Interior Spaces: Serenity in the city

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The brief called for warm, relaxed, calm and timeless materials.

The brief called for warm, relaxed, calm and timeless materials. Image: Jackie Meiring

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Cabinetry was designed not only for storage but also to divide open-plan spaces and add warmth to the interior.

Cabinetry was designed not only for storage but also to divide open-plan spaces and add warmth to the interior. Image: Jackie Meiring

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The apartment needed to accommodate both the clients and their mother/mother-in-law in her own private space.

The apartment needed to accommodate both the clients and their mother/mother-in-law in her own private space. Image: Jackie Meiring

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An elegant, defined lobby space offers a real sense of entry.

An elegant, defined lobby space offers a real sense of entry. Image: Jackie Meiring

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Rooms that had once felt closed-in now feel generous in size and layout, with storage cleverly added throughout.

Rooms that had once felt closed-in now feel generous in size and layout, with storage cleverly added throughout. Image: Jackie Meiring

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Clear spatial boundaries between the bedrooms enable each of the generations to have their own sense of space and privacy.

Clear spatial boundaries between the bedrooms enable each of the generations to have their own sense of space and privacy. Image: Jackie Meiring

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Fine details, such as handleless cabinetry, added luxury and refinement.

Fine details, such as handleless cabinetry, added luxury and refinement. Image: Jackie Meiring

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Switching the master bedroom and en suite with the kitchen and dining area was deftly handled to work around the main plumbing stacks.

Switching the master bedroom and en suite with the kitchen and dining area was deftly handled to work around the main plumbing stacks. Image: Jackie Meiring

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Four Walls Architecture’s proposed refresh of a 1980s’ apartment in a landmark Auckland building morphed into a total reconfiguration. Amanda Harkness considers the final result.

When Claire Paterson and Amy Hendry’s clients wanted to “start afresh with their tired apartment”, no one foresaw that the planned refurbishment would become a wholesale refit to a stripped-back shell. But, as the designers delved deeper into the needs of the brief, the potential of the floor plan became more apparent.

“The apartment needed to accommodate both our clients and their mother/mother-in-law in her own private space, so we were designing for how they would live in it, not for resale or current trends,” explains Paterson. The brief called for “warm, relaxed, calm and timeless materials and tones with a luxury feel, and to celebrate the 180-degree views to the city and harbour”.

The apartment needed to accommodate both the clients and their mother/mother-in-law in her own private space. Image:  Jackie Meiring

The transformational redesign has provided an enhanced connection to the sea and cityscapes, and improved both spatial flow and quality. An elegant, defined lobby space offers a real sense of entry where, previously, the lifts had opened directly into the apartment with no separation of private spaces. Rooms that had once felt closed-in now feel generous in size and layout, with storage cleverly added throughout. “We set clear spatial boundaries between all the bedrooms,” says Hendry, “enabling each of the generations to have their own sense of space and privacy.”

Switching the master bedroom and en suite with the kitchen and dining area was deftly handled to work around the main plumbing stacks. Image:  Jackie Meiring

A reduced material palette was carefully selected to enhance “a sense of refuge and quiet warmth”, including stained-oak veneer, travertine tiles, Corian and natural stone tops, and brass fixtures and detailing. Ceilings were raised within the inter-floor structural space to optimise height and delineate living areas, and cabinetry was designed not only for storage but also to divide open-plan spaces and add warmth to the interior. “Fine details added luxury and refinement, from handleless cabinetry to brass inlaid flooring trims,” says Paterson.

Switching the master bedroom and en suite with the kitchen and dining area was an inspired move, deftly handled by the architects as they worked around three main plumbing stacks. “We had to get creative with bathroom and kitchen design, so that all the fittings were well placed and functional.” This successful reconfiguration has opened the apartment up to sun, views and a sense of space that were missing in its original layout — a true transformation.

www.fourwallsarchitecture.co.nz

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