Houzz Tour: A Timber-Clad Home That Gets Better With Age
Located on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, this home is designed to be at one with nature
Built as a holiday home, this design by architect Julian Guthrie demonstrates the beauty of man-made structures that work alongside the natural environment. The three-bedroom home makes the most of the surrounding views of the Mahia Peninsula, and offers the perfect secluded escape for the family of six.
One of the most identifiable design aspects of the home is Guthrie’s use of timber, which blends in with the natural environment while also making the house a sustainable property. The house won the New Zealand Institute of Architects Award when it was completed in 2013, demonstrating that good architectural design can still be at one with nature.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of six use it as a holiday home
Location: Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Size: 271 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms plus a detached bunk room and garage
One of the most identifiable design aspects of the home is Guthrie’s use of timber, which blends in with the natural environment while also making the house a sustainable property. The house won the New Zealand Institute of Architects Award when it was completed in 2013, demonstrating that good architectural design can still be at one with nature.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of six use it as a holiday home
Location: Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Size: 271 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms plus a detached bunk room and garage
As the property is beside the sea, Guthrie also had to contend with harsh weather conditions and how they would affect the building. “The home needed to be sympathetic to the landscape and require minimal maintenance within a harsh environment,” he says. Cleverly designed shuttering helps to protect it from storms and also serves as a security measure.
The large open-plan living space is one of the most impressive areas of the house. It adjoins the wide timber decks and overlooks the ocean to the north and east. A custom-made stainless steel island was installed in the kitchen along with pine plywood cabinetry.
The exposed polished concrete slab runs throughout the house, storing warmth from the sun while it reflects the beautiful light that the home receives. “It is also easy to care for and creates a seamless indoor/outdoor connection to timber decks and the concrete paved courtyard,” says Guthrie.
The exposed polished concrete slab runs throughout the house, storing warmth from the sun while it reflects the beautiful light that the home receives. “It is also easy to care for and creates a seamless indoor/outdoor connection to timber decks and the concrete paved courtyard,” says Guthrie.
The homeowners love to dive and regularly explore nearby shipwrecks where they sometimes find little treasures to bring home.
The interior decor is minimalist, but with a personal touch in the display of this unique collection.
The interior decor is minimalist, but with a personal touch in the display of this unique collection.
The living area connects seamlessly with a protected internal courtyard, which receives the western afternoon sun. The courtyard is finished in concrete pavers and has a concrete outdoor wood-burning fireplace with a built-in barbecue. As an alternative to an interior hall space, this courtyard acts as a way of connecting all the rooms of the house.
The bedrooms are located to either side of the living area, so that the owners and their adult children have their own separate sleeping quarters. They connect to the courtyard and the sea-facing decks, and have concealed sliding doors leading to them, which Guthrie says “make them feel like alcoves off the courtyard,” when left open.
Custom built-in plywood shelving was installed to give the bedrooms a sophisticated edge while saving on floor space.
Tolemeo wall lights: Artemide
Custom built-in plywood shelving was installed to give the bedrooms a sophisticated edge while saving on floor space.
Tolemeo wall lights: Artemide
In the master ensuite, colour was added with these blue glass wall tiles alongside HardiGlaze white wall panels. A plywood vanity ties in with the natural theme of the home’s design, matching the wood used throughout the house.
Tapware: Paini; basin: Duravit
Tapware: Paini; basin: Duravit
The garage is a separate building, linked to the main courtyard by a single steel beam. The entire west wall of the garage slides along the beam to open the garage, rather than a conventional garage door.
Exterior walls and shutters are in clear-oiled cedar on the seaward sides, and rendered concrete blocks on the hill-facing side. As time goes by, this cedar will age into a silvery tone, blending further into its environment, while also withstanding the harsh weather. The shutters allow veiled breezes and some sunlight into the rooms, which Guthrie says is perfect for those balmy summer days and nights.
Guthrie regularly chooses wood for his designs, as “it offers so much versatility in finish and texture, whether left natural or painted,” he says. “The natural quality of wood imparts an organic warmth to buildings that’s important in an increasingly complex and urbanised society.”
Guthrie regularly chooses wood for his designs, as “it offers so much versatility in finish and texture, whether left natural or painted,” he says. “The natural quality of wood imparts an organic warmth to buildings that’s important in an increasingly complex and urbanised society.”
While the cedar wood seen here is dominant on the exterior, the interior uses wood from a native kahikatea tree (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) that fell down in the homeowner’s Wellington’s residence. The tree was milled into interior panels, echoing the cedar siding outside.
An outdoor shower finished in natural brass was set into a shuttered alcove on the hill-facing side of the home. The homeowners use it after getting back from a swim or a diving expedition.
Sitting out on the deck area on a blue-sky day is how the family likes to spend their time when they get away to their holiday house. “The home offers the owners a place to enjoy family holiday times, connecting to the natural environment and creating memories,” says Guthrie.
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TELL US
What do you love about this secluded holiday home? Let us know in the Comments section.
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Having specialist contractors come out to the site was also difficult, and so relatively simple materials and construction techniques were used. “The use of email and texts during the construction was how we communicated, as the remoteness limited our ability to sometimes directly observe the progress,” says Guthrie.