Adaptive living spaces weren’t a common design move pre-lockdown, but for one Central Otago family who work partly from home, it was a key pillar of the brief for their Jack’s Point abode, near Queenstown.

The small footprint of the building site, and the steep contour of the land meant that a clever and compact design would need to be devised to integrate living spaces and break-out study areas, so the couple and their two young children could live and work alongside each other.

The site abuts a nature reserve and takes in jaw-dropping views of the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu, which is why architect Ben Hudson let the architectural vernacular of the rural setting dictate the form of the building.

“We were just looking at simple forms that fit with the environment that we're in and we didn’t want anything that was overly complex, so we landed on a simple gable form.”

The steep site lent itself to a single level gable form at the rear, which steps down to a double-storey gable form at the front of the site. The advantage of this format is that the views are seen from the elevated spaces – the single storey living space, and the second storey bedroom wing – while the back-of-house spaces like the garage and laundry are tucked underneath in the lower level.

The exterior material palette takes in a fairly limited materiality, which enhances the simplicity of the building’s forms.

“On all the elevations we explored using a combination of light and dark timbers but we felt that that detracted from the overall simplicity of the forms. So we've got two separate main building forms, but we've used the material to tie them together.”

The recessive, earthy tones of the lightly stained timber cladding take in the drifts of red tussock in the neighbouring reserve, allowing the home to sit comfortably in the landscape.

The interior follows a similar materiality and palette, drawing the scenery indoors.

“We've used simple, grooved wall paneling that's been painted in dark, earthy colours in the bedrooms, and warm tones throughout the living spaces that highlight a fairly clean white palette of painted walls and ceilings.”

A pop of terracotta on the entryway floor offers a warm welcome to guests, while the bathrooms are tiled in subtler, earthier tones.

Ben says the clients come from a design background and had particular views about the feelings that the different spaces created.

“We looked to the bathroom almost as a sanctuary sort of space, so it’s quite dark in materiality, while the kitchen is lighter in tone and feels open and welcoming, as it was designed with family and entertaining guests in mind.”

The kitchen acts as a social junction for the home, spilling out onto two different decks, giving the owners the opportunity to move around with the path of the sun throughout the day and enjoy both rural and alpine views.

Stepping down from the kitchen/dining space, the sunken lounge’s concrete floors and in-built display bench offer a calm, soothing feel, with views towards Lake Wakatipu showcased through expansive glazing.

The interiors are designed to provide a blank canvas to display the clients’ objects and works of art, but also act as a simple frame for the incredible views.

As for the work-from-home spaces, they’ve been carefully designed into the footprint, with a study nook for parents tucked into the end of the entry hall – which enjoys its own alpine view through a vertical slot window – and another nook for the kids, adjacent to their bedrooms.

Ben says the “adaptive use” brief was set pre-Covid, but this home is a great example of how effective flexible layouts are for families, lockdown or not.

“I think architects and designers have always looked to use spaces cleverly and sought to make the most out of adaptive, flexible spaces, but Covid has been a catalyst for people to really think closely about the spaces they live in. Some people have said it's the end of open-plan design, but I don't think it is – people still like that openness, particularly when we’re entertaining friends, and this home does both things well.”

Photography: Simon Larkin, Larkin Design

Words: Jo Seton