let there be light
The main issue with this home was to do with the orientation it was built! The two large sliding doors are built at an angle and facing a simply stunning view of Mt. Taranaki. This is lovely, however locals to New Plymouth will know this is the south side and therefore cold and dark. All of the light comes streaming into the second lounge at the front of the house which was sunny and could get incredibly hot in the summer while the rest of the house was left in the dark. Working on the layout design to open up the space while retaining separate living areas was such a fun challenge. I toyed with a couple of options including a full wall of glass before we landed on this compromise to get light as well as having a back to back fireplace for warmth and ambiance in the winter.
We had fun playing with both sides of the fireplace using a concrete render on the main living room side and tongue and groove (which tied into the kitchen) in the media room side which is sleeker. Adding the timber ceiling and dark walls gives the room a warm moody feel without being dark and overwhelming. It still feels inviting but with a level of cosiness brought in through texture of the carpet, curtains and the finishes mentioned before.
Early 2000’s builds are full of fun angles! I’ve worked on a few of them now and it seems to be a time period where houses were built with lots of quirky 45 degree angles and this house was no exception! Renovating the kitchen and opening up the space while working in with these angles added to the challenge but we managed to find a balance that worked. Rob at Kitchen Inn did a great job with the cabinetry going into the end point of the kitchen. This allowed us to square off the media room and open up the entrance so it flowed into the living space leaving the perfect space for an entrance console.