Style Insider: Japanese style meets Kiwi bungalow in Auckland.

Japanese style injects an Auckland bungalow with beauty and tranquility

Combining the best of two worlds was the aim of Jack and Kitty Wong when they renovated this Remuera bungalow with touches of Zen. They loved the house’s classic features but wanted the interiors to reflect their shared memories. During a stint working in Asia, business owner Jack and Kitty, an early childhood teacher, frequently visited Japan where they stayed in traditional Japanese inns called ryokan. “The aim was to capture some qualities of that in our own home,” says Jack.

They started with a widened entrance where, beyond the double front doors, an area of tiles (a genkan) is a good place to slip off shoes. “In Japan, you never wear shoes inside,” explains Jack. The ceilings and walls here are lined in macrocarpa battens and a timber screen divides the space from the open-plan living area. Doors to the bedrooms are disguised within the battens.

In the living area, minimal yet comfortable furnishings extend the tranquil mood and pieces brought back from Asia, including an unusual chandelier over the dining table and Hello Kitty dolls that line a sideboard, add a playful quality.

Sourcing the right fittings was a challenge. “We had to import many things to get the look we wanted which was a headache due to Covid-19,” says Jack. One item worth the wait was the custommade wooden bath made of fragrant hinoki cypress; the hand basins are also made of timber.

Low ceilings on the upstairs level meant this was the ideal place for a tatami room where every activity is practised on the floor. Jack and Kitty installed a mini gravel garden with a steppingstone path, imported the hand-woven mats and built a tokonoma, an alcove used for floral display. Occasionally, the couple host traditional tea ceremonies here and Kitty practises yoga daily in the space.

‘We had to import many things to get the look’

THIS PAGE (clockwise from far left) A gravel garden lies at the entrance to the tatami room of Jack and Kitty Wong’s home: “In Japan it is very common to bring the outside in”; the delicately patterned wallpaper is from Lilycolor in Japan. Macrocarpa battens line the kitchen island; the white taps are imported. The extended entrance hall is lined in macrocarpa battens while the heart rimu floors are original. The wooden bath was imported from Hinoki Soken Co. OPPOSITE (from left) Jack Wong, who came to New Zealand as a teenager, stands beside the stairs that lead to the tatami room. Grey tiles from Tile Warehouse are used on part of the floor and one wall; the unusual sideboard was bought from Hong Kong store Indigo Living.