NZ Renovation Trends NZ Renovation Trends Vol. 30/11 | Page 40

Above: American oak veneer cabinetry is also a feature of the dining room. The owners added Mid-century Modern Eames dining furniture with a segmented base table and DCM chairs. The only window coverings in these rooms are blinds that sit beneath a timber pelmet when not in use. 38 close to the original architecture as possible. The existing cork and resin flooring had petrified and cracked over 50 years, so this was replaced with bluegrey ceramic tiles that replicate the colour of the original bluestone that clads a wall in the living room and forms the paving outside. “The tiles create the same effect as the bluestone, but are not an imitation,” says Maree. search | save | share at trendsideas.com To simplify the interior and remove any suggestion of clutter, Bastiras designed custom American oak cabinetry – the same wood veneer appears in the built-in cabinets throughout the house. The veneer matches the colour of the original meranti timber that still features on a freestanding wall in the kitchen, and the front of the peninsula, which was left intact. “The new joinery has a very minimal design, so it almost fades into the background – I wanted it to look as though it had always been there,” says Bastiras. “The simple backdrop also made it easier for the owners to personalise the house with their furniture, artworks and homewares.” The American oak veneer appears on kitchen cabinets, cantilevered cabinets in the