This award-winning cabin on Waiheke Island by architect Vaughn McQuarrie and interior designer Sara Fraser of Sartoria is on the market for the first time.
Set on an angular, sloping site within a well-known enclave on the island’s southern coast, the small home was carefully designed around a cluster of mature native trees. The result is a house that feels almost suspended within the canopy.
Its dramatic triangular form follows the contours of the hillside. At the centre, a folded concrete-block wall anchors the design, enclosing the bathroom and forming the structural spine from which every other space unfolds.
For co-owner and interior designer Sara, the project was always intended to be more than a conventional small home. She envisioned a treetop retreat where texture and materials would shape the experience. Starting with the concrete block wall as the conceptual core, the palette developed organically — bringing together brass, strand board, green-hued concrete and clay in a way that feels both experimental and deeply grounded.
The result is eclectic yet carefully resolved; a series of spaces that draw you inward, offering quiet nooks in which to disappear into the canopy and reset.
Covering approximately 110 square metres, the triangular plan contains a thoughtfully composed sequence of rooms. Two bedrooms sit within the compact footprint, alongside a third private but doorless space conceived as either a guest room or work-from-home studio.
Living, dining and kitchen areas occupy the widest edge of the plan, opening to tiered decks that step down toward a small garden and barbecue area. These outdoor spaces extend the living environment into the landscape, reinforcing the sense that the house sits lightly within its setting.
The undeniable centrepiece is the sunken lounge. Here, the interplay of materials and texture becomes the defining architectural moment. Sealed to create a matte, tactile finish, the honed concrete-block wall catches and reflects shifting light throughout the day. Sara describes the effect as “appealing in its wabi-sabi irregularity — it’s natural but doesn’t become busy en masse.”
Large picture windows bring the surrounding bush close to the interior, heightening the sense of immersion.
“You really feel like you’re in the canopy, because you are to an extent,” Fraser says. “The room forces you to connect with the natural surroundings — you get a real sense of this being akin to a treehouse.” Overhead, clay pendants echo the earthen tones of the forest beyond.
In the kitchen, the material language continues with restraint. Cabinetry conceals appliances, while a brass island and benchtop add warmth and depth to the space.
“I love the patina of brass as it slowly ages,” Fraser says. “It has a beautiful warmth to it that expresses life.”
In many ways, the house itself does exactly that — a collection of small, carefully crafted spaces that embrace the beauty of the surrounding bush while offering a place to pause, reset and reconnect.
Geode House, 51 Okoka Road, Omiha, Waiheke Island, is for sale via Sotheby’s International Realty.
