Old Taupo Reno

About the project

The existing house had its kitchen, lounge and dining all working as separate rooms — a common layout in homes of its era, and one that made the spaces feel smaller and darker than they needed to be. The solution was structural: remove the walls, introduce new hanging beams to carry the load, and let the three zones flow into one another. The ridge beam became a feature in its own right, with a recessed LED strip set into the GIB beneath it casting a warm line of light across the full depth of the space.

A new shower and toilet room off the back of the house gives the family a direct route from the pool — wet feet, towels and all — without tracking through the living areas. It's a small addition in footprint terms but the kind of thing that changes how you use a house every day.

The kitchen is built around a stone island benchtop with timber lower cabinetry and white uppers, a green subway tile splashback, and under-cabinet lighting running the full length of the bench. The living room steps down slightly from the kitchen and dining, a material change from vinyl plank to carpet marking the shift in mood from work to rest. A reading nook sits at the end, lit by its own clerestory window.