b'pictures: Kallan MacLeodbefore afterA walk down a typical street of Ponsonby villas reveals that there is a ne line between trendy and timeless.In recent times, one developer or renovator too manyof the property and that I had to get certain things rightResene hasitchedtoreshapethewell-balancedverandahs,for this area. Black WhiteResenetimber lace and bay windows of 100-year-old homes inHe also wanted to respect the original rhythm of theHalf Tanaa minimal modernor post-modernmould. Whichold house, the gracious welcome provided by the wide,Resenemakes discovering the renovation by Jonathan Walker ofQuarter Teahigh-ceilinged hallway and the protection afforded by the JWA Architects all the more a pleasurable surprise.traditional verandah. I wanted to refer back to the original verandahed villas,In our practice, we want our residential projects to bring explains Jonathan. The trick with the original house was thattogether a strong design concept and the fundamental everything was balanced off a wide central spine. I wantedneed for a home to be an inviting place that reects the that hall to lead straight out to the back garden, with a sensepersonality of the owner, explains Jonathan. Its pretty of symmetry and rooms balanced on either side. rewarding to work so closely together to achieve this.Thevillawasboughtin1999byEva,itsaccountantAlthoughitisdifculttotell,thepairnishedup owner, purely as an investment property. However, whenrearranging most of the walls in the front of the villa to she couldnt nd a house for herself that she liked, shecreate space for a third bedroom, and an ensuite and decided to turn her investment into her own home. Shedressing room off the master bedroom. A series of lean-turned to Jonathan, an old friend, to help her turn a two- tos at the back of the house was virtually demolished to bedroom jumble of old rooms into an attractive, liveablemake way for a new kitchen, dining and living room.city pad. Her brief was open and relaxed.I knew Jonathan did work like this, so it was really based on trust, she admits, with lots of conversations, so it was an organic process. Jonathans experience with commercial projects and his knowledge of the client meant that he could create his own constraints. To appeal to most homeowners these days, houses have to have at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms, he explains. It also helps that I could see the potential | 49'