DEVONPORT VILLA - WINNER ADNZ HOME INTERIORS AWARD 2025
The personal home of Macfie Architecture directors Michael and Rebecca Macfie, this 1904 Devonport villa is a study in considered restraint — where heritage character and contemporary living are held in careful balance.
A complete restoration and reimagining of the original dwelling, the project excavated the basement to create a self-contained studio and pool, while the interiors were thoughtfully layered to honour the villa's age without being defined by it.
The heart of the home is a dramatic four-metre-high black shaker kitchen — anchored by Miele appliances and marble surfaces — that commands the space with quiet confidence. Bathrooms draw from the villa's own vocabulary, featuring heritage Perrin & Rowe fixtures, traditional tiling, and details that feel as though they've always been there.
Children's bedrooms were given warmth and personality through Farrow & Ball and Fee Greening x Common Room wallpapers, paired with Aalto paints. At the rear, the original weatherboards gave way to full-height Crittall steel windows and doors, dissolving the boundary between interior and garden.
Outside, a saltwater pool is edged with salvaged bricks from the historic Britomart Hotel site, set within a landscape designed by Xanthe White — a fitting final layer for a home that wears its history lightly.
Project Scope: concept design, developed design, resource consent, building consent, on-site monitoring.
Featured in homestyle magazine
Build by Buxeda
Photography by Duncan Innes
Video by Sam Warner
For daily design musings Devonport Villa
Winner of ADNZ Home Interiors Award 2025
