Heards Apartment

With a growing tribe of grandchildren, the client's Parnell apartment no longer fit their needs. Rather than sell up, they bought the apartment next door, doubling the floor area and the view across the Waitemata and Rangitoto.

Social spaces run the full twenty-five metre frontage onto the terrace, while bedrooms sit tucked against the building's atria lightwells, private but full of natural light. A central kitchen anchors the plan, flanked by dining and a concealed scullery, with two living spaces working at different scales for family gatherings or quiet mornings. A deeper, timber-lined terrace ledge replaces the original apartments' awkward step, doubling as a stage for art and plants.

Materials throughout are warm and tactile, chosen to patina well and stand up to family life. Quarzo shows older apartment buildings can support a different scale of living, and sets the stage for a home that only improves with time.