Crafted Simplicity: In The home of Bridget & Jonathon by Floorscape

ArchiPro Project Summary - A contemporary family home in Otūmoetai, Tauranga, featuring open-plan living, stunning views, and elegant walnut-toned flooring, designed for relaxation and entertaining.

Title:: Crafted Simplicity: In The home of Bridget & Jonathon
Manufacturers and Supplier:: Floorscape
Category:: Residential/; New Builds
Completed:: 2023
Photographers:: Olivia Pitcher for Flooring Xtra

Flooring: Reside Xpert Pro Wellington Riverside Oak

Installed by: Flooring Xtra Tauranga

Photography: Olivia Pitcher

It was a dream come true when a section became available on Bridget and Jonathon Lee’s favourite street, in the desirable suburb of Otūmoetai, Tauranga. Set up on a hill overlooking the Waikareao Estuary, the newly subdivided section ticked all the boxes. At the end of 2021, Bridget, a Graphic Designer & co-owner of luxury basics brand, Dear Dylan, husband Jonathon, an Operations Manager, and their two sons Harper & Henry set out to build their new home.

With family living at the forefront of their design choices, the space spans two floors, offering ample views over Mount Maunganui and Tauranga. The result of their building journey is a refined, contemporary home that blends effortlessly into the existing, sought-after neighbourhood. The space reflects the Lee’s relaxed lifestyle with its’ open plan kitchen and living, where the family find themselves spending most of their time. Large sliders open up to a deck on the north side of the house, creating the perfect spot to soak up the sun and entertain family and friends.

Underfoot sits a rich walnut toned engineered timber, expertly installed by the team at Flooring Xtra Tauranga, that makes for an elegant backdrop for Bridget’s clean and sophisticated interior design selections. An eclectic mix of pieces from favourite local design store, Paper Plane and collected heirlooms adorn the shelves, creating a captivating blend that infuses the space with personal charm.

Project Gallery

What was your journey to living in your current home?
After a few years of looking, a section remarkably became available on our favourite street and suburb. We knew we would always live there one day, so we did everything we could to make building our home on the recently subdivided section possible. Thankfully, aside from a few pandemic interruptions, the build ran smoothly and we both really enjoyed the process.

How would you best describe your home?
I would describe our build as contemporary yet classic. We designed the layout of the house with family life in mind, creating a separate living area for our boys to have their own space as they grew older. Now 10 and 12, it works so perfectly whenever we are entertaining or they have friends of their own over.

What would you splurge on and save on when building?
We chose to splurge on our flooring as well as tapware, tiling, lighting and window treatments. We recommend doing your homework to make sure you’re getting the best price whenever you can. Controversially, we opted to save by reducing our square meterage instead of making sacrifices elsewhere that just wouldn’t have felt right to us. It might be an unpopular opinion, but we felt that 210 square metres was enough for our family and it worked perfectly with the layout of our home.