Poulter Fraser Residence

Project Description

This 3 storied residence was designed by Geoff White of Miller, White & Dalziel and built in 1982. While the owners overall loved the residence, it did have flaws that impeded on the way they wished to interact with the house. The kitchen & dining room had stunning views over the harbour & town and caught the morning sun. However it was totally disconnected to the rest of the house including the rear courtyard overlooking the town belt. They tended to use the kitchen/ dining space as a living area during winter to reduce heating costs and so sat in an isolated 'seratone box' with no sunlight from midday. My clients had been told by others to modernise the house by knocking out walls & painting out the beams & timber features with a neutral colour, however I suggested something different . . . . . I reminded my clients that the house was in its 'ugly duckling' stage all houses go through as people look back at previous generations design styles. The 1970 architectural style was not back in vogue, yet. However it would have it's time again, as you can see with the retro 1950, 60's styles that are currently in vogue. I advised not to modernise the house by ignoring its origin. I wanted them to embrace the house for what it was & accentuate the 1970's through the materials we selected. While it would be obvious that the residence had been redecorated, I wanted the structure of the house to look like it had always been there. The solution for the kitchen & dining area was to turn it around to face the hallway & living area. A new internal timber window was created between the hallway & kitchen in the same style as the original sitting room window. This allowed morning light into the hallway area and visually linked the kitchen / dining to the hallway, living area & sitting room. Cavity sliding doors were placed between the kitchen/ living & hallway areas so they interacted with the rest of the home but could be closed off if required in the winter months. We insulated all external walls that were being relined with high spec insulation. The house now has continuity and is warmer overall due to being able to track the sun throughout the day and retain the stored heat. The clients note that their heating costs have reduced. The 70's feel was captured by the material selection: The kitchen has a full wall of mosaic sized metallic copper-coloured tiles. These tiles were also used on the island bench & coffee machine nook to draw your eye through the kitchen. Smoked glass was used for the table cantilevered off the island bench The detailing of the new dark stained timber joinery matched the original joinery. A wallpaper feature wall in a style reminiscent of the 70's big bold patterned wallpapers was used. Note when the cavity slider door is closed the wallpaper matches perfectly. Throughout the home we put stunning Cavalier Bremworth Curlicue carpet, which is a heavy-weight chunky cut pile made from 100% New Zealand individually felted wool strands. Both visually and from a tactile perspective it feels luscious underfoot and gives a shag pile effect. The clients love living in the home. They especially note the light, warmth and coherency of the home. It has become their oasis.