Wellington House

Wellington

This stunning stairwell was added into a 1960s Wellington house, which had been divided into two flats.

The current owners decided it was time for a parents’ retreat, ensuite and guest bedroom on the ground floor, and the new stairs enabled the addition of a large skylight to create a light filled atrium through the core of the house, brightening up the whole home. It was a chance to do bright and quirky stairwell that forms an integral part of their living space that dated back to the 60s but was very ‘today’ too.

The owners wanted it to honour the house’s original style. Architect Elinor Harvey McDouall of Drawingroom Architecture & Design suggested a panelled finish alternating painted panels in Resene Half Robin Egg Blue, Resene Nirvana (green) and Resene Wan White, with coloured Echopanel (a textured acoustic product), to dampen reverberation in the space. Marmoleum was used on the floors, and the materials palette also included leather-wrapped handrails and bespoke leather door pulls to bring a strong sense of texture and materiality into the project.

This was set against walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to Resene Wan White, with this colour continued onto the balustrades.

Architectural Specifier: Elinor Harvey McDouall
Building Contractor: Island Bay Builders
Photographer: Tracey Grant Photography
Joiner: Well Hung Joinery Stairs: Stylecraft
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2015