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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