AVONDALE STATE HOUSE | MODERN RENOVATION & EXTENSION

The New Zealand state house is one of this country's most recognisable architectural forms - modest, honest and quietly dignified. Handled well, it has a great deal more to give.

When a creative couple approached Macfie Architecture with a vision for their Avondale state house, the brief was refreshingly direct: build something new that doesn't pretend to be old. A contemporary extension that stands in deliberate contrast to the original form rather than mimicking it.

The new wing does exactly that, making the conversation between old and new the point of the design rather than something to be smoothed over. Inside, the layout was reconfigured into an open-plan living, dining and kitchen space that flows between the original rooms and the new wing.

The bathroom and laundry were updated throughout, and an ensuite introduced to the master bedroom - practical upgrades handled with the same care as the more visible architectural gestures.

Original features were preserved throughout, the state house's honest character held intact even as the home grew around it.

Project Scope - concept design, developed design, resource consent, building consent, on-site monitoring

Photography by Tori Hayley