If a visit to the real estate office is just more encouragement to move to the area, then designer and builder have done their work well.
Faced with a poor street presence, limited usable space and growing staff numbers, Bayleys Waiheke decided to move offices. The new location was close by the upper level of the hillside Poppelwell building, where Bayleys already occupied the second floor below. The realtor would be swapping spaces with the existing art gallery.
The new top-floor location offered views to the street and the ocean. However, while the simple white cubist volume had been ideally suited to displaying artworks, it lacked the personality and design presence appropriate for its new role. Realising a major rethink was needed, the company engaged Sheffield Construction for the physical refit, and interior designers from Yellowfox, who specialise in residential and commercial design.
Dale Sheffield says that as the builder on site, his company is always happy to find ways to improve a design and that's exactly what happened here.
"While stripping out the wall linings and ceiling to make everything true and to lay new services, we also exposed attractive steel support beams in the foyer. Yellowfox wanted to retain these as a feature so together we decided to paint them black and add a false wood beam, also in black, for balance."