Trends New Zealand Volume 33 No 3 | Page 112

Top: Engineered oak floors contrast with white surfaces, for a refined look in the living area. Legend: 1 living, 2 kitchen/dining, 3 study, 4 bathroom, 5 master, 6 Walk in wardrobe, 7 ensuite, 8 drying room, 9 bedrooms Facing page: Solid stairs lead to the mezzanine study with riserless stairs continuing up to the master suite and other rooms on the new floor. search | save | share at level, with the seven steps from the living spaces to the dining area and further steps down to the garden negotiating the dropping ground level. “With the ‘60s refit gone we were able to create an open flow to the new rear yard with floor-to-ceiling glass doors and a wall-sized pic- ture window above,” says Firkin. “Inside, we divided up the soaring rear volume created by the drop away in two ways – vertically with a new mezzanine level, to be used as a study, and horizontally in terms of ceiling height and use.” Introducing the mezzanine floor naturally resulted in a low ceiling height directly beneath it and the architect slotted the contemporary, white perimeter kitchen into this central area. The other side of the rear volume is given over to the dining area. This achieves a refined air from the double-height void that rises above it, past the mezzanine to the 4.5m stud ceiling. “The sense of internal space is accentuated in other ways, too,” says Firkin. “The open-plan lounge looks down and through the dining area, creating long sightlines. Elements like the stairs and the gas fire are built into the internal formwork – for an uncluttered aesthetic.” In addition, the custom riserless stairs further