Kate Rogan and Eva Nash are the duo behind award-winning Rogan Nash Architects. They lead a highly creative team, now well known for its immaculate and thought provoking work in residential design. We recently took some time to chat with the pair about one of their latest projects, dubbed ‘Home Sweet Home’.
Home Sweet Home
The latest in high-efficiency and environmental designs are all wrapped up in a sweet nostalgic style for a fun young family.
Going against the grain of open-plan living, this house is an interpretation of a broken-plan concept. This means an interior layout that has some degree of separation but still connected. With cosy nooks and enclaves, including a sunken lounge and a private snug, the home is a relaxed sanctuary.
The location reflects that same ideal. Although it’s in the midst of a popular city-fringe Auckland suburb, the site is tucked away at the end of a leafy cul-de-sac near a park. Its quirky triangular shape, with a sharp slope at the back, required some creative thinking.
A level lawn and car parking at the street front then steps down to the front door. Inside, considered design ekes out maximum functionality. Rogan Nash is proud to have achieved Homestar 6 rating by the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Clever use of colour-blocking further delineates internal areas of the home. Graphic olive and white Mutina tiles immediately set the tone at the entrance. The kitchen is slate green, a dusky blue sideboard anchors the dining room, the living area is sandy beige, and paler pinks denote the service areas such as laundry and scullery. Bold patterned wallpapers add vibrancy to the three upstairs bedrooms.
In this home, it’s the snug that’s the heart. Well separated from the rest of the house, it acts as an all-important media room. The colour tone here is a deep maroon that draws the eye. All the colours throughout were chosen to feel mismatched yet still pleasing. The overall tone is one of nostalgia – comfortable, familiar and homely.
