The homeowners of this Edwardian residence in Auckland’s Ponsonby had just lately returned from Sri Lanka after they approached Katie Lockhart Studio. The household of 5 had visited a few of the late architect Geoffrey Bawa’s well-known tasks, discovering inspiration of their feeling and textures, which they hoped Katie might translate into their very own household residence.
Working throughout the renovated construction designed by Jack McKinney Architects, Katie was tasked with drawing on Bawa’s signature tropical modernist model, however in a way applicable to their New Zealand atmosphere, and distinctive to the household.
All rooms within the residence have been addressed within the renovation, alongside a brand new quantity added to the bottom flooring rear containing the open-plan residing, eating and kitchen space. With Venetian plaster partitions, terracotta flooring tiles that stretch to the outside, and walnut cabinetry that mirror the tactility of nature, it’s right here Bawa’s affect is most evident.
‘When my shoppers referenced Bawa’s work, I did numerous analysis across the materials palettes he had used and developed our palette off the again of this analysis,’ says Katie Lockhart, director of Katie Lockhart Studio.
‘A simplified palette meant that little consideration was taken away from the quantity that Jack had created. I used to be extra taken with concord than options.’
One other factor of Bawa’s work evident within the house is its fast connection to the outside. Given the comparatively modest block dimension, Jack and Katie got down to obtain this by means of modern means, comparable to a low-slung window that brings pool views into the inside.
Additionally constructed into the inside is a sunken flooring planter, which introduces greenery into the house that may be seen so far as the unique rooms of the house.
‘It was a giant dedication from the shopper and the builder to make this occur together with Jared Lockhart Design who did the entire panorama design, but it surely actually provides such a way of scale and delight to the house,’ says Katie.
‘As quickly as you stroll by means of the entrance door you possibly can see the highest of the plant which instantly offers you a way that this residence could be very totally different from what you may count on from its villa exterior.’
The house is a masterclass in reaching a minimalist, calm inside with out that includes a single plain white floor, and drawing the outside into a good city block.
‘It has modified it fully – unrecognisable aside from the entrance elevation to the road,’ says Katie. ‘I adore it all to be sincere; there’s such a stunning serene feeling in the home.’
