London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

A Snug Garden Studio Makes Room for a New Zealand Family’s Growing Sons

A Snug Garden Studio Makes Room for a New Zealand Family’s Growing Sons

A translucent pergola shades this 183-square-foot garden studio made from hardy OSB.

A Wellington, New Zealand, couple loved their neighborhood of Berhampore, but found that with two young sons, they were running out of space. They called on Parsonson Architects to devise a solution, which came in the form of a 183-square-foot studio in the backyard of their two-bedroom Victorian cottage.

"Set against a backdrop of mature trees at the end of the garden," says founder Gerald Parsonson, "the new studio provides extra space for play, study, and sleeping."



The backyard studio that architect Gerald Parsonson designed to expand a young family’s living space features a wraparound deck that connects the hideaway to the garden.

Facing north, Herald Garden Studio looks toward the main house and captures midday sun with a front facade that’s mostly glass. This opens onto a deck that wraps around the west side, skirting an existing olive tree and connecting the studio to the lawn. A pergola made from opaque, corrugated polycarbonate extends from the front facade and protects against weather; the materiality of the pergola diffuses both sunlight and artificial light, creating an ambient glow.



Herald Garden Studio is situated behind a two-bedroom cottage on a narrow lot in Wellington’s suburb of Berhampore

.Parsonson selected green, corrugated Colorsteel for the roof and the rear and side walls. "It’s an inexpensive and practical product," the architect says. "Its green color relates to the garden setting."



Parsonson outfitted the interior walls, floor, and ceiling with oriented strand board (OSB). Structural supports form triangles, creating an artful, geometric aesthetic.

Inside, the floors, walls, doors, ceiling, and bathroom cabinetry are all made from oriented strand board, or OSB. "It’s economical, robust, and easy to care for," Parsonson says. "It [also] gives a nice, glowing, honey color to the interior." The simple floor plan places the bathroom and storage area at the rear, and a sleeping and play area on the loft-like second level. A sizable horizontal window in the sleeping loft "allows for views across the valley and for the afternoon sun to come in," says Parsonson. The living and office area is toward the front of the first level, which connects to the deck and the yard beyond.



A pergola made of opaque, corrugated polycarbonate extends from the front facade and guards against bright sunlight, wind, and rain.

"Buildings like this allow urban density to be created in a gentle way and for us to retain existing dwellings," Parsonson says. "In this case, my clients were faced with the prospect of having to buy a larger house further out in the suburbs. This property is small, but it’s located a cycle ride away from the city center. The studio gives them the ability to continue living in the neighborhood they love."



The triangular structural support system continues on the exterior.



A loft-style sleeping area canopies the bathroom and storage area and a portion of the downstairs live/work space.



To create interest and a note of brilliance, Parsonson sided the shower walls with red Invibe panel board.



The architect designed a geometric wall sconce made from red Invibe panel board for the bathroom.



In the evening, interior lighting interacts with the polycarbonate pergola that extends from the front, creating a lantern-like glow.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
×