boxing on
A tiny fifties house built on an equally miniscule budget continues to serve its owners well.

Simple built-in furniture formed part of the original design, as shown here in the living room.

Christchurch architect Don Donnithorne was still a student when, in 1952, he designed his family's home, a tiny house built on the smallest possible budget. A simple, elegantly-proportioned timber box with a steeply pitched roof, the house's small scale was highlighted when it appeared in a 1959 issue of Home & Building under the heading "Four Children in 900 Square Feet". As well as a tight budget, its refined design suggests the influence of contemporary Scandinavian architecture on New Zealand's post-war architects.

The only extravagance the Donnithornes allowed themselves when building was the shingle roof. Now, 46 years later, the heart matai floors and tongue and groove rimu that lines the walls also appear rather luxurious. These warm timber surfaces have required little or no attention over the years and still look as good as new.

Over time, the original house has been gradually added to and three lean-to additions are now propped

The dining room was extended in 1974 to accommodate a boardroom table sold to Don on the condition he never resell it.

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The original wood panelled dining room.

Today, artworks are a feature of the previously spare rimu panelled walls.

The oiled rimu board and batten exterior has acquired a dark patina. On the roof, a new layer of shingles has been laid directly over the originals.

against the gabled box. Each of these is small and sits well with the house's intimate scale. The first additions, in 1962, extended the bedrooms and added a sunroom. The last, in 1974, doubled the size of the dining room. This extra space was needed to accommodate a large table, formerly the boardroom table of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board. Sold to Don on the condition that he never resell it, the table is now a feature of the house and central to family life.

When the house was featured in Home & Building in 1959, uncluttered rooms complete with books and built-in furniture had a simplicity that reflected both the house's budget and the modern aesthetic of the fifties. Today, the accumulations of family life mean page 174

The original kitchen, complete with a Bendix washing machine and an English Prestcold refrigerator.

the interior holds an altogether richer array of things.

Originally, the house sat at the front of a long narrow property. When the Donnithornes bought an adjacent section eight years ago the property doubled in size. The house now sits amid trees in the corner of an expansive garden containing a series of independent structures: house, garage, studio, ornamental pool and pergola. The living room overlooks the pool, as does the studio. Screened from the house by the garage and garden, it is a recent addition and provides accommodation for family and friends. Building a stand-alone studio gave Don the freedom to design in a quite different style, without compromising the house's original design. Doubling the size of the property has also provided plenty of room for his collection of Lancia motorcars.

In his book The Elegant Shed, architect David Mitchell drew a comparison between this house and Christchurch's early cottages and gardens, writing that it was "gracious, unpretentious and glows inside like a polished chestnut". Today this cottage-like atmosphere is even more pronounced.

Open shelves have replaced some of the cupboards in the kitchen and a dishwasher and full size fridge are incorporated into the original layout.

Justine Clark