Landscapes

Dappled light

On a small urban site, this striking addition to a character villa is grounded by the use of monolithic coloured concrete forms framing a lush private courtyard.

The sky above

Taking the operable louvred roof to the next level, the latest innovation from Louvretec is the Retract Roof range — Opening Roofs that completely open or close at the touch of a button.

The plunge pool, redefined

Not quite a pool and not quite a spa, the Stoked Stainless Plunge Spa strikes a perfect balance between the two with a piece that embraces the art of relaxation outdoors.

Al fresco connection

Utilising the existing design language of a mid-century modern home in Remuera, Johnston Architects and Bespoke Interior Design set about redesigning a pool house and creating an outdoor room, resulting in a trio of interconnected areas spanning indoors and out.

The blue glow

On a suburban site in Auckland’s Kohimarama, a transparent-sided pool creates an immersive connection between an original villa and a pavilion-style pool house.

Float away

This New Zealand brand draws inspiration from the rewards and challenges of life by the sea: simple, relaxing and beautiful but rugged and unforgiving.

The geometry of motion

From bringing the indoors out, to cabinetry that spins to reveal its contents, Hettich is elevating interior and alfresco design options with its innovation in the mechanics of movement.

Wild landscapes

Sculptor Simon Max Bannister’s works carry a powerful essence, often becoming symbols of our relationship with the environment and the wildlife within it.

The pool

This pool house is a dichotomy of sorts — on a residential site, it is commercially proportioned — and meticulously considered as both a public and private facility.

Material connection

In a rural setting that feels far removed from the city on the outskirts of which it is located, this Auckland home unfolded over a decade or so.

The great outdoors

Heading into winter and missing those beautiful long summer evenings outdoors, it’s time to think about what alfresco dining will look like in 2024.

Winter oasis

There’s not much that beats enjoying the outdoors on winter evenings under a sheltered canopy. As the mercury drops, bring the indoors out with design-led alfresco living.

Taking the plunge

During a mountain bike ride about ten years ago, two mates got chatting. The result is a fresh – and entirely Kiwi – take on the hot tub.

City and sea

On the shores of Sydney Harbour, New Zealand–born Australian architect Richard Archer devised a home of connections with the water and city beyond

Off the grid

On a tiny island just off the coast of Whangarei Heads a small house does justice to its unique site, while requiring some adjustments to the typical modern lifestyle.

A truffiere, an olive grove, and a vineyard

On a striking piece of land that stretches out behind the 2021 Home of the Year above the Kawarau River, two Dunedin locals have achieved something spectacular – a sustainably farmed estate producing three very distinctive and highly desirable edibles. 

Green roofs and walls: an intrinsic link to happiness

As technologies advance and the effects of climate change become a reality, the building industry is looking towards a myriad of options to offset carbon emissions and welcome biodiversity back to our cities.

Old trees new life: a unique Christchurch landscape

Concrete Copper House by South Architects enjoys a beautiful position beside the Waimairi Stream. To make the most of the site, the owners — with the help of Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects — created a unique garden.

Castle on the hill

On an elevated site between Christchurch and Governors Bay, architect Philip Kennedy envisioned a place of expansive outdoor living.

Mountain Hut

Nestled high in a wild alpine expanse, this renovated hut was devised as a place of retreat and connection for its city-dwelling owners. 

Cities of villages

In Takapuna, the pace is slower than in other suburban centres in Auckland. There’s a leisurely, beach-like feel to it, especially on Hurstmere Road — the suburb’s shopping and eatery hub — where people and vehicles share the road. 

Glacial retreat

On a remote station about halfway between Aoraki Mt Cook and Timaru, near Lake Tekapo, this prefabricated house was designed to settle effortlessly into a harsh landscape of snow and storms, and long, dry summers.

How to select the best outdoor heating

Whether it’s a cosy fire pit to sit around on long summer evenings, or a high performance woodburner to heat up the outdoors in the colder months, a myriad of ways exist to bring an outdoor space to life.

Garden rooms

Around this Christchurch home, which is raised above the ground to allow floodwaters to flow beneath it, an interconnected series of landscapes combines to create a striking aesthetic.

Soul serving

The move towards having organically farmed gardens sitting alongside hospitality venues is a growing trend in contemporary landscape architecture, where chefs and horticulturalists work hand in hand, planning menus based on what is growing in the garden. 

Treescape

Tucked into the hillside in Abel Tasman National Park, this is a house designed for enjoyment of the area’s unique landscape.

Rocky outcrop

At the base of the Ben Ohau Range near Twizel stands a tiny cabin, secluded within a vast landscape.

Full circle

Hamilton Gardens is known the world over. It attracts more than a million visitors every year, with upwards of 5000 visitors a day

A matrix of amber and green

Mimicking the pared-back materiality of the architecture, a simple plant palette creates a sense of calm in this modern urban garden. 

Enclosed haven: The courtyard house

Are they follies, small extravagances, or safe havens from the coastal whims? Melanie McDaid explores the courtyard house and some of its local iterations for clues

Out with the old

In Red Beach’s latest retirement village, the archetypal landscaping stalwart – the bowling green – has been thrown out in favour of a whole new

Cruciform house

A spacious Mid-Century modern-inspired home in Orakei proves that you don’t need a huge amount of land to have four bedrooms and multiple living spaces, particularly when less than half of the home touches the ground.

Basalt on the senses

For a brutalist building that stands so four-square on its ground, this house is full of hidden delights.

Bridge over water

Sandii McDonald creates a beautiful rhythm in a Japanese-inspired landscape — based on plans that were first drawn in the 1970s by Sang Architects.

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