This master bedroom suite , perched on the top floor of a three-level contemporary holiday home high above Queenstown , offers an uninterrupted vista across Lake Wakatipu to the mountain ranges beyond .
Architect Francis Whitaker of Mason & Wales says he wanted to give his clients the feeling of floating high in the sky while looking down on the township far below .
“ The entire house is spectacular , but the master suite is particularly special ,” says Whitaker . “ Every room has floor-toceiling glass walls , and the oval bathtub sits within its own glass pavilion at the outer end of the property .”
The suite ’ s run of rooms comprises the master bedroom , bathroom , a changing room and study . In addition , there ’ s a spa and meditation area on a private adjoining terrace . All these spaces are in line , so they each enjoy a direct aspect of the scenery .
With the architectural bones in place , interior designer Di Henshall was asked to add the finishing touches to the light-filled suite of rooms .
“ Anything that was going to obstruct that view was never going to work ,” says Henshall . “ The clients wanted to feel part of the landscape – to be able to lie there at night and look at the stars , or the reflection of the moon on the lake , or the snow on the mountains .”
And they also wanted that experience from wherever they were in their master suite – whether lying in the bath , taking a shower , or sitting outside in the spa .
“ For such a large space , there ’ s not a great deal in it . And that ’ s exactly the point ,” says the designer . “ The palette is search | save | share at