Renovation

Brass in Pocket

In its latest incarnation, by RTA Studio, this Tāmaki Makaurau home dances on the edge of divisiveness with a quiet self-possession.

Finely Tuned

Designed and refined in waves over decades, Lance and Nicola Herbst’s Aotea Great Barrier bach has retained its essential spirit of encampment.

Lab Test

An abandoned laboratory is reimagined as a bespoke living complex, designed around community and a renewed connection to the land.

Turning Point

Best House Aotearoa 2024: Mark Leong and Lucy Coote combine big ideas and crafted details to take out this year’s top honour.

Re Group

Piers Kay sensitively restores and extends a 1950s Group Architects home on Tāmaki Makaurau’s North Shore for his growing whānau.

Time Lapse

Architect Eli Nuttall went full tilt in resolving this idiosyncratic villa wedged between past and present in the capital.

Water View

Architect Kimberly Read reworks a peaceful pavilion home by Harry Turbott on the edge of the Whau River.

New Dawn

Wayne Conway and Kate Sylvester transform their 1950s brick-and-tile home in delightful fashion over two decades.

As Lucking Would Have It

Architecture studio Common renovates a beautifully preserved mid-century O-tautahi home, channelling the design philosophies of its original owner and architect.

Salad Days

Megan Edwards expands an Eden Terrace bungalow into a family sanctuary that filters out the city with a raft of sustainable features.

Earthen Ware

Adele McNab redesigns a rammed-earth home in suburban Tāmaki Makaurau for modern family life.

The Comeback

After years of neglect, Johnstone Callaghan Architects bring a mid-century gem in Ōtautahi Christchurch back from the brink.

Strength of Character

An updated colour scheme led to so much more in this sumptuous heritage villa refurb by Pac Studio in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Stepping Stones

Calm and contemplative, this concrete villa extension by José Gutiérrez in Grey Lynn marks a distinct departure from tradition.

I'm Sticking With You

Architect Stuart Gardyne returns to a Morison Bush site after more than two decades to create a retreat for restoration and regenesis.

Remastered Classic

Updated and expanded over two decades, this Ian Athfield compound in Karaka Bay reveals surprise and delight around every curve and corner.

Happy Place

A new timber-lined passage provides a tranquil transition between mid-century family home and modern retreat in Tāmaki Makaurau.

After Glow

Pac Studio resolves and extends a heritage bungalow in Tāmaki Makaurau with delicate screening and a warm heart.

Raw Material

Seeking to bring in the light, Lloyd Hartley Architects strip an apartment in Tāmaki Makaurau back to its very beautiful bones.

At Ease

A charred larch volume brings a delightful geometry and sense of space to this mid-century house extension by a.k.a Architecture’s Anne Kelly.

Primary Residence

A 1980s cabin in the woods is transformed into a cathedral of colour on Tāmaki Makaurau’s North Shore.

Solid State

An imaginative state-house expansion by architect Matt Robinson unfolds over decades in Westmere, Tāmaki Makaurau.

Dairy Free

With a few careful additions, Johnstone Callaghan Architects transform a disused cowshed into a roughly luxurious getaway.

Party Out Back

Megan Edwards turns up the volume with a Tāmaki Makaurau villa extension designed around socialising and solitude.

Slow Mo

With two minimalist tiled boxes, Kerr Ritchie transforms a rustic earth-brick barn in the Tāhuna Queenstown landscape.

State of Play

Nick Rowe turns a former state house in Riverhead into a mini modernist compound centred around a serene courtyard.

Just Right

A sensitive renovation by architect Mike Hartley unlocks the potential of his family home in Beach Haven, Tāmaki Makaurau.

Lightness of Being

A mindful collaboration breathes new life and light into a city-fringe bungalow in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Creative Freedom

Over 20 years and multiple small projects, Pete Bossley and Miriam van Wezel have turned a prosaic bungalow into something very special.

Character Study

Jack McKinney reimagines an 1890s ship captain’s house in Tāmaki Makaurau with a delightful pavilion and a subtle new language.

B-Side

With relative simplicity, Spacecraft Architects turn a retreat for a single man into a family home on the Tūtūkākā Coast.

In the Swim

A sleek addition wrapped around a pool brings a new dimension to an old bungalow.

Down Town

A 1970s office building by Trengrove & Blunt finds new life as a home and studio in central Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Light Well

Jack McKinney hides an abstracted pavilion on a tiny site behind a heritage villa in Freemans Bay, Tāmaki Makaurau.

Oh lavender sun

An 1870s cottage and a gentle modern extension by Anna-Marie Chin co-exist happily in a garden outside Arrowtown.

All Is Calm

With cool moves and restful tones, a dated Auckland townhouse becomes a soothing beachside haven.

The Things We Carry

A rare Christchurch house by the late Sir Ian Athfield proves a wonderful backdrop for a collection of classic mid-century pieces.

Light up the Room

With open spaces and striking colour, a young architect couple rehabilitate a cookie-cutter apartment that came with great bones.

How to Have Fun

Malcolm Walker reworks the house of Philip Clarke and Jane Wild around a beautifully eccentric collection of furniture and art.

Behind the Scenes

With complex geometry and optical illusions, Pac Studio adds a warm space to an Auckland villa that instantly feels like home.

Lean on Me

Pat de Pont of SGA Architects sensitively restores a classic bay villa.

Po Mo

Andrew Meiring rehabilitates a 1980s post-modern classic by Mal Bartleet with a simple glassy addition and a sensitive eye.

In the Trees

Between 1973 and 1985, Ron Sang built a glamorous house for art. Forty years on, it has a whole new lease of life.

Collected Intimacies

With clear moves and fine details, Salmond Reed Architects stitch together multiple eras in a ‘bungled’ Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland villa.

Sense and Serendipity

Fifteen years after stumbling across it, Kate and Matt Arnold restore a forgotten modernist gem in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Post and Beam

With poise and grace, Nick Sayes and Luke Jackson turn a humble Tāmaki Makaurau bungalow into something ethereal.

Bright Future

Kyle Ramsay brings a grand old lady up to date.

Southern Comfort

Tāhuna Queenstown’s Dravitzki Brown gives a well-worn Central Otago holiday home a complete overhaul.

Heart of Gold

The restoration of this mid-century gem by Albert Goldwater reveals glimmers of the home’s personal history.

The Architect Next Door

Parsonson Architects’ Craig Burt helps a young family across the fence unlock their 100-year-old bungalow in the capital.

A Night Inn

After scouring Aotearoa for a heritage home to renovate and rent, Tim Groenendaal and his partner found themselves drawn to a rugged roadside cottage in Reefton.

The Ugliest Building in Town

After a painstaking rebuild, Young Architects have ensured the legacy of Sir Miles Warren’s Dorset Street Flats lives on.

Mind Expanding

Crosson Architects conceive a faceted extension for friends on Waiheke Island to capitalise on 360-degree views.

Well Played

With just a new garage and living room extension, Rafe Maclean has transformed this 1950s Wānaka bach.

In the Swim

Clever design creates a suburban oasis around a swimming pool and new outdoor living space.

Grass is Greener

Mary Daish provides an unexpected solution to a Wellington family of five’s space woes.

Garage Project

Natasha Markham deftly balances respect and renewal with this 1980s Ron Sang garage conversion.

Euro Vision

This reimagined kitchen by a.k.a Architecture pays homage to life overseas.

Hidden Gem

Jonathan Rutherfurd Best and Andrew Glenn make sense of an awkward apartment space in Britomart, Tāmaki Makaurau.

Access All Areas

Architect Carolyn Smith reworks a 1940s bungalow for optimal functionality and freedom.

Material Craft

Pac Studio picks the best notes from a 1970s playbook and strikes new, harmonious chords in this remake of a 1970s townhouse.

Colour Wheel

Ben Daly reworks his mother’s 1980s kitchen with bold colour, a streamlined layout – and a little time.

Raw Material

With natural textures and a deft touch, Seear-Budd Ross reworks a villa in Brooklyn, Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Life in Colour

Ann Shelton and Duncan Munro meticulously restore the original modernist colour scheme in their 1950s home.

Joy Division

With a little genius, Patchwork Architecture unlocks living in a tiny apartment.

Beautiful Constraints

Designing a modern extension for a house rooted in history.

Before and After

A renovation by Kerr Ritchie Architects opens a tired 70s house up to light and views.

Club Rules

Cheshire Architects design an organic new wing for the historic Northern Club in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Valley Deep

Keshaw McArthur inserts a recessive intervention into a villa with valley views.