Just north of Auckland on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, Stanmore Bay retains the easy rhythm of a classic seaside settlement. Creosote-stained baches sit comfortably beside newer interventions, forming a layered streetscape that feels pleasantly removed from the city. Opening directly onto white sand, this particular site — which has been owned by the same family for four decades — had long served as a summer constant.
Time, however, had taken its toll. The brief was measured: modernise the house without disturbing its essential bones. From the outset, one absence was clear — there was no sense of arrival. In coastal architecture, that threshold between street and sanctuary matters. Here, it became the project’s defining move.
A restrained material palette set the tone. Vertical Abodo Vulcan timber cladding establishes warmth and rhythm, while a sandy-toned stone introduces permanence. Beginning at the entry, this stone wall draws you inward before wrapping to form the staircase, an anchoring gesture that creates immediate volume and drama.
The clients were resolute in their intentions: contemporary, but not ostentatious. A sanctuary by the sea, free from heaviness. The interiors, driven by one of the owners, respond in soft whites and layered neutrals, timber accents set against the warmth of stone. In the kitchen, a richly veined brown-gold stone is the visual hero, a material that is echoed around the living room hearth. Its opulence is tempered by the home’s otherwise airy restraint.
Notably, there is no formal indoor dining room. Instead, an outdoor room with a retractable roof becomes the social heart — a sheltered, year-round space complete with fire and outdoor kitchen. Set back from the beach yet visually connected through the house to the horizon, it offers privacy without severing the relationship to sea and sky.
While the original bach was defined by a flat roofline, a new pitched form introduces a dynamism of sorts. Clad entirely in Abodo, folding screens allow this upper portion to close protectively or open fully to the coast.
What endures is the lightness of touch. Very little has been altered, yet everything feels renewed. Beautiful materials and carefully resolved spaces now support a life defined by simplicity — and here, unmistakably centred on the sea.
Judges’ Citation
This thoughtful renovation demonstrates how a modest intervention can profoundly transform an existing home. With only a slight increase in footprint, the redesign creates a sophisticated beachfront retreat that still feels unmistakably Kiwi.
The landscape has been treated with admirable restraint: lawn, pōhutukawa, and open sky providing a refreshingly simple coastal setting.
Within the house, carefully considered new elements — from a sculptural stone stair wall to a beautifully resolved kitchen and fireplace — bring a sense of permanence and craft.
The result is relaxed yet refined: a home that respects its origins while embracing contemporary family life beside the sea.
Project Credits
Architecture: Jessop Architects
Build: John Creighton Builders
Words: Clare Chapman
Images: Jackie Meiring
Cladding: Abodo
Lighting: ECC, Powersurge
Flooring: Forte
