Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 6 New Zealand | Page 80

Above: The open-plan living area is
separated from the pivoting front
doors by a freestanding wall. Stained
walnut floors run throughout the
upper level of the home.
Facing page: A double-height void
adds drama and transparency to the
interior. The custom steel staircase
has stained open riser treads and
a tempered glass enclosure, both
adding to the see-through aesthetic.

tube element that continues as a distinct form
on the interior. This forms the internal, private
entry from the garage to the interior and is the
only enclosed space on the top floor. It includes
a mud room and powder room in the external
section.
Guests, on the other hand, enjoy a different
arrival experience. They reach the house via an
open walkway that runs alongside the tube.
This pedestrian bridge suspends visitors over
the landscaped hill, inviting them to take in the
wider surroundings. These is also a view right
though the interior to the river from the path to

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the large front doors. The walkway floor is in
îpe, an exotic hardwood, as is the cladding on
the internal access. And it is the choice of surfaces generally that helps ground the house in
its natural setting.
Pivoting double front doors open to reveal a
freestanding wall that arrests the immediate
impact of the dramatic setting. Beyond this to
the left, there is a glass balustrade and beyond
that, a double height void with an exposed steel
staircase.
“Part of the brief was to have plenty of wall
space to hang the owners’ substantial collection