2026
You Had Me At Hello
Completed
Westmere | Bungalow Renovation
This bungalow renovation with pool in Westmere is designed around the everyday rituals of a busy Auckland family. The original character home has been carefully retained and upgraded, while a new two-storey pavilion opens the house to light, garden, and the new pool beyond. Cooking, gardening, preserving, swimming, and gathering all shaped the design, resulting in a warmer, lighter, and more comfortable family home built for contemporary living.
A new renovation in dialogue with the old bungalow
A new two-storey pavilion extends from the original house, creating a clear dialogue between old and new. A large steel-framed internal sliding door forms the threshold between the two, opening the bungalow into a generous, light-filled interior and drawing the garden and new swimming pool into the home. Upstairs, a carefully positioned window captures a view back towards Auckland city.
A warm, considered material palette
Inside, the material palette is warm. New oak flooring runs throughout, providing a quiet foundation for moments of colour and texture. The kitchen is the social heart of the home, combining dark oak cabinetry with a sculptural pink quartzite island and a black Dekton back bench. A rippled timber base and rounded legs give the island the quality of a piece of furniture rather than simply a work surface.
Beside the kitchen, a concealed scullery provides the hardworking infrastructure for cooking, bottling, preserving, and storing the family’s garden produce, allowing the main kitchen to remain calm and inviting. A built-in bar extends from the kitchen towards the dining area, creating a natural place to pause, pour a drink, or gather with friends without passing through the working kitchen.
Throughout the interiors, curved openings, wall panelling, timber detailing, and considered joinery bring a softness that connects the contemporary addition back to the original bungalow.
A pool renovation built for outdoor family life
Outside, this bungalow renovation with pool continues into a cactus garden and a covered deck. A timber-battened pergola filters the north-western sun, casting shifting shadows across the deck and creating an ever-changing backdrop to family life around the pool.
The result is a home that feels generous without being grand, contemporary without losing its history, and carefully designed around the everyday rituals that make a house a home.
A timber-battened pergola filters the north-western sun, casting shifting shadows across the deck and creating an ever-changing backdrop to family life
A large steel-framed internal sliding door opens the bungalow into a generous, light-filled interior, drawing the new swimming pool into the home
A new two-storey pavilion extends from the original house, creating a clear dialogue between old and new
The kitchen is the social heart of the home, combining dark oak cabinetry with a sculptural pink quartzite island and a black Dekton back bench
Renovating or extending a character home of your own?
If you’re sitting on a villa or bungalow with good bones but a layout that no longer suits family life, we would love to talk about what’s possible. Get in touch to start the conversation, or browse more renovation projects for inspiration.
Photography
Simon Wilson
