On the shores of one of Coromandel’s most well-known beaches, the coastal hues have a distinctive intensity — the lightness of the white sand, changing as the sun moves across the sky; the dark knotted trunks of pōhutukawa dotted along the coastline, the mottled green and brown grasses across the dunescape.
When designing a beachfront home inspired by the simple gabled forms of the baches from the ’60s and ’70s that still dominate much of the streetscape in Whangamatā, for architect Paul Clarke of Studio2 Architects, those tones became paramount to both design and materiality — internally and externally.
Beneath a striking gable, which Paul cut away to pique interest in the beachfront elevation, the home’s exterior is a mix of concrete and vertical cedar boards. Utilising two colours to create a dialogue between different parts of the exterior — the darkness of Dryden WoodOil Ironsand meets the sandy tones of Dryden WoodOil Platinum — the architect has designed a home that sits harmoniously with its environs.
Dryden WoodOil is a non-filming, water-repellent timber protector. Deeply migrating, it does not film on the surface and therefore will not crack, flake, or peel, and the added fungicides help extend the lifespan of the timber while enhancing its natural beauty — particularly important in coastal settings such as this one where salt spray and harsh environmental conditions.
