A cluttered deck and pergola morph into a single, open-air platform that blends with the garden.
The original outdoor space had accumulated years of one-off design add on’s: a multi-level structure, a pergola bearing down on the space, and a general sense of things added rather than designed. The brief was to create an open platform for lounging and dining, highlight the garden, provide a direct path to the front door, and ensure privacy for practical use.
Vitex was the obvious choice – a hardwood that ages with dignity, warm underfoot, and durable enough for Auckland’s winters. Laid in a single uninterrupted plane, it erases the memory of the previous split levels. The louvre roof that replaced the old pergola is a game changer: open on fine days, closed against a southerly, and beautiful and functional either way.
Before
After
The layout settles naturally into two areas – a dining end oriented toward the sculptural dracaena draco, and a lounging end close to the house – without formal division. A raised perimeter planter and low hedge filter sightlines from neighbours at seated height, continuing the garden’s native theme rather than interrupting it. Street access to the front entrance runs clearly along the boundary, unobstructed.
The dracaena draco, present before any of this renovation began, now occupies a position of honour, with the deck framing it without crowding it.