When the clients bought the house, it was a collection of mismatched forms on the outside, with awkward proportioned rooms on the inside. Everything was tired and dated, and the house was cold and dark. A major renovation with a new entry joining internal garaging to the body of the house, brought light, warmth and cohesion to the house. The clients bought this property for their retirement; coming from the dry Outback of Australia, the lush pastoral landscape near Matakana is a refreshing change, and the house is designed to complement their semi-rural green idyll. The natural finishes of timber and terracotta bring warmth to a cool neutral palette. Together these provide a backdrop to the clients’ eclectic art and furniture collections. Photography © Fraser Architects Ltd

This project was a renovation and extension of a 90m2 1930s workers' cottage on the south slopes of Arch Hill, elevated above a nearby motorway. The existing house consisted of four rooms, which opened off each other with no internal hallway, and a lean-to containing a kitchen and bathroom. The design intent for this renovation was to stay true to the roofs, of the existing house, as a workers' cottage. To this end, the small scale of the spaces, the immediacy of entry and the simplicity/modesty of function and feel of the house were all retained in the extension. Many workers' cottages in the area have become grand statements of fashion and affluence. While we did not ignore the fact that the relative market value of the property has risen a great deal since the cottage was originally built, we chose to retain the feel of the house as being for workers. The workers concerned are now urban professionals rather than industrial or domestic workers. These are people with busy, active social lifestyles. It was important that the house facilitated this while not being out of scale with their lifestyles or the original house. Photography © Chanelle Dickenson Photography

The clients for this extension have a very family orientated lifestyle, and entertain a lot. They prefer to sit, and eat, outside whenever possible, however in Auckland the rain often keeps them stuck inside. With this in mind, they wanted to extend their kitchen and living area with a new room that had the feeling of a veranda. Lowering the ceiling of the extension, and including clerestory windows at high level to the original space, with bi-fold doors opening away from the corner, created a space that effortlessly bridges the divide between inside and outside. Photography © Robin Smith Photographer Ltd

This 1970s plywood house, "Wing of Light", was originally designed by architect Graham Lane for a glass artist. The construction was cheap, simple, and a little bit quirky. The client wanted to retain these elements in the renovation but update the living and kitchen areas to better suit contemporary living - and accommodate two growing teenagers. The centrepiece shelving unit of the design provides both striking entry and open shelving to the kitchen. The coloured perspex backing to this unit creates perfect spaces for display objects as well as tying into the ideas of light and colour that were so important to the original owner and architect. Photography © Robin Smith Photographer Ltd

This unbuilt house was designed to form a habitable boundary between the suburban streets on one side, and the bush-clad sea-cliff on the other. The western facade is more formal and less permeable, while the northern and eastern elevation open up and taper out. The materiality of the house expresses these notions of formality and nature - with strong block walls to the west and fine timber detailing reaching out on the east and north. The site is narrow, with a steep drop off towards the sea. The house works with the contours of the site; perched over the dramatic drop of the cliff. The main living space of the house is level with the outside ground to the south-east (the highest point of the site) and half a storey up on the street side - enhancing the house's privacy. Internally, the house 'unfolds', providing flexible spaces for active multi-generational living. Images © Fraser Architects Ltd

As a busy professional woman, our client for this renovation needs her house to be a sanctuary. One half of a 1950s duplex, the kitchen and bathroom were tired and in need of renovation. A flimsy aluminium conservatory had been added in place of the original back porch some time in the past, and this was cold and draughty, with condensation and leaks. Although the duplex is positioned for sun, it seemed to come sporadically during the day to different parts of the small flat, leaving the interior, at times, cold and dark. Removing the wall between the kitchen and living room, and rebuilding the conservatory with a metal roof and double glazed joinery, has - without increasing the house footprint - given the whole house more light and more space. The use of neutral colours combined with details to enhance the experience of space and light, has created a calm, welcoming environment, and given our client her much needed sanctuary. When the owner of the other half of the duplex learned what we were proposing, they wanted to match the new conservatory on their side too. Photography © Fraser Architects Ltd