Photography by: Babiche Martens
Home profile
Meet and greet: Skye Ross (freelance marketing and communications specialist), Mark Banbrook (advertising), and their children Albie, six, and Tully, three.
The property: A transitional villa in Devonport, Auckland, with a 61sqm modern extension. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living spaces.
When Mark Banbrook and Skye Ross forged ahead with a 61sqm extension to their bungalow in Devonport, Auckland, Skye didn’t really understand what she was signing up for when she put her hand up to be the on-site decision-maker.
“I didn’t really realise that would mean I’d spend literally hundreds of hours driving from shop to shop all over Auckland, scouring showrooms, selecting options and taking home samples for Mark and me to look at. I didn’t anticipate how full-on that would be,” she says, adding that this was all done with her patient then one-year-old daughter Tully in tow.
“I also underestimated the amount of decisions that needed to be made – from how big I wanted the architraves to be, to how low to have the lights hanging, to where the shower niche should sit. I really wanted to be considered with my choices and to make the best decision on everything. Mark would say, ‘You’re way overthinking this’, but I didn’t want to compromise on any of our choices.”
Builder Hugh Nisbet from Salt Construction understood this and came up with nifty ideas to help, including nailing a rectangular piece of cardboard to the framing in the shower for Skye to judge how a niche would work there, to hanging various sizes of architraves for the couple to ponder overnight.
At one stage, she’d searched every reclamation yard in Auckland and scoured Trade Me and Marketplace, hunting for an elusive aged-brass door handle to match the ones in the original villa (good news, she found one).
“It was so much work at the time but it made the difference. No one else would notice but it was important to us,” she says.
The decision-making may have been time-consuming and often overwhelming, but thanks to Skye’s eye for detail and meticulous approach, the finished home is exactly what the couple wanted.
“Planning everything out in advance meant we were sure about our choices and made decisions that we’ve never regretted.”
The couple bought the villa in 2018, instantly recognising its potential. Just a few minutes’ walk from Cheltenham Beach and around the corner from where Mark grew up, the home had a straightforward layout: a central hallway flanked by bedrooms on one side and a long living room on the other, with a lean-to addition at the rear and a bathroom positioned squarely at the hallway’s end: “It was the first thing you saw when you came in the front door – not great.”
Still, they knew the bones were good. “It was fine as it was, but we wanted something that felt like us, something open and full of light, where we could raise our children and make it their childhood home.”
Despite knowing exactly what they’d do, the couple didn’t rush into the build. Not long after they moved in, Skye became pregnant with their first daughter, then their second. By then, plans were underway to bring their vision for a family home to life. With a clear idea of what they wanted, they enlisted a draftsman (a budget-conscious choice) to bring their plans to paper, with input from an architect friend.
They planned to turn the long, existing lounge into a main bedroom with an ensuite and a large wall-to-wall wardrobe – nothing structural. The existing bedrooms got a refresh with new carpet, paint and new wardrobes, and the former dining room became a second living area. The exciting part was adding to the rear of the home, which they began in January 2024. They demolished the lean-to and extended the back with a gabled addition, which includes an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. A scullery and laundry are tucked away to one side.
The new addition ties in with the existing home in some ways – such as full weatherboard for the exterior – but the couple made the decision to go for an interior design that worked for them rather than worrying about trying to match the original. “Different, but still cohesive, is how we ended up looking at it.”
Inside and down six steps, the house flooring changes from the native kauri floorboards of the old to the burnished concrete of the new. The contemporary addition features Melteca Aged Ash kitchen cabinetry (a last-minute change from the white Shaker cabinetry initially planned), linen furnishings and a clever window splashback that lets in greenery while appearing to float, thanks to hidden framing.
The couple thought carefully about each choice and made decisions that would work for them and how they live.
“I cook a lot, and we’re both tall, so we raised the benchtops by 50mm. I planned out exactly what would go in each kitchen cupboard and drawer before it even went into production. We made storage a priority, giving the bench seat in the kitchen concealed drawers and floor-to-ceiling storage in the scullery and laundry. We wanted this house to work for us long term,” Skye says.
They went oversized on the joinery to bring in as much light as possible and chose stacking sliders that open the living space up to their generous backyard. They also upsized the kitchen island to suit the proportions of the space, given the gable roof is 4.5m at its highest point.
Skye had her heart set on the Taj Mahal quartzite for the kitchen island, loving the warmth and tones of greys and greens. This was the one design choice she made sight-unseen, having to confirm an order while the stone was on the water – but she didn’t want to risk missing out. They went with Fresh Concrete Caesarstone benches for the laundry, scullery and kitchen back bench. To pull the old through to the new, they used aged brass hardware for the kitchen handles, tap, and door handles.
They installed Haier appliances in the kitchen and laundry, including two ovens for the keen cook and “the fridge of my dreams”.
The couple, who remortgaged to make the renovation happen and more or less stuck to a budget, are thrilled with their finished renovation and how it enhances how they live. There are still dreams for the future, such as landscaping to make it an option for an at-home wedding in the near future and adding a pool to the backyard one day but, in the meantime, they’re simply enjoying the home they’ve created.
“Our home is so perfect for us and our girls,” says Skye. “We love living here and can see ourselves staying for the next 15 years or more.”
Home truths
What is your favourite room? The kitchen. I can watch the kids outside on the monkey bars or tramp, or spend time with them as they sit at the island to do colouring in. I love being able to stand here and cook for my family and friends with them around me, rather than in another room like it used to be before we renovated. My go-to recipe? A good slow-cooked beef brisket that’s popular with all ages and can be used in tacos, tostadas, pasta or pizza – it’s a total crowd-pleaser.
What is it about this house that works best for your family? The extension encourages the girls to be “living room children”. It’s where they bring their toys out of their room to play because they want to be in the same space as us, playing with us. We love that.
Best memories in your home? I gave birth to our second daughter in the lounge, which is now our bedroom, so that was memorable. And also hosting our first Christmas Day in the finished home. It was so special to have everyone in one space. We had 39 family members here – from cousins and siblings to grandparents – and it was special for the girls to have that memory.
Shop Mark and Skye’s Devonport villa home style
See more images of the Devonport villa below
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