The Simpson House

by Robin Simpson

GREENLANE, AUCKLAND 1938–1939

“Robin Simpson and Vernon Brown were in partnership for a time, so their work was quite closely related, but Simpson is best known for a house that he designed for himself in 1938,” Barrie says. “It’s a white cube with a big rectangular chunk carved out to form an outdoor living space, and with relatively open planning inside. It’s one of the very early New Zealand examples of our version of international modernism – although its construction is not very far from a typical New Zealand house, with a wooden frame and linings.” The home was purchased in the early 2000s by writer (and longtime HOME contributor) Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, who restored it and still lives there now.