Lifestyle

A major renovation opened up this hilltop home to views over the harbour

Byforwomenmagazine January 22, 2026January 18, 2026

A Major Renovation Opened Up This Hilltop Home to Views Over the Harbour

It was all about the glorious sea views for this glassy Wellington renovation. Discover how this downsizing couple designed a house to work for their new phase.

The Creative

Interior designer Frances Fraser.

The Clients

A long-time Wellington couple whose two adult daughters have left home.

Where is it?

Kaiwharawhara, high on the Wellington hills, with views that stretch from Eastbourne across to the CBD – but close enough to the action that the couple can see when there’s a park outside their favorite café and quickly drive down the hill to claim it.

What is it?

A stylish four-bedroom contemporary house built in 2007 that needed refreshing when the couple bought it in 2016. The couple lived in the house for a year to get a feel for it. There were several key considerations, including lots of well-placed and functional storage, areas to display favorite pieces the owners had collected over the years, and making the house personal without it being unsellable.

What was the house like?

It had originally been designed for someone in a wheelchair, so while it had great bones, it needed to be adapted for the current owners. A goal of the redesign was to create interiors that complemented the attention-grabbing view without trying to compete.

What changes did you make?

The owners were open to a fresh start while incorporating meaningful details that maintained a homely feel and a connection to their family. Although the footprint was kept the same and the layout worked well, the house needed an update, so we pretty much gutted the interior, doing things like installing new ceilings and gib on the walls. We also added new carpet, larger, more modern tiles throughout, and painted the interior and exterior.

One of the biggest changes was to the “ribs” – structural steel beams that anchor the open-plan living space. We decided to make a feature of them, exposing them and painting them black. This makes a bold, edgy statement.

There’s a lot of glass in the house, to take advantage of the sea views – so much so that we used glass as a unifying concept. The owners have a strong appreciation of light in a space, so they wanted to include features such as the glass pendant lights above the kitchen island.

How would you describe your style?

I’d generally say it’s contemporary classic but that changes for each client. In this house, we’ve gone for clean-lined architecture, balanced with a comfortable, warm and livable feel.

Any renovation disasters?

The only real disaster was that we couldn’t fit the recessed pelmets into the ceiling space, so we had to rebuild them, which was a super-fiddly job. Fortunately, we got there in the end.

What did you learn?

I’ve since invested in new project management software that helps to keep tabs on the many moving parts of comprehensive projects like this one. It also allows me to maintain a list of good tradies and contractors, which clients often ask for.

Did you stay within budget?

The clients spent significantly more than what they initially thought they were going to. But they were aiming for good-quality finishes and wanted to get things right, which they have achieved.