At the heart of this Wānaka home by Johnston Architects is the enduring presence of Jura Grey limestone from Quantum. Set on a large rural site and arranged around a sheltered central courtyard, the project draws on a carefully edited palette of natural materials to establish a calm, cohesive relationship between house and landscape.
Large sliding glass doors dissolve the boundaries, allowing the main living spaces to extend naturally into the courtyard, onto decks and into the surrounding landscape. Texture and natural materials are fundamental to the design.
The exterior combines local schist, dark timber cladding, and finely detailed steel, establishing a tactile richness while maintaining a clean, timeless clarity. Inside, this material language continues through random profile cedar wall linings and exposed stone surfaces that visually anchor the floating roof planes to the ground, while expansive glazing draws light and views deep into the home.
It is within this carefully composed material framework that Jura Grey limestone from Quantum Group moves fluidly — from exterior decks through to interior flooring and bathroom tiles. For architect Matt Jeffery, the appeal of using one material across such significant areas of the home lies in the sense of continuity it creates.
“It creates a real sense of cohesion,” he says. “We’ve done the same with the cedar cladding, so you have these two beautiful elements that wind through from exterior to interior, blurring the lines between indoors and out.” Jura Grey is a natural limestone celebrated for its rich character, subtle colour variations, and enduring strength. Warm blue-grey undertones reveal its history. Formed over millions of years in the Bavarian region of Germany, each slab carries a unique story of ancient marine life, expressed through delicate textures and embedded fossils.
In this alpine setting, the architecture steps back, allowing the mountains and shifting light of Wānaka to remain the dominant presence. Projects such as this reflect a growing appetite for natural materials that bring depth, permanence and cohesion. Responding to this shift, Quantum has expanded its offering with a broader palette of natural stone tiles, alongside landscape materials and exterior cladding solutions that allow architects and designers to carry surfaces seamlessly from inside to out.
There is also a practical dimension to this evolution. The ability to combine natural stone with its expansive range of porcelain surfaces provides designers with greater flexibility — enabling bespoke sizes, formats, and finishes while maintaining reliable supply across larger projects.
Find out more about Quantum’s expanded natural stone range at qcg.co.nz
