2022-02-01 HOME Magazine NZ

It’s as if a Malibu pavilion had
been lent a Scandinavian
palette, some of Martha’s
Vineyard’s self-assuredness,
and plenty of that Kiwi,
laid-back attitude

Since coming from the United States to their adoptive
New Zealand home eight years ago, the pair have been crucial in
helping clients purchase and bring to fruition several houses within the
golf course grounds, many designed by some of the most significant
local architects as well as a smattering of international ones.

“We always look to have architecture that’s not going to be
overpowering to the land,” says Jim. “What you see outside is really
what should be dominant, and this,” he continues, motioning to the
building, “should really be subservient to the landscape.”

From a small, private driveway, the house reveals itself as a
low-lying, L-shaped pavilion encased in light-coloured timber, which
somehow blends into the sand dune and verdant topography that
surrounds it. The cedar weatherboards vary in orientation: vertical
on the bulk of the form, horizontal on the soffits. The latter express
the very gentle gable that runs the length of the main pavilion along
its central axis and overhangs on both ends, providing shelter and
variety. The timber thins out and becomes fin-like on the outside of the
windows, lending privacy, shade, and a small glimpse of the
Neil Donaldson steel sculpture outside. The north-facing facade is
almost entirely glazed, creating an internal contrast of light and dark
that emphasises the striking views of rolling hills, links, and ocean in the
valley below.

Although not necessarily a complex geometry, the source of the
building’s beauty is in its meticulous attention to detail. The selection
of materials and the way they wrap around the soffit, the perfect
spacings between metal and timber, the colouration and positioning of
rods between fins — it all speaks of craftsmanship, both in detailing
and construction.

“For me, it was a bit of a nod to California mid-century modern post
and beam architecture,” says its designer John Irving, whom the owners
warmly refer to as a bit of a ‘beach bum’ with an architecture degree —
“or at least he says he has one!” Jim quips.

The couple’s working relationship began with John designing
eight free-standing, two-bedroom cottages on the club grounds as
accommodation for visiting members. The cottages are compact and
relatively pared back, yet carry within them the certain understated
luxury that has come to represent the design language of many of the
public buildings here.

Jim reflects on how much he enjoyed the simplicity of those

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 99

It was a bit of a nod to
California mid-century modern
post and beam architecture

cottages when he stayed there, how functional yet incredibly well
detailed they are. So, when it came time for the Rohrstaffs to design
this, their first ‘from scratch’ home, they didn’t hesitate in enlisting John.

Besides the members’ cottages, a point of inspiration for this home
was the Cheshire-designed members’ clubhouse: a stealthy pavilion
some few hundred metres away that seemingly crouches among the
sand dunes yet allows direct views to sea beyond.

“We wanted to have that same sort of casual but sophisticated
feel that the clubhouse exudes,” says Kara Rohrstaff — who was
fundamental in the interior design here, quoting United States designers
Herringbone and Jenni Kayne as influences. Kara, a certified interior
designer in the States, has had significant experience in the healthcare,
retail, hospitality and high-end residential sectors and acts as interior
designer and/or the owners’ representative on many of the homes both

100

Opposite Top A flexible Above DBJ (joinery, cabinetry) WRW & Co., seating by Cult and
connection between the internal, has crafted pieces that respond floorboards are complemented
glazed courtyard and the main to the geometry, proportions by strong veins of the leathered
social space. The area has been and palette of the space. Timber matarazzo on the kitchen
conceived for socialising. qualities of the QT Table by surface.

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102

Opposite The front facade at Tara Iti and Te Arai, its the new sibling course not far away.
windows have been covered in Have there been significant differences between her overseas career
timber fins to give privacy and a
flow of sunlight and shadow and what has been expected of her here?
“The metric system and the smaller dimensions [in New Zealand]!”
Above A covered courtyard
inserted into the main social she confides, finding humour in the fact that she and Jim would
space for added protection conceptualise what they thought was a small kitchen, only for the
from, but conviviality with, the architect to point out how large it was in local terms.
elements.
In most cases, says Kara, she learned to compromise. Working with
John, he would design it to fit the Kiwi sensibilities and "I would enlarge 103
it to fit what I was used to in the USA. Inevitably, we’d work together to
figure out the right proportion in this home and on many of the other
homes we’ve worked on together because my clients are all Americans
and I’m an American building here, yet everybody wants their home to
be ‘of this place’; they all want it to be Kiwi.

“They didn’t want to just import furniture from Europe, you know;
they’ve done that in their house in New York or their home in California.
They want this to be New Zealand, and that has become sort of my
[design] ethos.”

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ

The interior is a
cohesive amalgamation
of styles, all working
towards a common
goal of relaxed
sophistication and
embedment in the land

104

Opposite page One of the Above The bunk beds were ports and privacy curtains. The
main bedrooms has views of a collaboration between Kara, result echoes the golden era of
landscaping, sand dunes and the architect and executed train or boat travel with a distinctly
sea. The natural textures and by DBJ. They have internal contemporary edge
tones combined with rounded bookcases, wall-mounted
edges create a relaxed mood lighting for reading, charging

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 105

"You see things that are The architect echoes the sentiment.
appealing to you, whether “For me, it was an exercise in understanding their desire to merge
they’re homes, restaurants, Kiwi and American ways of living. I learnt a lot about American scale in
clubhouses, or hotels, and you this place,” says John.
take little snippets from places To that end, Kara has been scouring the country in search of what
that you admire, and try to put she calls “these really amazing artisans and craftsmen”. She is quick
your own personality and your to point out the work of Simon James, Raglan’s WRW & Co., and DBJ
own spin on that idea” joinery as among her favourite finds and collaborations.
As a result, the interior is a cohesive amalgamation of styles,
Above The materials have all working towards a common goal of relaxed sophistication and
been conceived to emulate the embedment in the land. In the kitchen, the leathered matarazzo
colours of the landscape and the stone — more caramel in tone than its usual grey — blends beautifully
low-lying form seeks to blend in with the custom-made cabinetry. Its apex fits sculpturally into the gable
rather than stand out. above. The living room and the impressive outdoor/indoor seating area
are full of varying seating arrangements aimed at both the regular
Opposite The owners entertain socialising that takes place here and taking in the views. The colour
a lot and the custom-made palette is quintessentially fresh, earthy, and a touch rural.
tequila bar is a hub and central “I would say that we were nomads,” says Jim, “but we are home now.”
feature. This project was The recent New Zealand citizens discuss the homes they have
nicknamed the 'Tequila House' inhabited in California, Arizona, Texas, Michigan and Remuera, and their
by the architect during its design penchant for taking in the styles and influences of those places and
phase. Travertine and light work carrying those with them.
together to create an attractive “I guess being nomads and travelling a lot, you see things that are
and alluring spot. appealing to you — whether they’re homes, restaurants, clubhouses, or
hotels — and you take little snippets from places that you admire, and
try to put your own personality and your own spin on that idea.”
The Rohrstaffs’ next house is currently being designed for a plot not
far from here. It is to be what the couple call their ‘forever home’, taking
some of their learnings from this one, taking bits from their previous
ones, and seeking something unique that is often found within the
details rather than just in large design gestures.

106



Rohstaff
House

Mangawhai

Studio John Irving






 Entry 
 Garage 
 Bunk room  
 Jack & Ji
 Bedroom 
 Bathroom
 Bedroom 
 Powder
 Scuery
 Kitchen
 Dining
 Tequia bar
 Firepace
 Gaery
 Outdoor iving
 Firepace
 Ensuite
 Bedroom 

     

108

DBJ is passionate about creating quality, custom-made cabinetry that is
finished with finesse, precision and artful detailing. For DBJ the little things
hold the biggest value.
For this project a highlight is the brass edging detail in the bar area and all
the custom brass handles – all manufactured and antiqued here at DBJ.

+64 9 443 0296 / [email protected] / dbj.co.nz

―

Rhythm
and
green

This family home on the
edge of Cox’s Bay Reserve
in Westmere, Auckland, was
conceived as a place of privacy
— a contemporary urban abode
incorporating considered
moments of whimsy.
―

Words Clare Chapman Photography David Straight
Entrance to this house, designed by Dorrington
Atcheson Architects, is by way of a meticulously
landscaped pathway. The journey takes the visitor from
the street elevation, which pays heed to a contemporary
rhythm with its black vertical cedar cladding system and
screens whose curvature and different heights play with
volume and proportion, around a black brick wall into an
extensive entrance garden.

This spread The site borders
a public walkway to Cox's Bay
Reserve; privacy is achieved with
vertical timber screening

110





It’s here the beauty and symbiosis of landscape and There’s an intentional
architecture come into their own. A large eave provides layering of texture, height,
shelter while a plate-glass window allows a view into and volume. Ferns and lush
the stair void — an area of transition between public and greenery give pause — you
private areas of the home. Here, the slightly irregular could be almost anywhere
circularity of the pavers that guide the visitor to the other than central Auckland
entry culminate in an alluring geometric pattern. There’s
an intentional layering of texture, height, and volume.
Ferns and lush greenery give pause — you could be
almost anywhere other than central Auckland; there’s the
sense of being on a bush-clad hillside somewhere, while
the native planting chosen ensures that somewhere is
distinctly Aotearoa.

There’s an elegance to the rhythm and contrasts.
Light falls through the vertical screening onto mosses
and ground cover; bricks give rise to further textural
elements, while the circularity of the pavers, each
poured in situ, further enhances the feeling of a
considered meeting of materials. Brass is introduced
on the front door, and the same four materials continue
throughout the interior.

Opposite Circular pavers lead Above The entrance is
around the side of the house sheltered by a large eave on
to an entrance area that gives which the interior timber of the
pause – a transitional space ceiling becomes exterior

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 113

Opposite the entrance
is a wall of black-
stained cedar where a
concealed door opens
to the powder room and
a coat cupboard

Opposite the entrance is a wall of black-stained cedar
where a concealed door opens to the powder room and a
coat cupboard.

“Guests don’t really need to go past this point of the
house; everything they need is in this area and the living
below,” architect Tim Dorrington explains.

The living area and kitchen are stepped down, and open
out onto another area sheltered by a large eave. A deck
extends further out, broken by a grassed area that meets
a bespoke Corten steel pool fence — essentially a series
of poles of three sizes that form a beautifully patterned yet
secure boundary to the pool.

“If you look closely enough, you could almost imagine
they are some sort of planting,” Tim says.

The clients, a family of five, had lived on the site for
about five years before Tim became involved.

Above A brass handrail Right The powder room is a
juxtaposes the black wall and moody space of timber, tiles
timber treads and screening and brass

114

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 115

116

“They had put the pool in before we started so we
cleared the site completely apart from the pool area.
What we ended up starting with was a pool at the rear of
the site surrounded by secure temporary fencing, and a
large area of mud.”

Privacy was important as one boundary runs
alongside a public walkway to Cox’s Bay Reserve. From
the street, the black timber screening provides just the
right amount — shielding one of the three children’s
bedrooms from the passers-by, in conjunction with
strategic planting. A pocket garden-cum-courtyard
behind the curved screen is accessible only from this
bedroom and its en suite.

In the living area, the external black brick wall facing
the public walkway becomes an internal feature, as
does the external black cedar on the other wall, where
clerestory windows draw in the light and act as a visual
break between the black cedar and the white ceiling.

Above Kitchen and living are Opposite The kitchen is
stepped down; this area opening recessed with matte black oak
up entirely to alfresco dining, a cabinetry meeting an emerald
large deck and the pool beyond green island benchtop

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 117

118

Opposite A window seat looks
out onto native planting in the
entrance alcove

Left A curved exterior brick wall
becomes an interior feature of
the living area

Above The material palette is
defined at the entrance where
timber, glass and brick meet

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 119

Full-height sliding
doors allow this
area to open up
to the deck and
poolscape

Left White tiles and black Above The master bedroom
cabinetry provide a simple opens up to a view over Cox's
elegance in the en suite, located Bay Reserve, with
on the upper level a small standing deck

120

Above The pool is fenced Full-height sliding doors allow this area to open up
with Corten steel posts of to the deck and poolscape. The kitchen is recessed
three different widths creating — black oak cabinetry sits against an emerald-green
a striking, organic landscape benchtop in a leaded finish, and hexagonal marble tiles
feature and a physical definition from Artedomus form the splashback, completing the
between areas textural and patterned elements of the kitchen. Behind,
a butler’s pantry allows for the workings of the kitchen
to be undertaken out of sight, while connection with the
rest of the area remains by way of the cedar wall and
clerestory windows continuing into this area.

“It doesn't feel like you’re shut off from the activity
and the rest of the area here.”

Beyond the entrance and powder room is a rumpus/
media room, the three children’s bedrooms, one with
en suite, a separate bathroom, and the garage.

“I don’t like hallway spaces so the area these bedrooms
open onto becomes more like another lounge while being
large enough to be a thoroughfare,” Tim explains.

Overhead, a skylight draws light into this internal
space, and deep green carpet continues the colour
palette from the green of the benchtop and references
the entrance planting.

Upstairs becomes the clients’ private retreat, housing
just the master bedroom, with a small private deck
looking out over the reserve, and a separate bathroom
whose brass tapware and shower heads juxtapose white
tiled walls.

This is a house that transports the occupant
elsewhere; there’s no hint of the populous nature of
the area other than the occasional pedestrian passing
through the walkway, moving to and from the vast
inner-city reserve that extends out behind the home.

To read more about the landscape
design, visit homemagazine.
nz or scan the QR code

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 121

Westmee
House

Auckland

Dorrington Atcheson Architects (DAA)

CTL Construction

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 Dining 
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 Lounge
 Media
 En suite bathroom
 Garage
 Master bedroom
 Bathroom



  

122

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Idyll by
the bay

In the Far North, this coastal
home by Bossley Architects is
a delightful stitching of form
and sunlight.
―

Words Federico Monsalve Photography Simon Devitt
The bach that previously occupied this site was nearly derelict. A
peach-coloured, unlined fibrolite, beehive-shaped structure with a
wobbly deck, it stood, through the decades, above a small Cable Bay
hill a jandal’s throw away from the rolling waves.

It is one of those magical locations of the Far North District that
have slowly become resort meccas and, eventually, retirement spots
for sea-loving couples. The owners of this plot are locals who have
deep roots in the area and can describe the mood here with a simple
narrative that seems to carry the summer within it.

Right The view from the
Archibald House in Cable Bay.
The folded roof detail provides
shelter and wind protection and
has been referred to as a fin or
even a fish scale-like structure

124

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 125

“The view, the grass and manuka, the sloping land — all leant to the Below The shape of the house
scintillating sea. The sand, gritty and peach coloured, invited the teal from the beach can be seen
waves to roll in. The thin tents we kids slept in allowed the soothing as slightly fish-like. Although
swish of the waves, and the restful plonk, plonk, of the tent flapping in seemingly large, the site means
the breeze, to lull us off to sleep,” says Rosemary Archibald, one of the the house is relatively thin
owners. “The stifling smell of the hot canvas; al fresco dining; cooking but long
on a fire or quicksie iron sandwiches; the long games of cards by
candlelight.

“This was a carefree life where appearances did not matter —
everyone was accepted; where people looked out for each other and
the beach was front and centre,” she continues. “A fish hook through a
child’s hand was remedied at the ice cream store. Here, we would swim
for hours, laze about in the sun, collect shells, hunt for crabs, fish off
the rocks, visit the blowhole in the falling dark, watch outdoor movies at
Taipa, and enjoy huge ice creams from Cable Bay Store.”

“The bach was incredibly relaxing,” says Pete Bossley, the architect
who was tasked with turning the peach beach house into a more
permanent and suitable abode. He realised the new house would have
to be something that suited that relaxed approach to life and also a
place that would continue to make memories for the wider family just as
the old bach had for the owners.

Although the brief was relatively pragmatic, it did contain dollops of
coastal Kiwiana.

“I wanted to build a quintessential New Zealand house,” says
Rosemary, “a salute to the Kiwi lifestyle, creating a living, breathing
monument to all that is great about New Zealand — live off the sea;
casual; welcoming manaakitanga.”

126

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 127

This page The house is
sandwiched between an access
road and the beach and it is
embedded into a hill. This meant
the car garaging had to be
placed on the top floor

128

Fittingly, the first design was sketched by the architect onto the This long, thin, linear
golden sand in front of the site, only to be washed away by the breeze structure burrowing
and the whims of incoming tides. into a hill responds
beautifully to the
What remained, however, was the idea of a house that could restrictions and the
respond to the brief and the limitations of the site. singularity of the views

“It’s a really interesting site, because it’s steep and squeezed
between the road behind and a driveway that feeds the adjacent house
to the southwest,” says Bossley, “then it drops really quickly down to
the beach.”

The house has been placed into the hill by being dug approximately
3.5 metres into it, giving it a sense of permanence and burrowing
despite — or perhaps in response to — the ephemeral nature of the
sea and sand beyond. Although it looks large from the beach side, it’s
“only a room wide”, according to Bossley. This long, thin, linear structure
burrowing into a hill responds beautifully to the restrictions and the
singularity of the views.

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 129

To tackle the site, the designers made the bold move of placing the
garaging on the top of the house, at road level — a move that relied
on significant engineering and dictated some of the internal heights.
Access from the garage into the house is through an external staircase
or an access lift.

At first sight, its location, glazing, and generous verticality seem
to echo Bossley’s award-winning Fold House in the Bay of Plenty. The
Fold’s feeling of a home made to frame and live within the views is also
present here; so is the sense of intrinsic luxury without any of
the opulence.

A play with ceiling heights creates not just that sense of generosity
but also variety — the compression/embrace in the kitchen, at
2.7 metres high, is released into light-filled spaces in the social area,
at 5.8 metres.

Above The ceiling height in the Opposite Exterior materials are
kitchen is dictated by the garage brought into the house to create
directly above cohesiveness between the two.
The generous heights allow
enviable amount of light into
the space

130

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 131

That transparency “It goes from single height to double and then drops down
belies a sort of honesty, dramatically over the kitchen because that’s where the cars are
that very New Zealand parked,” says Bossley, explaining how the roof is a mixture of a
architectural trait of monopitch and a gull wing. “The roof then keeps rising to a gable only
exposing the home’s to drop back down over the big west-facing deck.
skeleton
“The idea was to have a sort of rolling roof that can just provide a
lovely protection for everything and let the rooms get their proportions
according to where they were under that big roof.”

Another significant architectural move here is the way exterior
materials have found their way inside.

“We were trying, as always, to soften the definition of interior
and exterior,” explains Bossley, “and I do that sometimes by the
openness but also by bringing in materials from the outside to
become interior surfaces.”

The exterior framing seems to rupture the envelope and is
continued inside, amalgamating both functional and aesthetic
purposes. That transparency belies a sort of honesty, that very
New Zealand architectural trait of exposing the home’s skeleton,
expressing the functional in search for beauty.

132

This page Mosaic murals by
artist Miriam van Wezel. She has
been a long-time collaborator
with Bossley Architects and
often explores the connection
between fine arts and
architecture

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 133

134

Left An external staircase The huge windows and two triangular skylights are also a way in
connects the garage to which Bossley has managed to blend the interior and exterior.
this outdoor cooking and
entertaining area “Natural light is the material that we like to work with the most,” he
says, “moderating and modulating the natural light to make beautiful
Below Although the house spaces. If you get the natural light articulating spaces, you don’t
is directly in front of a public need to do much else because you get everything you need from the
beach, the layering of its movement of the light and the shadows.”
levels has given privacy to its
inhabitants “Living here is a daily delight,” says the Rosemary. “The beam lining
up with two phoenix palms so the view from the master bed is not
obstructed. The early morning sunlight catching the distant shore,
much like being at sea. The uplifting feeling when you enter, with the
height of the ceiling, the view of the entire beach, a moving landscape
from my desk, marvelling at the dolphins giving birth at the beach,
enjoying my surfie granddaughter revelling in the waves.”

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 135

Archibald 02
House 03

Cable Bay 04
Bossley Architects
05
01. Entrance
02. Main bedroom 06
03. Wardrobe 01
04. En suite
05. Bedroom 07
06. Bathroom
07. Office 09 08 17
08. TV Room 13 10 17
09. Living
10. Lift 11 09
11. Scullery 12 16
12. Kitchen
13. Dining
14. Laundry
15. BBQ
16. Garage
17. Skylight

RIDGE

14
15

136

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Above The house is clad in
vertical Abodo Vulcan Nero,
allowing it to settle into the
landscape and hills behind

138

At the
water’s
edge

The simplicity of this rural
setting gave way to an expertly
conceived design allowing for
considered moments of solitude
on the lakefront.

―

Words Claire McCall Photography Sam Hartnett

When you’re upgrading a property as special as this, it’s important to get
it right. The owners, who have had their holiday retreat here for more
than a decade, wanted an understated dwelling that would meld with the
bush backdrop, but they were also keen to retain direct access to the
lake down the western elevation of the home. An old tractor, parked up in
the shed, pulled their trout-fishing boat straight into the water.

The 1970s house enjoyed the privilege of a footprint close to Rotoiti’s
lapping edge, so it was important for Nick Chibnall-West, principal
partner of DCA Architects, to use it.

“We reclad the original house, modified the roof structure, and took
down a few internal walls to rejig the space,” says Nick.

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 139

A sleek pavilion with a charcoal-toned roof and vertical Abodo
Vulcan Nero cladding ensures the built form blends into the hills, which
are blanketed in verdant natives.

“The timber for the cladding is grown in the Kaingaroa forest
nearby. We were quite conscious of using materials made close to
home,” says Nick.

To the rear of the section, the architects removed the garaging —
the neighbour actually acquired them for storage — then created a
new boat shed on the existing floor slab, stitching it into the original
house with a guest wing that contains two bedrooms that wrap around
a courtyard garden created in the hug of the house. Internally, the living
spaces were reoriented to provide connection with this outdoor space,
which would be sheltered when the wind blew up lakeside.

When interior designer Yvette Jay arrived at the elegant black shed
for the first time, she immediately recollected why she loves her job.
The tranquillity of the location and the beauty of the backdrop were
breathtaking. Also: she had a clean slate.

140

"Given the setting, I wanted to add
some depth and character using
materials, finishes, and colours that
had a lodge-like, lakehouse feel"

Opposite Top Iroko flooring Opposite Bottom Dining Above In the transition zone
runs throughout the open-plan indoors at the Tense Material between the dining room and
living spaces. In the sunken table, from Matisse, allows a lounge, a Godard Wood armchair
lounge is a custom-designed view of the courtyard and by Baxter, from Cavit & Co,
sofa around a nib wall the lake provides a moment for pause

HOMEMAGAZINE.NZ 141

“There was a fantastic open palette in front of me; I could reinvent
the whole thing,” she says.

Having worked on a penthouse apartment for one of the owners, she
knew his passion was for minimal and contemporary design.

“Still, given the setting, I wanted to add some depth and character
using materials, finishes, and colours that had a lodge-like, lakehouse feel.”

Yvette’s design for the kitchen encapsulates this ‘less with a dash of
more’ approach. Certainly, the pairing of stained oak-veneer cabinetry
and a single slab of leathered black granite on the benchtops was to
order, but the tiled splashback of mosaics laid in a herringbone style
brought in texture and pattern.

“They reminded me of tukutuku panels or fish scales or even ripples
on a lake,” says Yvette.

A scullery off to one side ensures the house is tidy, not only for two
but also when the hordes arrive for the holidays. The strong, masculine
mood — “I wanted it to be a kitchen that Al Brown would be completely
at home in” — is picked up in the adjacent dining area, where tan
leather chairs ensure comfort for a linger-longer lunch, or in the
evenings for long games of Monopoly that stretch out until the haunting
call of the morepork settles over the forest.

Being given free rein to choose everything from flooring and lighting
to colours and bed linen — eat your heart out, Frank Lloyd Wright —
sounds like a dream job, and it was, but it wasn’t without challenges.
Enter lockdowns and working remotely with new subcontractors and
you get the drift.

This page Furniture featuring
natural materials, such as the
Cup of Tea table, from ECC,
and the Fidelio bench seat in
saddle leather, from Studio Italia,
were chosen to add depth and
character, and tie into the lodge-
like aesthetic
Opposite A black granite
benchtop is paired with oak-
veneer cabinetry and tiles laid
in a herringbone pattern on the
splashback. The Mattiazzi Osso
bar stools are from Simon James

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Above At the end of the day,
when the water games are over,
fairylights on the jetty reflect on
the lake.

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Above In the powder room,
Stretched Hex mosaics bring
texture to the palette and a Melt
surface light, from ECC, is a
statement feature

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“I became particularly au fait with Zoom,” says Yvette wryly.
She gives huge credit to Rotorua cabinetmakers Lee Brothers for
translating her designs using traditional methodologies into a triumph.
In the sunken living room, with its grandstand view of the water, she
drew up a nib wall to contain and define the area. This plump, hotel-like
corner isn’t a bad space to sit and take in the action beyond the jetty. A
pale green rug lends some luxe to the picture.
Similarly, in the main bedroom, which also faces the lake, there’s
a custom-designed daybed complete with storage underneath and
a shelf for a book or a cup of tea. An oak table that extends out from
it is the perfect place for foraged foliage in a simple vase — an easy
element of adornment.
“The owners love to take a moment of solitude on the daybed, but
it’s also set up with power to charge the phone or laptop if you happen
to get stuck here during lockdown,” says Yvette.
Chunky oak battens on one wall of the bedroom become the bedhead
but also disguise the doors to the en suite and walk-in wardrobe.
“I stained the oak with hints of green here to pick up the earthy
colours used in the bed linen,” explains Yvette.
She knows she is fortunate to have started work on the project back
in 2020, and to have ordered materials and products that year.
“We weren’t facing the supply issues we are facing now.”

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Opposite Top A contemporary Above In the guest bedrooms
grey colour scheme is common a slightly different palette is
to the master en suite and this defined by Romo Kauri Stratus
guest bathroom where LEDs give wallpaper from Seneca
the objects a lightness of being
Right A Sollos Jardim bedside
Opposite Bottom In the table from ECC; Pierre Frey Natte
en suite, a custom-designed wallpaper, from Atelier Textiles,
vanity with drawers is wrapped picks up the brown tones in the
in Grigio Mare quartzite headboard

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