Nelson Central Renovation

In order to return this century-old villa to her former glory, the owners decided to give her the restoration and refurbishment that she deserved. Numerous alterations had been carried out by previous owners with differing themes introduced, prompting them to renovate and form a more cohesive and collaborative space for their family. Our brief was to create an open-plan living area downstairs and to reconfigure the upstairs area, making it more functional and family-friendly.

We commenced by decommissioning the old chimney and fireplaces that had serviced the kitchen coal range and the Living Room.  Once the chimney and the walls either side were removed, it gave way to a new open-plan Kitchen, Dining and Living Room space.  A new central island in the Kitchen was installed, rising up to create a focal meeting point for family and friends alike.

As the downstairs bathroom was quite dark, the layout was changed and the room fully modernised.  The dramatic changes to the downstairs spaces significantly opened it up, increasing the light, functionality and flow to all rooms.

Upstairs, one of the four bathrooms was decommissioned to allow two of the bedrooms to enjoy their own separate walk-in wardrobes.  Another bathroom was also upgraded with new fixtures and fittings and a walk-in tiled shower.  What once was a storeroom accessed via the Master Bedroom walk-in-wardrobe, became a private and quiet office.

At the rear of the house, an existing garage/carport was demolished giving way to a new service area incorporating the entrance, a new laundry and storage shed. The external balustrades were replaced on both the ground and first floor decks along with areas of the roof and cladding as required and to top it off, a full house repaint was completed.

New retaining walls were constructed at the front and rear of the property to allow for new fencing and to also create a flat lawn for the family’s enjoyment.

What was key, was the repair and retention of a lot of the house’s original features thus enabling a sympathetic restoration in keeping with the original character of this grand old lady.