Home profile
Meet and greet: Sylvia Main (architectural designer) and Sam Guerin (qualified builder), their sons Harland, five, and Finn, two.
The property: Renovated modernist three-bedroom, two-bathroom open-plan home with extended outdoor area.
Sylvia Main and Sam Guerin are used to crafting beautiful homes for New Zealanders as part of running their building company. But the couple recently took on a project with a more personal flavour.
First-home buyers
In 2018, Sylvia and Sam were flatting in Brooklyn, Wellington and felt it was time to look for a home to buy. They couldn’t find anything affordable in the central city, so their budget steered them to Lower Hutt. While it was unfamiliar territory for the couple, they felt it could offer them a decent home built from solid materials.
They found a 1939 two-bedroom former state house. With two bedrooms, this house was a good starting point for the couple and their two children, Harland and Finn. “It has higher ceilings than most, with a 2.7-metre stud, a large north-facing outdoor area, backing onto Boulcott’s Farm Heritage Golf Club, which means we don’t have a neighbour over the back fence,” Sylvia says.
Sam and Sylvia were looking for more than just a house. They also wanted a quiet setting with the right orientation.
“This house was in an amazing condition when we found it,” Sylvia says. And with the couple running their construction business, they were able to manage the build themselves. “Sam has renovated more houses than you can count, so we knew from its condition it was the right fit for us.”
Blue-sky thinking
The plan was to initially renovate the bathroom and kitchen only, and keep the home in its existing footprint. However, over time the couple saw how they could improve the dwelling further.
“As we lived in it for a while, it became clear we should move the kitchen from the south to the north side.” When their children were playing in the garden, they weren’t always visible from the house, so a connection to the backyard was needed, by installing sight lines for good indoor-outdoor flow. This flow was created by adding an extension of 70sqm onto the north side, rather than moving the kitchen.
“Also, on the street side of the home we added 45sqm through an internal-access garage,” says Sylvia. “As a result, the house went from 100sqm to 215sqm in total.”
Work begins
All the framing was stripped out and rearranged. They installed new windows and a new roof, and the house was repainted, reclad and reinsulated. Five-metre-long skylights were installed in the hall and ensuite to brighten what was a dark space.
Two new bedrooms and an ensuite were added, the existing two bedrooms were relined and painted, and new curtains were hung. A ducted central cooling and heating system was installed to battle the Wellington winter. The existing rimu doors were stripped back and revarnished while the rimu floor was polished then revarnished in the hallway. This change allowed “nods to the old house while feeling like a warm, dry new house”. In the extension, a concrete floor was laid.
Look and feel
With a career in architectural design, curating joinery and materials for homes, Sylvia has a natural eye for the same details in her own home. “I wanted high-quality and interesting finishes, yet durability,” she says. “We settled on smoked European oak veneer for the cabinetry we used throughout the home, as it looks sleek and refined. Italian Arabescato Grigio marble was used on the kitchen splashback and benchtops, including a side cabinet. The everyday luxury continues with Parisian pendant lights over the island and Cavalier Bremworth loop-pile carpet in the bedrooms for a luxe feel underfoot.
Working on many different homes daily means the couple are exposed to various styles. Initially, they weren’t set on one style for the home, but it became clear what they loved during the process.
“Our aesthetic evolved. We weren’t set on a certain look,” says Sylvia. “I just gravitated towards what caught my eye over time. It was invaluable to have the practical knowledge through Sam, whether it be pricing or a design feature.”
“For instance, the marble in the kitchen was going to be a lighter stone but the style options were limited, so when we landed on our marble it was an easy decision. There were four slabs available (what we needed) in a matte finish and the price was right. I wanted natural stone, but we had to drive to Auckland to choose it.”
Initially, we started with light oak for the kitchen cabinetry, but I went through so many iterations every week because it was our own house. I had a different kitchen in mind. I wasn’t set on a certain style, so I just wanted something that felt right.”
Hub of the home
The kitchen is certainly one of the most eye-catching spaces in the home. It was designed by Sylvia, who did the drawings for the whole house. Its oak cabinetry, with curved edges, mirrors the curved end of the island. “These soft corners draw you into and around the kitchen, and then into those spaces you are constantly walking through as the curve goes around into the laundry. The curves soften these transitional spaces.”
Integrated appliances create a seamless aesthetic, an element Sylvia felt set on: “Not seeing the fridge was very high on the priority list.” Behind another set of hidden doors is a coffee machine, microwave and extra sink. “It’s nice being able to make breakfast and use the coffee machine, then close it off,” Sylvia says.
It comes as no surprise that the kitchen is Sylvia’s favourite space: “I love that it’s super functional but also very beautiful so it ticks both those boxes. It’s fast to cook in and easy to clean.”
Behind the kitchen is the laundry, complete with smoky green melamine cabinetry and an engineered stone bench. “The laundry flows easily out onto the backyard. Located behind the kitchen, this space is right where we need it, yet it is hidden. My previous laundry was outside, which was freezing in winter.”
Sylvia says that the laundry feels different from the rest of the house. It’s one place where they saved money. “We would’ve used veneer if the budget allowed, but I’ve always loved green, so it’s nice to include some colour. We’ve used the same handles as the kitchen for continuity. It’s a nice space to be in.”
Functional for the family
At the front entrance, a storage nook comes in handy for bags and shoes. From here, the hallway leads to the playroom, Harland and Finn’s bedrooms, the main bathroom and the main bedroom. The latter features the same smoked European oak as the kitchen and its lounge. Part of the open-plan living area in this lounge includes a lounge area featuring a striking timber wall cabinet where push-open storage with a transparent covering below the TV accommodates toys and belongings. “We focused on making the home feel slick but were mindful that it’s a family home, so we needed storage to have all these things. A lot of built-in joinery makes it easy to keep the home clean and organised. Everything has its place.”
It’s clear this home has the perfect balance of practicality and beauty. The children have plenty of room to play, and Sam and Sylvia get to enjoy their beautiful surfaces and materials. “Being the architectural and interior designer, as well as the homeowner, meant this project involved a big learning process, but it was also really fun.”
Shop Sylvia and Sam’s renovated Wellington home style
See more images of the renovated Wellington home below
SGB Construction build the children’s playground and the entertaining area using leftover cedar from the soffits.
In Harland’s room, the wardrobe colour is Laminex Possum and then the chunky loop wool carpet is Bremworth Samurai in Pyua.
In the front entrance, Renalls Joinery made the shelf and nook. Then, the Koti wall hooks are from Citta.
The cabinetry in the laundry is Laminex in Possum, the drawer handles are Lincoln Pull in brass from Lo & Co and vertical Beam Handles by Powersurge.
Read this next:
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- A colourful cottage revived by homeware designers Bonnie and Neil
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