Sage Bungalow

Mint-green pyramidal skylight above the kitchen at Sage Bungalow

A lightwell, set in the centre of a pyramidal ceiling, provides this compact, crafted kitchen with an unconventional feature.

Sage Bungalow kitchen renovation by Pac Studio, referencing shoji screen detailing and the client's Japanese heritage

Off-white cabinetry framed with blackwood timber battens concealing refrigeration at Sage Bungalow

Bespoke timber shelving and benchtop detailing at Sage Bungalow, echoing the existing bungalow's battened ceiling

The purposefully limited material palette is deployed with care. The patterning of blackwood battens recalls the linearity of shoji screening, and also connects to the timber features of the existing bungalow.

narrow green skylight shaft

Detail of linear blackwood batten patterning on kitchen cabinetry at Sage Bungalow

Sage Bungalow kitchen showing the transition between the new lightwell insertion and the original dining room ceiling

Original wood-panelled living room wall at Sage Bungalow, styled with ceramics and a bookshelf display

Corner reading nook at Sage Bungalow with sheer curtains, leadlight windows, and a built-in timber bench seat

Original timber-panelled entryway at Sage Bungalow, with leadlight glass door and window

Terracotta-tiled bathroom at Sage Bungalow with timber panelling and a floating vanity

Bedroom at Sage Bungalow with sheer curtains, exposed timber beams, and a black spindle chair

Bedroom at Sage Bungalow featuring sliding sage-green glass wardrobe doors set in a timber frame

Sliding shoji-style timber and glass panelling beside the kitchen entry at Sage Bungalow

Kitchen at Sage Bungalow with a mint-green pyramidal ceiling, timber cabinetry, and stone benchtops

Skylight lightwell at Sage Bungalow washing green-painted walls in natural light

Original heritage porch at Sage Bungalow with leadlight window, weatherboard cladding, and a timber bench

Sage Bungalow

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This newly renovated kitchen sits within an existing 1920s bungalow in Maungawhau Mt Eden, Auckland. The house, located at the end of a quiet suburban cul-de-sac, is a charming example of the Californian bungalow typology, with classic detailing, tongue and groove floorboards, high ceilings, kauri panelling and colourful leadlights among the existing features.

The back of the house however, had been modified with an aesthetically jarring 1980s addition. It looked out of place and had reached the end of its serviceable life. Working with our client, we sought to revitalise and reimagine the kitchen in ways that were sympathetic to the heritage, detail and craft of the existing bungalow. It was, however, an exercise in creating new identity, rather than recreating history.

As on many architectural projects, constraints—budget and footprint—lead to inventive solutions. Here, a key intervention was the introduction of a new lightwell, framed by a fresh, mint-green accented pyramidal ceiling, to the centre of the kitchen. This simple geometric insertion is not only dramatic, it spatially delineates the design ‘insertion’ from the existing dining room with its battened ceiling, as well as being practical, with the wash of natural light down into the kitchen.

To make the most of the compact space, the kitchen is meticulously planned to provide everything with a place, with some elements playing dual roles, such as the overhead cabinetry, which provides additional storage and creates a threshold between the open plan kitchen and dining spaces.

In a nod to Japanese aesthetics and our client’s heritage, the materials, colour palette and patterning are highly considered. Refrigeration is seamlessly concealed behind soft, off-white cabinetry, which is framed with carefully crafted blackwood timber battens. This subtle patterning detail, also applied with rigour to the bespoke shelving and benchtop elements, recalls the linear timber elements of shoji screening as well as the distinctive timber ceiling beams of the existing bungalow and the mullions of the window at the galley’s end.

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