Interior refit of Bayleys Waiheke office by Yellowfox and Sheffield Construction

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."

At the other end of the premises, a small window looked to the sea. Dale saw a way to build out and extend the volume here, propping up what was to become the spacious, airy meeting room area on external steel supports. Double bifold doors were added to open out to a new deck, so that the once claustrophobic space now opens up completely to Waiheke's charms. The builder also introduced a steel framing system at the front of the building, to support new sliding doors that optimise street presence.

While the structural work expanded the space and helped the offices embrace the scenery and the street, Yellowfox's expert design team created an interior ambience to match.

Vikki Gorton explains some of the features that help the real estate agent's offices come to life.

"We used a commercial-grade vinyl timber plank with a rustic beach look for the flooring this supplied the durable finish required. There are copper highlights in the floors and the stone countertop of the reception desk, and we accentuated these by introducing three copper pendant lights overhead.

"For the walls, we selected stained Shadowclad to further the seaside aesthetic. This has a darker framing edge to tie in with the ceiling and painted steel beams. The eye-catching cedar ceiling was Dale's idea and he asked us to approve this before construction went ahead. This adds drama and continues out to the front veranda, bringing the outside in."

The new addition with bifold doors out to the view is undisturbed by the clean white interiors Yellowfox chose for the meeting space.

"We specified soft-furnishing accent colours that reflect the sea and surroundings. Lastly, an eclectic mix of designer light fittings were especially selected to bring the scheme together."

Yellowfox works with trusted suppliers to ensure every project has an affordable, winning outcome. Here, the supplier was Sheffield Construction.

For more details, contact Yellowfox Waiheke or Yellowfox Auckland, PO Box 11282, Ellerslie, phone (09) 525 3450. Email: design@yellowfox.co.nz. Or visit the website: www.yellowfox.co.nz

Contact Sheffield Construction: phone 027 459 69 69. Email: sheffield.construction@yahoo.co.nz. Website: www.sheffieldconstruction.net

Story by: Trendsideas