Collaborative Craftsmanship: A Family Home by Design
In collaboration with client and designers Jonathan Goss and Cathy Ellegard, this home has been expertly detailed and documented by Ben Hudson Architects.
The 220 square metre home utilises skilfully crafted and organised spaces to deliver a family home in a modest space without compromising on design. Adaptive spaces are able to be opened up or closed down to suit the family’s needs, allowing the couple and their two young children to live and work alongside each other.
The sloping site allows the main living spaces and bedrooms to be raised above the driveway for privacy and views. Vehicular access, garaging, laundry and a guest room are provided at the lower level. Sculpted concrete steps lead to the entry, with the dramatic backdrop of the Remarkables mountain range beyond.
The upper-level entry area links the living spaces to the east, and bedrooms and study areas to the west. The open plan living, dining and kitchen spaces form the heart of the home, with the gabled roof allowing for a double-height space over these areas, drawing light into the home and creating a feeling of openness.
Details
Panoramic Living: Designing with Nature at the Heart
The kitchen and dining areas connect with outdoor entertaining areas to extend living scenarios with a natural indoor-outdoor flow. The elevated living areas take in views of the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu, and capture the movement of sun throughout the day. Socialising is oriented around the kitchen, with a window seat providing opportunity for a moment of retreat.
To the south of the kitchen a sunken lounge enhances the feeling of height. Here the gabled end of the living area has been angled to perfectly frame the expansive vistas across the lake towards Cecil Peak, which open up further as you step down into the space.
Externally the design is cleanly conceived, with lightly stained larch contrasting with pops of blackened steel to give a restrained but contemporary feel to the building.
A double height corner window facing the reserve reinforces the contrast between dark joinery and natural timber. Floor to ceiling windows increase natural light which is fed in to other rooms. From within, there is a sense of rooms floating out over the landscape creating an intimate connection with the environment.
The home is evidence of the successful collaborative relationship between architect and client, crafted to perfectly suit the clients’ lifestyle and suggestive of their own personality. The result is a home that is warm, friendly, calming and comfortable.
