Houzz Tour: Maori Proverb Inspires Waiheke Island Holiday Home
Designed to blend in harmoniously with the land, this island abode welcomes a family home for holidays
Although Waiheke Island is less than 20km from Auckland, it has a remote get-away-from-it-all feeling that felt just right for a family holiday home. Owner Heather invited architect Charissa Snijders to view the land with her, to get a sense of what kind of house would best suit the family’s wants and needs, and what would best fit in with the natural surrounds.
“Charissa and I started this project with a visit to the site and just sat in the long grass paddock with the sheep all around us,” Heather says. “We sat there for quite some time talking, listening, looking and watching the animal activity around the farm.”
Heather says she then embarked on an ‘idealistic rant’ as she tried to convey what was important for this land and imagined house. “Goodness knows what was going on in Charissa’s head at this time but she listened to everything I talked about … she hears between the words and between the unspoken feelings … and it wasn’t long before Charissa was handing over drawings and concepts for this house,” Heather says.
“It was not what I expected and everything I wanted.”
Photos by Peter Rees Photography
“Charissa and I started this project with a visit to the site and just sat in the long grass paddock with the sheep all around us,” Heather says. “We sat there for quite some time talking, listening, looking and watching the animal activity around the farm.”
Heather says she then embarked on an ‘idealistic rant’ as she tried to convey what was important for this land and imagined house. “Goodness knows what was going on in Charissa’s head at this time but she listened to everything I talked about … she hears between the words and between the unspoken feelings … and it wasn’t long before Charissa was handing over drawings and concepts for this house,” Heather says.
“It was not what I expected and everything I wanted.”
Photos by Peter Rees Photography
Although the house is a holiday home for the family of four now, over time it will become a permanent home for Heather and her husband.
“The main purpose behind the project was to provide more opportunities for the family and extended family to be together,” says architect Charissa Snijders.
“They wanted to create a home that sat quietly and sympathetically with the land; they also wanted it to respond to its wildness, particularly the wind!”
Part of the brief was for the place to be relaxed, inviting, subtle and quirky, and at the same time, highly functional, she says. It was to have a combination of indoor and outdoor living, with lots of different opportunities, experiences and places to sit, depending on the direction of the wind.
The design intent was to create a home that is harmonious with the surrounding natural environment – as a result, the design is low lying, nestling into the hill and following the natural contours.
“The main purpose behind the project was to provide more opportunities for the family and extended family to be together,” says architect Charissa Snijders.
“They wanted to create a home that sat quietly and sympathetically with the land; they also wanted it to respond to its wildness, particularly the wind!”
Part of the brief was for the place to be relaxed, inviting, subtle and quirky, and at the same time, highly functional, she says. It was to have a combination of indoor and outdoor living, with lots of different opportunities, experiences and places to sit, depending on the direction of the wind.
The design intent was to create a home that is harmonious with the surrounding natural environment – as a result, the design is low lying, nestling into the hill and following the natural contours.
Connecting both the existing farm building language and the analogy of a Maori pā on the hill, the design adopts a collection of small buildings, each with its own use. These two metaphors are reinforced with the detailing, materials and terracing of the land.
A Maori proverb helped to express these qualities and became the guide that inspired them to connect, weave and shape the home with the land:
Whakarongo ake au (I listen to the cry of the bird)
Ki te tangi a te mau nei the tui
Tui tui (Bind together, stitch together)
Tui tuia (Weave together)
Tuia i runga (Those things from above)
Tuia i raro (Those things from below)
Tuia i roto (Those things within us)
Tuia i waho (Those things around us)
Tihe mauri ora (Behold, the sacred breath of life)
“The overall feel of the place is timeless and understated, creating a sense of permanence through the careful selection of materials, colour and proportion,” Snijders says.
A Maori proverb helped to express these qualities and became the guide that inspired them to connect, weave and shape the home with the land:
Whakarongo ake au (I listen to the cry of the bird)
Ki te tangi a te mau nei the tui
Tui tui (Bind together, stitch together)
Tui tuia (Weave together)
Tuia i runga (Those things from above)
Tuia i raro (Those things from below)
Tuia i roto (Those things within us)
Tuia i waho (Those things around us)
Tihe mauri ora (Behold, the sacred breath of life)
“The overall feel of the place is timeless and understated, creating a sense of permanence through the careful selection of materials, colour and proportion,” Snijders says.
Local stone, concrete floors and timbers weave seamlessly together. Working with timbers close to home, Lawson Cypress was selected for the exposed structural elements, as was Tasmanian oak for the interior doors, skirtings and handrails, combined with hoop pine ply for the walls. The walls were contrasted with Meranti ply for the lower ceilings and washed ply for the raked ceilings. To enhance the natural timbers, Osmo Polyx Hardwax, from The Natural House Company, was applied to walls, ceilings and doors.
The main house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry, kitchen/dining/living area, a small internal courtyard and a sunroom. The outside has many courtyards and places to sit and rest.
The main house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry, kitchen/dining/living area, a small internal courtyard and a sunroom. The outside has many courtyards and places to sit and rest.
“Our new house has thoughtful warm spaces, coloured glass features, humble white-washed pine walls, and a concrete floor that echoes the sandy beaches of Waiheke,” Heather says. “However, the most inimitable quality of this home is the complete harmony with which this new building binds to the land; one cannot visit this place without noticing the integral relationship and connection of the land to the building. I love this!”
The ‘barn’ is the family’s creative space. Each of the pavilions are stained a different colour – but all colours are connected to the colours of the Waiheke stone. “It feels really natural and blends well into the land,” Snijders says.
The landscaping has been designed with a ‘magic path’ that weaves its way towards another family member’s house.
The landscaping has been designed with a ‘magic path’ that weaves its way towards another family member’s house.
There is no real back or front to the house; each has a purpose. To the south is the general arrival. The strong Waiheke stone wall “holds the house into the land and acts as a welcoming arm that guides you into the beckoning vista of the sea beyond,” Snijders says.
By the entrance door, small kauri trunks are a feature. The trunks are from kauri that died in a drought several years back.
“We bound them with twine, which echoed the integral essence of this place – binding, weaving and connecting – part of the Maori verse that captured both Heather and my imagination when trying to encapsulate the essence of this place,” Snijders says.
“We bound them with twine, which echoed the integral essence of this place – binding, weaving and connecting – part of the Maori verse that captured both Heather and my imagination when trying to encapsulate the essence of this place,” Snijders says.
An internal courtyard at the entrance brings in light and natural ventilation, a useful design feature when the wind becomes fierce – the homeowners can still open the doors and feel connected to outside.
The stainless steel oval by the front door was Heather’s idea. Sometimes she fills it with sand and adds special finds to it, other times it’s filled with water, tea light candles and flowers.
The stainless steel oval by the front door was Heather’s idea. Sometimes she fills it with sand and adds special finds to it, other times it’s filled with water, tea light candles and flowers.
The north face is open to the spectacular sea view and has quite a different feel to stone walls of the south side. Here it’s mainly glass with stained ply walls.
A special feature is the glass door that divides the entrance from the living areas – this can be completely recessed into a cavity, semi-open or closed, bringing multiple layers of colour and delight to the space.
“We had fun choosing the colours and type of glass,” Snijders says. “I wanted it to be all clear and Heather wanted the different patterns; in the end, what we came up with was much better than what either of us would have done on our own – I love that when it happens.”
The same coloured glass patterning was used for the laundry, the kitchen slider and the main bathroom to act as another layer of connection. To help with privacy in the main bathroom, opaque glass sits behind the coloured glass.
“We had fun choosing the colours and type of glass,” Snijders says. “I wanted it to be all clear and Heather wanted the different patterns; in the end, what we came up with was much better than what either of us would have done on our own – I love that when it happens.”
The same coloured glass patterning was used for the laundry, the kitchen slider and the main bathroom to act as another layer of connection. To help with privacy in the main bathroom, opaque glass sits behind the coloured glass.
The kitchen cabinet joinery is Plytech Spectrum 120 in ‘Transparent White’, and the benches and island top are Kings Generation in Macrocarpa. The front face of the island is Plytech Spectrum 120 in ‘Transparent Yellow’, which also features in the shelving in the living space. ‘Transparent Red’ is used on the drawers. “Again, this works to connect, weave and bind spaces together through use of materials, colours and ambience,” Snijders says.
The house was designed for passive solar gain, and has solar hot water heating and a biolytix wastewater system. Low-toxic materials were used wherever possible, including Osmo Polyx Oil for the internal hoop pine ply walls and a low toxic seal on the concrete floor.
The end bedroom is a large space to accommodate either a family or teenage kids staying over. It was designed to have two queen sized beds in it, but Snijders found a leather Himolla day bed that acts as a sofa most of the time, but also works as a comfortable bed.
Snijders says one of the aspects the clients love is the ability to close off half the house when guests or family aren’t staying – they don’t feel like they’re rattling around in a huge space. “The house still feels whole, with the added advantage of reducing the amount of cleaning!” Snijders says.
Snijders says one of the aspects the clients love is the ability to close off half the house when guests or family aren’t staying – they don’t feel like they’re rattling around in a huge space. “The house still feels whole, with the added advantage of reducing the amount of cleaning!” Snijders says.
The main bedroom has a window seat and picture window that looks into the farm and gully below. “It’s quite a different feel to the view to the sea,” Snijders says.
View more beautiful bedrooms
View more beautiful bedrooms
The main bedroom also has a walk in wardrobe with custom made shelving and drawers. The other two bedrooms have shelving for books and collected items, plus custom made drawers and wardrobes.
The majority of interior walls are hoop pine ply that has been blonded with Osmo Polyx Oil, or earth clay plaster on the concrete walls.
Pendant light: Kartell
The majority of interior walls are hoop pine ply that has been blonded with Osmo Polyx Oil, or earth clay plaster on the concrete walls.
Pendant light: Kartell
The bright and cheerful main bathroom has a skylight with blinds that floods the bathroom with soft, diffused light.
Plytech Spectrum 120 in ‘Transparent Yellow’ has been used for the majority of the walls to connect the bathroom with the kitchen.
Explore more bathroom designs on Houzz
Plytech Spectrum 120 in ‘Transparent Yellow’ has been used for the majority of the walls to connect the bathroom with the kitchen.
Explore more bathroom designs on Houzz
The ensuite/bathroom has a different feel to the main bathroom – “it is more cocooning than the light-filled main bathroom,” Snijders says. “We enhanced that by using Meranti ply on the ceilings and hoop pine ply on the walls, with cedar louvres for easy ventilation.”
In the shower, which opens up to the internal courtyard, there is an option of having a glass sliding door, an adjustable cedar louvre, or having it completely open while showering.
In the shower, which opens up to the internal courtyard, there is an option of having a glass sliding door, an adjustable cedar louvre, or having it completely open while showering.
The exterior cladding is made up of three different materials – the Waiheke stone wall on the southern side of the main house, stained ply walls and plastered concrete block walls.
Asked what she’s most proud of about the finished design, Snijders says: “How it feels when you enter – one feels a sense of peace and lightness, a joyfulness – it has a warm and welcoming feel.”
“I love the quality of light, the framed views as you walk through the house, how the landscape is integral to the home and how the materials all work together.”
“I love the quality of light, the framed views as you walk through the house, how the landscape is integral to the home and how the materials all work together.”
Who lives here: This is a holiday house for Heather, her husband and their two daughters
Location: Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Size: The home is made up of three buildings: the garage (50 square metres), the studio (called ‘the barn’, 32 square metres), and the main house (190 square metres), which is made up of three pavilions – the main bedroom pavilion, the living pavilion and the bedroom pavilion with interlinking connections.