Island abode

On the islands surrounding Auckland, there’s a remarkable sense of stillness – a feeling of being far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. There’s distinctive flora and fauna, and the omnipresent sound of the waves rolling onto sandy beaches that meet native bush.

The bedrooms here are oiled with Dryden WoodMaster Slate, a sandy tone which mimics the nearby dunes.

It is on land such as this that feels almost untouched where architect Jeremy Chapman of JCA Studio got to work on the drawing board designing a home of nuanced connections – united by colour and materiality.

Here on Great Barrier Island, the colours of the landscape are at once muted and vibrant. There’s a sense of permanence in the rocks and native bush, and a transience with the wetlands, ebb and flow of the tides and the dunes.

The exterior of this home is oiled in Dryden WoodOil Slate, reminiscent of the dark rock from which this home takes its name.

Clad in cedar, this house is devised as a sum of connected parts. The cedar is used in several different formats, the differentiation is subtle as are the tonal changes. The central wing of this bach housing the living area and three bedrooms is oiled with Dryden Slate, a sandy tone that works in perfect harmony with the hues of the wetland and coastal dunes.

To differentiate the two-storeyed part of the structure, it is oiled with Dryden Midnight, alluding to the dark rock present in the wider surrounds, and specifically the well known rock on local Medlands Beach from which this house takes its name – Memory Rock.

As Jeremy puts it: “The striation of a beach is the metaphor we used for material and colour … if there was any confusion we’d go back to the metaphor”.

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

On Dorset Street

When interior designer, Campbell Johnson, returned to Christchurch from Europe, it was one of Sir Miles Warren’s Dorset Street Flats that caught his eye. It’s

Homes

City villa: A sleek Remuera renovation

Approach this 100-year-old villa in Auckland’s Remuera and there’s a beguiling sense of history and character, but there’s also a sense of something more.

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.