Residential Architects in Auckland

Character villa and bungalow renovations

Villas and bungalows are well built and much loved, but rarely planned for the way we live today. We design renovations and additions that respect the original house while opening it to light, garden and generous living space. Sometimes that means keeping the street-facing rooms exactly as they are and adding a new living area behind. Sometimes it means a quietly contrasting addition. We also guide you through resource consent for character homes, including those in Special Character Areas. Our guides to extending a bungalow and renovating a villa without losing its character explain how we think about it.

Holiday homes

A holiday home needs to feel generous with two people and still work with thirty. We design coastal, island and lifestyle retreats that respond to their site and climate and are easy to live in. Our holiday homes, including Open + Shut on Waiheke Island, have been recognised with multiple New Zealand awards.

Renovations and extensions

Not every home is a villa. If your house is sound but too small, too dark or disconnected from the garden, we can rework the plan and add the space you need, whatever its age. We start with what works in the house you have, so the new parts feel as though they have always belonged.

New homes

For clients building new in the city or on a lifestyle property, we design homes around the site, the light and the way you want to live. Our Grey Lynn new house, Home Sweet Home, won Kitchen of the Year at the 2024 Interior Awards.

Every client brings their own brief, and every site brings its own conditions. What stays constant is how we work.

• Listening. We begin by understanding the house, how you live, your ambitions and your budget.
• Design. We develop a concept and refine it with you.
• Consents and documentation. We prepare the drawings and consent applications.
• Construction. We can stay involved while your home is built, working alongside your builder.

We design the architecture and the fixed elements of your interior together, from concept through to completion, so the whole house reads as one considered design.

• A philosophy, not a house style. Every home grows from your brief, your site and the way you live, guided by a consistent belief that architecture should serve a lifetime of living.
• One team from first vision through to completion. You work with the same two directors throughout, not a changing team.
• Clients who come back. Many of our clients return to us for their next project, which is the best measure of how the process feels.
• Sustainability knowledge. We bring practical sustainable design thinking to every project, from natural light and cross-ventilation to materials that last, so homes work with their sites and are comfortable year-round.
• Experience you can rely on. Both directors are registered architects and Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, with fifty years of combined experience.
• Recognised work. We have won multiple New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards for new homes and renovations. As well as recognition for our interiors including many award winning kitchens and bathrooms.
• Featured in leading magazines. Our projects have appeared in many magazines, including HOME, NZ House and Garden, Abode, HERE and HomeStyle.
• Both directors have built their own homes in Auckland twice, so we understand what a building project asks of you.

Our studio is in Grey Lynn, and we have designed homes across Auckland’s character suburbs, including Grey Lynn, Westmere, Herne Bay, Ponsonby, Mount Eden, Remuera, Parnell and Epsom, as well as the North Shore.

We work anywhere in New Zealand. Beyond the city, our projects have taken us from Kerikeri to Nelson, including Waiheke Island, the Coromandel, Mount Maunganui and Wellington. Wherever your site is, we would be glad to hear about it.

Both Directors, Kate Rogan and Eva Nash, are New Zealand registered architects (NZRAB) and Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (FNZIA), bringing fifty years of combined experience to every project. Our work has been recognised with multiple New Zealand Institute of Architects awards and featured in HOME Magazine, NZ House and Garden, Abode, HERE and Houses magazine.

Whatever stage you are at, whether you have a site already or are still weighing up whether to renovate or rebuild, we would welcome the conversation. Get in touch to talk through your project, or browse our work for a sense of what’s possible.