Attention to detail delights in this cedar-clad home

Found to the east of Auckland city in the beachside suburb of Kohimarama, this family home offers an elegant street presence – its exterior providing a glimpse as to what might be found beyond the black cedar pivot entrance door.

The work of Create + Construct – in collaboration with Studio John Irving Architects – the home’s ground level is wrapped in textural, stained cedar with the garage effortlessly concealed. Above, custom aluminium fins give the residents privacy while still allowing the natural light and views to be captured.

“It has an amazing outlook to Madills Reserve in Kohimarama,” shares Create + Construct’s director, Clint Lockwood. “The home is elevated, so from the lounge and dining area, they can look out into an amazing green landscape.”

A statement of form and function, the exterior vertical screens on the front facade are visually striking and give privacy from the street. “Originally they were sitting below the gutterline, so we worked with our engineer to come up with a system to suspend and fix them outside the gutterline. They look really sharp and align with the form of the front fence,” says Clint.

Beyond the front facade, the house sits in a ‘U’-shaped formation centred around a courtyard. Blurring the lines between indoors and out, this green area is seen upon entrance and the vertical band-sawn cedar continues from inside to out.

The lineal theme continues through to the open-plan kitchen, living and dining area – the heart of the home. In this space, a warm-toned cedar ceiling contrasts with the dark-stained kitchen cabinetry.

“We worked heavily around the detailing of the expressed negative cedar ceiling on plywood throughout. We mocked up samples to consider the direction of the negative detail and to ensure our set out was maintained by considering the recessed curtain track placement or how the cedar transitioned with the cavity sliders.”

It’s this close attention to detail and collaborative work that Create + Construct credits to the success of this stunning project.

As a Regional Gold winner in this year’s House of the Year awards, Create + Construct were announced in the Top 100 homes for 2022. The company took away multiple awards including the Regional Lifestyle award for Outdoor Living and Bathroom, and was also awarded the National Lifestyle Award – Bathroom at the National House of the Year awards by Registered Master Builders. 

A high-end project with a high-spec finish, the Kohimarama project is admired by many. Perfectly suited to the client’s brief for connected, family living, the 310sqm four-bedroom home exudes luxury and a sense of serenity.

Beautifully connected with the interior living space, the courtyard is accessed through full-height glazing with the pool only metres away from the lounge.

Adding to the tranquillity and beauty of the outdoor space, the landscaping was the vision of Xanthe White Landscape Design.

“We truly value having a good landscaper on board; it's definitely what grounds the home upon completion,” adds Clint. 

“We’re really passionate about what we do and our team is driven to achieve a refined, quality finish. It was an admirable journey for this build and a special client that we connected with, along with a great all-round team on this project. 

“When you have the synergy with the homeowner, architect and our team, this is what brings the best results and we want to acknowledge this to everyone that was involved.”

Words by Cassie Birrer