Coastal tones

In the suburb of Hauraki on a small North Shore peninsula, this house elegantly moves around its site to frame views to the sea while enclosing a series of private spaces.

Neighbouring buildings are of varying scale; there’s a new house next door and a row of apartments that overlook the site, so retaining privacy while creating strong connections to the sea was an important consideration, and this was artfully woven into the design by Herbst Architects.

At ground level, stacked bluestone introduces a solidity to the shifting form; above it, a series of cedar-clad boxes with finned timber screens marks a departure from the anchored lower level and conveys a sense of lightness, the veiled silhouettes drawing in daylight and becoming lantern-like at night.

Using Dryden WoodOil in Barque, a soft mid brown, to finish the timber, the exterior tonality has a certain subtlety and grace about it — the screens serving to visually reduce the volume of the forms — while the Barque-finished timber effortlessly joins the natural palette of the coastal flora, echoing the hues of nearby pōhutukawa boughs.

Dryden WoodOil is a water-repellent, non-filming timber protector that migrates deep into the wood, helping to extend its lifespan. It is made in New Zealand for New Zealand conditions and is sought after for coastal locations like this one, a suburb that occupies part of the narrow Devonport peninsula on Auckland’s North Shore, which is particularly exposed to salt spray and the elements.

Latest video features

In the Coromandel, a home with a humble profile and a thoughtful design makes the most of a stunning location.

Built with awe-inspiring attention to detail, this Arrowtown home is a fresh interpretation of a familiar Otago rural vernacular.

This sculptural Northland bach is a perfect north arrow on a remote farm high above the sea.

With the sun on its bow and the community at its stern, this is a house in which the elements are always front of mind.

Trending articles

Design News

Islands of stone

There’s an honesty to natural stone that’s hard to look past. Part of the allure is its inherent character — each piece entirely individual.

Design News

Painted narratives

The winners of the 2024 Dulux Colour Awards seek to set precedents; to evolve our design language, and to create communities.

Design News

Naked dance

Experimental niche perfume house .Oddity’s ethos is simple — to inspire with offerings that pursue creative expression through craft, culture, and storytelling in an interplay

Design News

The power of one

The latest collection from BoConcept is all about transformation — how can a space become something entirely different with one commanding statement piece?