Milly's

Part of an enclave of bay-side homes built in the 1970s–80s, this home north of Auckland was suffering from an outdated interior scheme, a lack of a cohesive flow within the interior and plaster cladding that may or may not have been leaky.

What it had in its favour, aside from the wide-ranging views across Kawau Bay, was a solid foundation and the potential to become a fully realised entertainer’s home.

“Initially, the homeowners had considered demolishing the original house and building new, but investigations revealed that the original lower floor had been so well bedded into the bedrock that the decision was made to retain the structure and basically strip back and start over,” says Tony Fraser, Director of House of Nautica.

“While this decision somewhat restricted the footprint we were working with, it did give us the opportunity to bring the home up to scratch and to add in some new elements that really upped the flow and connection to the surroundings.”

The homeowners asked for a home that was in keeping with the surrounding environment and that didn’t look like a modern glass overstatement. Essentially, they were wanting a contemporary take on the ‘70s–80s, says Tony.

“The first task was to update the plaster cladding with traditional horizontal cedar weatherboards, achieving the desired look and providing a much more watertight solution. These were given a dark stain and teamed with gunmetal joinery and accents—both inside and out—for being the least distracting to the turquoise sea environment. Likewise, the dark soffits further minimise any potential distractions to give a very sympathetic external appearance fitting into its surroundings.

“Also, central to the homeowners’ wishes was an open feel, where outdoor living was fully protected from the elements but was an extension of the open-plan internal living. All had to have a close contact connection with the seascape and open up to facilitate an almost permeable open-air feeling.”

Inside, because the task became one of reorganisation rather than starting over, the focus turned to creating a true indoor-outdoor connection for the main living area and bedroom to create a fully contained, single-level living arrangement for when the homeowners were by themselves.

The upper was then reconfigured to create four separate guest bedrooms and multi-use bathroom facilities to cater for guests. A number of upper-level decks were created to provide private balconies for the guest rooms, while adhering to height-to-boundary restrictions.

“The connectivity of this beach house was all-important, whereby the whole internal and external living areas become one via large, interconnecting timber doors. The outdoor room, which formerly was simply a deck, enjoys an internal-external identity and incorporates a full outdoor kitchen to ensure it is the main cooking station of this entertainer’s showpiece.

“With the layout complete, attention turned to creating a modern rustic interior that complemented the revised architecture and spoke to the beachside setting. A selection of timbers was chosen including hand-scraped, 500mm-wide oak boards—imported from Belgium—for the floors, oak door jambs, and whitewashed recycled Canadian Barn weatherboards as feature panels.

“The floor was the most debated element prior to install, when it was shown to have a timeless finish that allows the indoors to feel more like a large wharf, directing one's gaze out onto the blue-sea horizon. Other timber elements include the tongue-and-groove paneling on the ceiling of the outdoor room, chosen to complement the 5000-year-old swamp kauri ‘shuffleboard’ dining table.”

There have also been a number of modern technological inclusions such as integrated digital entertainment, controlled via remote technology ensuring that updates won’t have to rely on dated inwall cabling. Likewise, the HVAC system is ducted below the timber floor structure to ensure heating efficiency updates can be incorporated without the need for significant structural modifications. Lastly, LED light blades have been installed into the logia handrails ensuring a protective rail that adds a touch of whimsy during the evening, yet allows for a clear view during the daylight hours

Words by: Justin Foote
Photography by: Bev Snyder Photography