b'As a calm and unobtrusive backdrop to the historic house, all of the walls are painted in the one colour, Resene Quarter Napa. It has enough depth to be interesting but doesnt compete with the character details.A more signicant change was adding a wing to house a new living room beside the kitchen. The open-plan space is light and airy, thanks to the large windows and doors that open onto the courtyard, and the pale travertine oors ow seamlessly from inside to out.Says architect Antony Matthews: The new wing was designed as a separate element connected to the main house so it was clearly seen as an addition. The roof was offset from the rear two-storeyed wall and a bank of louvre windows on the walls articulated the separation. Not only did this approach clearly show the addition as new, but also enabled the existing upper oor windows to the bathroom to be retained. The form and materials of the addition clearly related to the existing house. The space within was consciously contemporary with a lofty room formed by following the gabled roof form which gives the addition a scale and sense of space.A large island dominates the kitchen end of the room with a dark brown granite top and sides nished in kauri veneer to tie in with the original oors. A wide alcove that used to house the coal range has been retiled and modied to accommodate an extractor and a brand-new modern range. On the eastern wall, the original meat safe was adapted for a more modern use and now contains pull-out shelves for coffee-making equipment.The kitchen kind of designed itselfI think most kitchens do, says Rosemarie.Although they werent obliged to do so, the Dunnings chose not to remove or alter any of the existing windows. The council did, however, ask them to retain a leadlight window that was in the hallway. It now creates a colourful focal point high up on the wall in the new living room.AboveThe old stained glassWe found the council incredibly accommodating, says Rosemarie. hall window has been reused in the soaring new livingThatspartlybecausewewantedtoworkwiththemandwe space. The kitchen occupies itsbought the house because we just wanted to enhance what was original spot.already there. The sign-off process was very lengthy because the OppositeOriginal builders marks were found in the backHeritage Places Trust doesnt meet that often, but they were very hall and the Dunnings havehelpful. There were some things that we thought, oh no, what will made an artwork from a piecethey think? but they were ne with everything.of the houses old wallpaper, hanging on the right.When it comes to preserving the authenticity of a house of this vintage, the small details are important. The Dunnings decided to have all the window and door hardware bronzed to match the original ttings.54'