Houzz Tour: Setting a Stylish Agenda in a New Subdivision
Designed with future neighbours and privacy in mind, this home will be a hard act to follow
Being one of the first to build in a new subdivision provides architects and owners with the flexibility to design a house that stakes its claim before others have built around them. But it also requires the anticipation of what future neighbours might build so as to maintain privacy, space and outlook.
This house – called ‘House Under Eaves’ – is located in a new subdivision in Point Wells, New Zealand, an hour north of Auckland. Faced with a flat vacant lot and no neighbours (as yet), architect Antony Martin of MRTN Architects, embarked on a design strategy that would anticipate the context of the soon-to-be neighbourhood and create a sense of retreat from the street.
This house – called ‘House Under Eaves’ – is located in a new subdivision in Point Wells, New Zealand, an hour north of Auckland. Faced with a flat vacant lot and no neighbours (as yet), architect Antony Martin of MRTN Architects, embarked on a design strategy that would anticipate the context of the soon-to-be neighbourhood and create a sense of retreat from the street.
Stained external Cedarscreen vertical cladding: Rosenfeld Kidson; natural grooved Shadowclad external cladding: Carter Holt Harvey
While the roof looks flat and slimline from the front, it is in fact angled and it’s volume appears to thicken with dark cladding – Martin used shadow as a design quality.
“We created an oversized dark roof that protects from the elements, as heavy downpours are common. But the extended black eaves and long shadows are also protective in nature,” Martin says.
“We created an oversized dark roof that protects from the elements, as heavy downpours are common. But the extended black eaves and long shadows are also protective in nature,” Martin says.
Being on a subdivision, the client had a great desire for a home with privacy, so Martin created a layered separation from front to back. Indeed, what appeared to be a simple gable form from the front is in fact a split-gable form with a plan divided in two: the garage, street entry and guest bedrooms are in the front of the house, and the living spaces and owner’s bedroom are in the rear of the home.
“It has a shifting scale,” says Martin. “From the street the house appears as a compact assemblage of parts, but on entering, the scale expands as you move through the plan and it spills out to a verdant garden off the living room.”
At the highest point of the roof, a glazed passageway links the front and rear of the house. On one side it offers a secondary entry to and from the garden, and on the other side it has a sheltered space for outdoor dining.
Also connecting the front and rear of the house is a wide vertically-clad, stained cedar-lined wall that runs from the entry to the garden at the rear, along American oak stained floorboards.
The cedar-lined wall leads to the kitchen. It features a sun-drenched bench seat in front of an expansive picture window that frames views of the garden. “It’s essentially a second living space,” Martin says. “The owner practically lives in this spot to read, watch television, eat, chat with friends. The cats also love this spot as it’s so nice and sunny.”
A Flare downlight by Australian designer Ross Gardam illuminates the bench seat.
In the kitchen, Martin chose a muted palette that related tonally to the cedar cladding both inside and outside. Corian benchtops and stained American oak cabinets are light and neutral and complement the seagrass/brown, hand-glazed tiles from Middle Earth Tiles.
A wide opening in the cedar-lined wall leads from the kitchen to the dining and living spaces set on the other side of the wall, which are also on a lower level to the kitchen.
“The separation between these two rooms is created through the changes in levels and materials rather than walls and doors,” Martin says. In addition, the living room has a high raked ceiling with exposed rafters, whereas all other rooms have flat ceilings.
“The separation between these two rooms is created through the changes in levels and materials rather than walls and doors,” Martin says. In addition, the living room has a high raked ceiling with exposed rafters, whereas all other rooms have flat ceilings.
“The high walls provide space for the owner’s art collection and impart the sense of being in a covered outdoor room,” Martin explains. This is enhanced by the sliding glass doors that lead to an alfresco sitting area. “It’s the space the homeowner can retreat to, connected to the garden but sheltered by the eave,” says Martin.
Terracotta patio tiles: Middle Earth Tiles
Terracotta patio tiles: Middle Earth Tiles
In the owner’s master bedroom, Martin incorporated a large fixed window with a private outlook onto the garden. Situated on the other side of the kitchen, the shared wall changes from large slab to timber clad, creating distinct connections with the garden.
The bathroom is a stunning ensemble of cool and warm materials that reflect and absorb light. “For the ensuite we chose these wonderful bronze-gold tiles that have a metallic shimmer to them. Their appearance is constantly changing depending on the light and whether it’s night or day,” says Martin.
As one of the first houses to stand in the new Point Wells subdivision, House Under Eaves has been designed with future neighbours and privacy in mind, and will likely set the standard for the home designs to follow.
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As one of the first houses to stand in the new Point Wells subdivision, House Under Eaves has been designed with future neighbours and privacy in mind, and will likely set the standard for the home designs to follow.
TELL US
What do you like most about this home? Tell us in the Comments.
Who lives here: A woman and her two cats
Location: Point Wells, New Zealand
Size: 240 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, dining and living area
Design: Antony Martin of MRTN Architects
Situated on a good-sized semi-suburban, semi-coastal lot, the house appears as a simple flat-roofed home from the front. The roof appears to be held up by various layers of cedar-clad walls and the front door is screened by a poured-in-place concrete wall.