This home is all about light - the more the better. Our close friends came to us with a brief headlined with maximum sunlight on a moderate budget.

Roaming the Korokoro site, we admired the Horokiwi hills and craned our necks to catch a glimpse of Wellington harbour. We wondered how to saturate a house with northern light whilst capturing these western and southern views.

The design we created manages to achieve this and more. A simple northward sloping roof is interrupted by a perpendicular pop-up. This brings the harbour view into a loft space which sails over the living area below. Light is woven through every room, with a well considered floor plan ensuring no wasted space.

From the front door, you are drawn in by a tall picture window at the far end of the home. A graceful steel stair ascends to the loft, heavy as a horse but appearing light as a feather. Light filters through the slender treads and baluster, illuminating the enclosed entry. This opens up to a soaring double height living area, bathed in a warm glow from clerestory windows above.

A cozy window seat offers the perfect spot to take it all in. Generous sliding doors beckon you out to an expansive deck and down to the Korokoro valley below. Landscaping is underway now that our client / builder Josh of Form & Dwell has finished crafting this labour of love. A home filled with light, and a growing collection of sun-loving cacti!