103 Church Bay Road, Waiheke. Photo / Supplied
Outdoors, the frame for this picture is protected bush, distant northwest views across the water to Auckland city and a sloping site between, in the middle of Waiheke Island's prime vineyard country.
Within that frame, Waiheke Island-based architect Nigel Rees had no trouble pinpointing the obvious building platform.
And within that framework that is the form of the house, choices of materials for all the interior finishes have included solid timber, timber laminate and high gloss surfaces that bring the broader outlook into sharp focus.
Nigel and his client began work on this site about four years ago and together they designed three dwellings to hunker down into the rolling contours of the land that define this part of the island.
Lindsay Neilson was the client developing this property and he engaged his son, builder James Neilson for the project.
Lindsay and his wife lived in the two-bedroom dwelling, which was occasionally rented out, and his daughter and son-in-law and their children lived in the main house.
Seven months ago they sold, and businesswoman Leigh Efferion, who had moved to Waiheke Island two years ago from Sydney, bought the entire property.
Keen to put her own stamp on it with fresh paintwork and carpets, she was amazed to discover the abundant birdlife and dramatic sunsets that added to the general tranquillity of this island haven.
The double-storey house has supported a lifestyle centred around entertaining with a separate lounge near the bedroom/bathroom wing, and the open plan living, dining and kitchen area all opening out to the 64sq m deck.
Downstairs a study/fifth bedroom opens to the outdoors, amply serviced with the addition of an en suite through a rear door. The laundry is set to one side in the double garage.
Off the driveway, the entry with its boxed stone steps and bright red front door hint at the natural/stylised balance of the decor inside.
The natural warmth is in the golden tones of Tasmanian oak flooring that is a counter to the black and white palette throughout.
A nearby stair screen of slender vertical posts of American oak continues the timber theme, at the same time opening up the stairwell to plentiful natural light.
Along the back wall of that open lounge, four sliding doors - two with white panels and two with black, reflective glass - screen the open shelving of the built-in entertainment unit from view.
The separate lounge at the opposite end near the bedroom wing has the same door/wall treatment in the form of three sliding doors.
The kitchen repeats the same high-gloss finish in its cabinetry, white glass splashback and the island bench in white engineered stone.
At the back, the scullery has a pantry at one end and open shelves above the stainless steel bench.
Off the bedroom wing, the family bathroom has similar high-gloss finishes including a wall-hung vanity with a timber-look, high-gloss laminate to the cabinetry.
The contrast is in the private bathhouse that is set in the bush down a boardwalk through tropical gardens.
This picturesque walk passes the two-bedroom lodge accommodation with its sheltered deck and the adjoining three studio units that are in a separate block.
They all share the bush views and the five rows of vines for table grapes planted to acknowledge Waiheke Island's prime grape-growing land.
For Efferion, this project stoked her passion for residential interior design and another project has come her way.