Eden Terrace

Some houses have a story before you even start. This one was a former tearooms — a simple gabled building with angled walls and sloping windows — relocated from an industrial site to a section near Onetangi Beach. When Karen McDonald and Andy Hill first walked through it, they were immediately won over. The bones were good.

Karen and Andy came to us with a clear vision: new kitchen, new bathroom, and big doors opening the living space to the deck. We recommended relining the walls and ceiling and laying a new floor first — without it, even the best finishes wouldn’t have delivered. They took the advice on board, and it set everything up for success.

The 75m² 1980s building was rebuilt from the inside out. New symmetrical sliding doors opened the living area to the deck. Enlarged clerestories, tucked into the roof apex, brought in more natural light. A single Dekton benchtop stretches the full length of the kitchen and dining wall.

The bathroom was a significant part of the transformation. Removing the door between the bathroom and separate toilet opened the space considerably. New tiling throughout, his-and-her basins, and back-lit mirrors turned what had been a cramped afterthought into one of the home’s standout spaces.

The result is a home that feels far bigger and more considered than its 75m² suggests — featured in NZ House & Garden as proof of what’s possible when you get the fundamentals right.

Working alongside Khafila McIntyre and Susannah Matheson of Island Interiors, we helped Karen and Andy move from vision to reality. Collaborating with local trades and designers elevated what was already a special project.