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Designed by: Di Henshall Interior Design

Photography by: Jamie Cobel

Designed by Di Henshall,  Di Henshall Interior Design

From the interior designer:

A 25-year-old mansion right on the water overlooking Auckland city skyline was designed to be reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa, with classic features and ochre exterior walls with aqua trim.

Our owner, who has been a repeat client for many years with various projects, asked Di Henshall to redesign the house, in a contemporary sense using a black and white palette.

Living room showing one of the new feature fireplaces.
Living room showing one of the new feature fireplaces.

Di Henshall determined that it should evoke the feeling of a sophisticated, New York-style art gallery, using a black and white basic palette.

The designer also added midnight blue, taupe and splashes of colour in artwork and lighting to soften the look.

The floors were re-polished in a rich, dark tone.

Every room was gutted, as were the gardens and extensive grounds, with the roof and exterior walls and windows being painted in a more neutral tone.

Black and white world – the dining and kitchen area.
Black and white world – the dining and kitchen area.

The kitchen was shortened in depth to allow a new scullery to be introduced, tucked behind full-height cabinetry in blackened timber veneer.

The cooktop is totally invisible to the eye, enhancing the sleek, modernist appeal of the kitchen and beyond.

Boiler plate was used for both the new fireplaces flanking each end of the ground floor – one in the formal lounge, another in the family room, where reading nooks were built on either side of the fireplace.

The lighting designed for the house was deliberately selected to be art sculptures rather than just task lighting, to stunning effect at night time.

New planting throughout the grounds has reinvigorated the property, along with the creation of a pétanque court on a narrow strip of unused garden overlooking the water.

 

Bi-fold doors connect the kitchen to covered outdoor living.
Indoor-outdoor heaven.

Credit List

Interior designer
Di Henshall Interior Design
Kitchen designer
Di Henshall Interior Design
Cabinetry
Oak veneer – 2 pac Resene Black Matt finish
Benchtop/splashback
Infinity Extra Statuario Satin
Kitchen sink
Franke Bolero
Kitchen tap
Zip HydroTap G5 Celsius All-in-One Boiling and Chilled Filtered Water plus Hot and Cold – in Gun Metal
Cooktop
Invisacook 5 Burner
Rangehood cylinders
Qasair Seneca Java Black
Oven, warming drawer
Wolfe
Steam oven/coffee machine
Miele
Refrigeration
Sub-Zero
Wallpaper (kitchen and pantry bulkheads, back of pantry door and pantry wall)
Timber wallpaper – Evenex Paperwall in Black Caviar, by Elton Group
Door handles
Nido Modella lever on long plate – Graphite Nickel
Light switches
Clipsal Saturn Zen – Black
Paint, main walls
Resene Alabaster
Floors
Existing
Awards
Trends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Winner

Designed by Di Henshall,  Di Henshall Interior Design

From the interior designer:

A 25-year-old mansion right on the water overlooking Auckland city skyline was designed to be reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa, with classic features and ochre exterior walls with aqua trim.

Our owner, who has been a repeat client for many years with various projects, asked Di Henshall to redesign the house, in a contemporary sense using a black and white palette.

Living room showing one of the new feature fireplaces.
Living room showing one of the new feature fireplaces.

Di Henshall determined that it should evoke the feeling of a sophisticated, New York-style art gallery, using a black and white basic palette.

The designer also added midnight blue, taupe and splashes of colour in artwork and lighting to soften the look.

The floors were re-polished in a rich, dark tone.

Every room was gutted, as were the gardens and extensive grounds, with the roof and exterior walls and windows being painted in a more neutral tone.

Black and white world – the dining and kitchen area.
Black and white world – the dining and kitchen area.

The kitchen was shortened in depth to allow a new scullery to be introduced, tucked behind full-height cabinetry in blackened timber veneer.

The cooktop is totally invisible to the eye, enhancing the sleek, modernist appeal of the kitchen and beyond.

Boiler plate was used for both the new fireplaces flanking each end of the ground floor – one in the formal lounge, another in the family room, where reading nooks were built on either side of the fireplace.

The lighting designed for the house was deliberately selected to be art sculptures rather than just task lighting, to stunning effect at night time.

New planting throughout the grounds has reinvigorated the property, along with the creation of a pétanque court on a narrow strip of unused garden overlooking the water.

 

Bi-fold doors connect the kitchen to covered outdoor living.
Indoor-outdoor heaven.

Credit List

Interior designer
Di Henshall Interior Design
Kitchen designer
Di Henshall Interior Design
Cabinetry
Oak veneer – 2 pac Resene Black Matt finish
Benchtop/splashback
Infinity Extra Statuario Satin
Kitchen sink
Franke Bolero
Kitchen tap
Zip HydroTap G5 Celsius All-in-One Boiling and Chilled Filtered Water plus Hot and Cold – in Gun Metal
Cooktop
Invisacook 5 Burner
Rangehood cylinders
Qasair Seneca Java Black
Oven, warming drawer
Wolfe
Steam oven/coffee machine
Miele
Refrigeration
Sub-Zero
Wallpaper (kitchen and pantry bulkheads, back of pantry door and pantry wall)
Timber wallpaper – Evenex Paperwall in Black Caviar, by Elton Group
Door handles
Nido Modella lever on long plate – Graphite Nickel
Light switches
Clipsal Saturn Zen – Black
Paint, main walls
Resene Alabaster
Floors
Existing
Awards
Trends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Winner

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