At just under $12.5 million, the total value of the homes on display in the fifth instalment of New Zealand’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer has slipped to its lowest point in its second season after the $40 million high just two episodes ago. That’s possibly because Spencer has left the Southern Lakes and inner city Auckland for the Matakana and Coromandel coasts, and the paddocks of the Waikato. No it’s not Bilbo’s place at Hobbiton. Next episode hopefully. (“Blimey, a round door,” Spencer might say, in front of the round door. ”Would you look at that!“)
In this episode there fewer architects in architect glasses talking about what their money-no-object clients’ wishes, and more savvy clients – some of whom helped design and build the places themselves – telling Spencer about the very nice places they now call home.
Stables House, Waikato
A four-bedroom, 500 square-metre country house on the rural outskirts of Hamilton in which its owners – a builder and an interior designer – had plenty of input in house with plenty of everything. It has a seven-metre stud in its main living area, a couple of its outdoor living areas, a lavish garden, and lots of space for grandkids and horses to run around in. They are housed in an adjoining stable. The horses that is. Designed by Tane Cox of Red Architecture for interior designer Bronwyn Turton and builder husband Bruce, who built the place and who he regularly works with.
What Spencer says: “The whole place is just meticulous outside as well as inside. Look at these – perfectly pruned. Just beautiful. Even the tomatoes are being grown beautifully. The grapes, absolutely stunning, as they should be. The fruit, the carrots … .”
What the architects say: “A harmonious rural abode featuring traditional gabled forms, rich materials, and thoughtfully designed spaces, including a dedicated stables for the owners’ beloved pony and horse, all set against the picturesque backdrop of north Waikato. We devised a series of gabled forms that imitate that traditional rural stable vernacular and interconnected these with a series of pavilions, creating interstitial gathering and connective spaces in between them.”
QV: $2,840,000
To see more go here
Waimataruru, Otama Beach, Coromandel
The possible winner of unofficial second season prize for best coastal view. Sitting above the north-facing white sands of remote Otama Beach is another in the series where the designers have attempted to take the natural topography and habitat into account. The timber building that slopes down the contours of the land giving it five stepped levels, largely uninterrupted by floor to ceiling walls throughout the main body of the house. The house’s largely window-free rear backs on to native bush while the front looks out to the outer Hauraki Gulf Islands. It was designed by Aaron Paterson and Sarosh Mulla of Pac Studio with owner Kristina Pickford of Kristina Pickford Design.
What Spencer says: “The house is quiet. It’s not a loud statement, it’s more of a whisper, and it just complements where it sits so perfectly.”
What the architects say: “A house in an exceptional setting, interwoven with the landscape. Primary spaces cascade down the landscape from east to west, while a reimagined colonnade on the seaward side blurs the indoor-outdoor quality of the building edge. Carefully positioned apertures create potent landscape connections, giving the landscape an interior quality, bringing it close. Few sites have the great character and engrossing natural beauty of this Otama house. In fact, it’s rare to have a situation so varied. Commanding ocean vistas give way to forested gullies, shadowy streams, wide beaches and rocky outcrops.”
QV:$5,370,000
To see more go here
Crinkle Cut, Point Wells
The name for this distinctive three-bedroom house in a riverside village isn’t because its large louvred walls make it look like a mandoline. It’s for the corrugated iron that sits on its cantilevered roof above its “raking clerestory windows”. The S-shaped house was built around some established trees on a corner section, with the river estuary just across the narrow road. It might be part of a semi-suburban seaside community on the Matakana Coast but it looks like it’s from somewhere slightly more tropical, helped by a pale pinkish exterior. There are more than 500 custom-made louvres framing the indoor-outdoor living area. It was designed by Aaron Paterson of Pac Studio with Steven Lloyd and built for the owners, whose family firm is long established in top-end house construction, by their son.
What Spencer says: “It’s giving tropical island vibes. Is it too early for a pina colada?”
What the architects say: “A house built around the spectacle of light and shadow.The house sits behind a dynamic facade of louvred doors. You can shut off the street while the interior is open and light. And endlessly modify the rhythm and porosity of the home for privacy and shelter. It exemplifies the benefits of passive design; the orientation of the plan, sun shading and high-performance thermal materials – how airflow and ventilation can be fine-tuned for a comfortable and sustainable connection with the elements … on a summer’s day you can engage with the neighbourhood to enjoy the spectacle of dog walking, swimmers and bike riding, or otherwise modify the rhythm and porosity of the louvres to control the wind, sun and ambient light."
QV: $4,250,000
To see more go here