Country Residence Matakana

Conceptually, this home represents a client’s unabashed appreciation for the romance and the possibilities of rural life. It also expresses a love for texture that can only be conveyed by aged and weathered reclaimed wood.

In its dedication to craft and contrast, the home provides many moments to linger over – including the awe-inspiring timber beam that defines the living room and runs through the length of the house. Evocative of the hand-made are the reclaimed timber fireplace surround, whose texture tells a story of decades, while other surfaces are contrastingly smooth, such as the white-painted-timber tongue-and-groove panelling and the thick, poured-concrete benchtops in the kitchen and bathrooms. The mudroom (a studio favourite) is a rugged tribute to rural pastimes.

Photography by Sam Hartnett

2013 Best Awards - Finalist, Spatial category