Seaside Cottage

This project centers around a recycled cottage. Early on in the design process the client decided, despite the building’s dilapidated state, to shift and recycle the old building to its new location in the northeast corner of the site. This maintains the presence of the original cottage on the street corner and allows a garage and second open plan accommodation area to be built along the southern boundary of the site.

The cottage has been extensively renovated and raised onto a concrete platform approximately 800 mm above street level to reduce the impact of the road and improve the visual connection with the beach and sea beyond. A large glass and aluminium bay window celebrates the expansive Wellington Harbour view to the north, while a quadtych window above the kitchen bench frames Pencarrow and the broad curve of Seatoun Beach to the rocks beyond. The new accommodation wing is tucked away behind a 1600 high solid wall on the street boundary to provide privacy from passing pedestrians and cars but maintain a view of the harbour and hills and easy access to a private north facing landscaped courtyard.

The plan consists of two separate, open plan living spaces with ancillary bathrooms and kitchens. The client can share the accommodation with other family members but each remain autonomous. Open planning and mobile furniture items, screens and a fold down bed allow reorganisation of the spaces quickly into custom configurations as circumstances dictate in a relaxed and informal manner consistent with seaside living.