Homes

Pavilion in the clouds

Five simple elements and the well-placed delivery of a stunning view define this minimalist, Hawke’s Bay home by Dorrington Atcheson Architects.

Urban bach

When a client’s brief is to “come up with something you think looks good”, the parameters are so open and the trust so complete that

Corner villa

This clear insertion into the back of a century-old Wellington villa provides an extra 135 square metres and a myriad of spatial experiences for the

Sculpture on the ridgeline

This Leigh holiday house by Belinda George Architects offers spatial variation, highly contrasting experiences, and a bespoke solution that reflects its owners’ personalities.

A place to converge

There’s a gentle melody to this Coromandel holiday home, which was designed to entertain and accommodate anywhere from two to 30 people with ease. It

Rising from the dunes

Danish modernism, Kiwi nostalgia, and a touch of grandeur converge on a one-of-a-kind site in Mangawhai, where a home of red brick and glass is

Synchronicity

Wellness entrepreneur Matt Chapman was intrinsically drawn to a piece of land on the Wanaka lakefront he called ‘the edge of the world’. It was

Garden of trees

Located down a densely populated driveway, this steep, small site didn’t have a lot of obvious benefits. What it did present was a number of

One one two

On a piece of Christchurch real estate with some serious architectural heavyweights as neighbours, this home had to do justice to the area’s rich design

Arrowtown’s new Roman

This monopitch, minor dwelling by Assembly Architects was inspired by Roman domus, tripped up by gladiatorial battles against local design parameters, and boasts a tasteful

Set in stone

That recurrent trope of ‘compression and expansion’ in architecture has been given a beautiful, rocky interpretation above Alexandra and looking across to the Hawkdun Range.

Beautiful rhythm

A restricted material palette, a modernist soul that is part Californian, and a touch of Japanese — all combine to form an entirely picture-perfect Waiheke

A little chat with Miles

Part homage to the late Sir Miles Warren, part allusion to the owners’ Dutch and farming roots, this house by PRau is a beautiful amalgam

Red glow

On the cusp of land and sea on the rugged coastline of Christchurch’s Te Rae Kura — the red, glowing headland — the folding form

A home among the trees

Nestled in a vast mānuka forest that nudges the edge of suburban Whitby in Wellington, this family home stands among the trees, balanced on the

Twin peaks

A Sumner site that’s all angles provides opportunity to think outside the square.

The 200-year house

A home that decides for itself how best to live on the land is conceived to last for centuries.

Alpine jewel

This sophisticated Queenstown home by Rafe Maclean Architects is both introverted and expressive. A sculptural exterior form gives way to an interior that was once

Southern heart

A dynamic family home with an unassuming street presence unfolds on a picture-perfect Westmere site, opening out at its lowest point to a brooding south-facing

The bunker

A manifestation of permanence and solidity, this decadent concrete bunker near Tekapo echoes the silence of the lands that surround it.

Park life

A family home designed by Space Division replicates bucolic living in the middle of a busy Auckland suburb.

Open space

Perched atop an escarpment overlooking Whangārei’s town basin, this home is the embodiment of the owners’ vision, the architects’ knowledge, and the builder’s expertise.

Scalloped curves

The sinuous lines of Tāmaki Makaurau’s original foreshore are at the heart of Crosson Architects’ latest project: the Elysian luxury apartment building in Auckland’s Parnell.

It’s the people

The overall winner and Home of the Year 2024 is Boathouse Bay by Crosson Architects, an exemplary model of multi-unit design embodying the quest for

Ebb & flow

Moving between sweeping curves and overt gestures of permanence, this Mangawhai home opens up and reaches out to the estuarine landscape beyond, welcoming visitors and

Maungarāhiri

A masterful transformation of a 1920s bungalow, rooted in the Arts and Crafts tradition, into a generous modern family home, this expressive renovation captures the

Aroha

A cornerstone of Auckland City’s Avondale rejuvenation, the 2024 Multi-Unit Home of the Year stands as a gateway project that is instantly recognisable and a

Back house

The 2024 Green Home of the Year is a joyful little home that makes the most of a sunny spot in the backyard, designed with

Sumner salute

As far as creative solutions go, this one, the 2024 Readers’ Choice Home of the Year, is borderline miraculous.

Textured bach

This experimental sculptural home on the hills above Sumner in Christchurch epitomises the fusion of artistry and functionality in an urban dwelling.

Owl’s retreat

This lake house by Rogan Nash Architects can function as both a retirement spot for a couple and a welcoming holiday home for several children

Make it sing

A study on infill housing, this Sandringham home designed for a couple returning to New Zealand from California maximises a small footprint to deliver spaces

Light catcher

Jose Gutierrez Architects transformed this character villa, located on a typical Grey Lynn street, into a contemporary oasis — a place that moves between lightness

Cedar chevron

RTA Studio uses three boat-shed forms — at some points staggered and at others stitched into one — to create a flexible, multigenerational, lake-front, holiday

Quiet luxury

High above Waiheke Island’s Owhanake Bay, this pool pavilion speaks to the architectural nuances of the main home, while introducing its own distinct identity —

Lens to the view

In one of the most distinctive coastal environments in New Zealand, this large family home takes its cues from the dramatic beauty of the sound

Rugged expanse

On a steep and challenging hillside site surrounded by native bush, this Piha home was envisioned as a weekend getaway.

Sand boxes

The two buildings that make up this alluring West Coast home suggest a parent/child relationship. Here, though, the child came first.

The lookout

Perched on a hill above the tiny coastal settlement of Ligar Bay, this two-tiered bach was designed to capture the view in absolute purity, playing

Natural clarity

Designed to merge into its coastal environs, this island home utilises board and batten cedar cladding to create a gentle visual rhythm that moves gracefully

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

Angle grinder

During a visit to Waiheke a decade or so ago, an architect was struck by a simple, refined sculpture and the way that its ad

City bach

Best known for synthesising and reimagining the humble bach, Herbst Architects has modified its style for this impressive city home on Auckland’s North Shore.

Two tides

Tying in with the pastel tones of the Coromandel sands, this home floats above the land, hovering almost, atop a native bush-covered knoll overlooking the

Basking in the sun

A zig-zagging black form lounges in the sun among old trees and the serrated mountainscape visible from the Wakatipu Basin. Its architect, Anna-Marie Chin –

Reflected forms

Architect Paul Francis set about the extensive renovation of a 30-year-old home on the edge of Hobson Bay with the aim of removing the boundaries

Of human scale

This internationalist interior by Arent&Pyke is a soulful expression of creativity and intimacy.

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

The world’s gatehouse

Turkish limestone, Californian architecture, and a context rich in history converge on this modestly sized yet potent home on Auckland’s city fringe.

Rhythm of the hills

Between Wellington Harbour and a regional park, Parsonson Architects devised a playful dual dwelling cleverly connected by a bridged form.

The poetry of design

Architect Tony Koia let this house take its own form — from the immediate landscape, the views, and the mountains and lake in the distance.

Reframed vistas

The extensive renovation of this 1980s Ponsonby apartment by Four Walls Architecture offers a refreshing take on city living at height.

Master built

The success of any project often comes down to the level of collaboration and the working relationships between client, builder and architect. In the same

Light and shadow

This family home offers both a departure from and a nod to the small concrete-block homes that used to be dotted along the coastal roads

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

Nostalgic abstraction

Using splashes of colour and external materials that evoke memories while creating a synergy with the surrounding landscape, this bach built to passive house standards

Wings over water

This highly sculptural home just outside Queenstown reaches out and responds to the water below and the peaks that rise around it.

Muted harmony

A couple of kilometres north of central Wellington, on a ridgeline in Wadestown, architects Seear-Budd Ross envisioned a space of calm: serene rooms with restrained

Coastal calm

Between harbour and hills, this large, low-slung Wellington home is an intriguing but perfectly suited addition to its Eastbourne street.

Pack down

Mimicking the angles and formation of a canvas tent, this family bach in Tairua pleats and folds, burying its lines into the dunescape.