, low-lying addition that slips down the side of the house into the backyard. At the front, the light weatherboard exterior matches the traditional bungalow, while grey-green vertical cladding makes for a contemporary expression at the rear.
Inside the front door, a decorative timber corbel salvaged from the farmhouse where Laird’s father grew up marks the transition between old and new. The bungalow now houses the private spaces: four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a walk-through wardrobe. A large window in the main bedroom frames a beautiful pōhutukawa in the backyard. “The bungalow is slightly elevated and at a similar height to the canopy, so the bedroom has a treehouse vibe to it,” explains Sarah-Jane.
New fluted wall panelling adds to the traditional character of the house. The fluting continues in rippled, red tiles in the bathrooms, which draw the pōhutukawa’s colour inside.
The extension hosts the public spaces: the kitchen, dining area and living room, as well as an office, laundry, powder room and snug. The entry hall is dramatic, with dark grey, gently veined tiles lining the wall, like the stratified rock face in the Waikaremoana region. “We were thinking about how each line or piece of sand in the rock relates to the genealogy, the whenua and the whakapapa,” says Kate. “It’s a literal reference to the landscape, and a metaphorical reference to heritage.” As shafts of sunlight stream through skylights in the timber ceiling, it enhances the cave-like sensation.
The hallway steps down into the kitchen and dining area — a favourite space for the family to be together and to spend time with friends. Large sliding glass doors open the room to the patio, capturing the afternoon and evening light and providing plenty of space for life to spill outdoors.
Materially, the kitchen is rich and textural with woodgrain cabinetry, brass hardware and a sage-green mosaic-tile splashback. Taking centrestage, the granite island benchtop with its stormy wave-like veining evokes the colours of the valleys around and waters of Lake Waikaremoana, and a three-dimensional zigzag tile beneath almost appears to ripple as you walk past. “We liked the movement that came through,” explains Kate.
Adjoining the kitchen, a bar area provides more benchtop and storage, and showcases Sarah-Jane and Laird’s collection of cherished ceramic and hand-turned wooden pieces. Above, highlight windows filter the morning sun into the dining area, where the table is another family heirloom.
A curved timber screen between the dining and living areas offers subtle separation and a layering of space, while maintaining the openness and sense of togetherness. Its battens wrap around the edge of the floor and stairs leading down to the living room before glass doors peel the corner away and life flows out to the timber decking — much like the bach where Laird holidayed. An outdoor fireplace provides a warm hub to gather around in winter and is a subtle reference to rural life.
In addition to creating the larger spaces that bring the family together, Kate and Eva considered smaller, transient moments. One of those is the light-filled corner nook next to the dining table, where a picture window overlooks the garden. “We create these spaces for pause and reflection as you journey through the house, and where you can rest or do your own thing within the larger space,” says Eva.
The children also have a snug where they can relax, play games and hang out with friends. Here, the berry-red palette is also inspired by the pōhutukawa, and there’s a generous use of velvet alongside wooden antiques Sarah-Jane’s parents collected. The richly detailed wallpaper comes alive with majestic kererū. “They’re prolific in the Urewera forest and around Waikaremoana, so it’s another fun reference to the place that is very special to me,” says Sarah-Jane.
Masterfully weaving tradition and heritage with contemporary living and a modern aesthetic, this house now reflects its owners and provides the family with a place of belonging. “It was important to create a home for ‘us’ and to bring in fond memories we each have of our childhood homes and the places that are special to us. It’s that familiarity that makes it feel like our family home,” says Sarah-Jane. It’s also a home where their children will create memories that they can fondly look back on or carry into their future homes, continuing the connection to whenua and whakapapa.
Words Rebecca Gross
Photography Simon Wilson
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