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A modern interpretation of a country house, the homestead mirrors the rural forms of the surrounding landscape, and beds comfortably into the natural environment. Aptly titled The Gate House as it is such a prominent landscaping feature welcoming you as you approach the property. The main design influence is the traditional barn vernacular; however, the real beauty lies within the discipline of proportions, pitch and clean crisp detailing. The limited and carefully curated colour and material palette compliment the homes spectacular surroundings.

The rectilinear barn design is divided into several interconnecting wings, centred around the open plan living area with a feature glass gable. The intuitive floor plan forms a place of restraint and efficiency. We orientated the living and shared spaces of the home to capture the views and connect with nature. As with any view you’re exposed to the elements, especially the wind. Our unique full height vertical batten sliding screens and opening louvred roof, provide shelter and flexibility to the outdoor living areas, enabling them to be used year-round no matter the weather.

The generous layout perfectly adapts to large social gatherings, while still feeling intimate comfortable and warm. The heart and warmth of this project lies within the carefully balanced and richly layered play of textures and natural materials. Warm, cool, raw, and polished elements are woven throughout creating an intriguing marriage of distinct but harmonious textures.

Some of the sustainability features incorporated into the design include solar panels, extensive water storage tanks, Low-e argon filled double glazing thought-out, along with the passive solar nature of the polished concrete floors.

The result is tailored, luxurious and enduring. We were able to satisfy our clients brief, designing an energy efficient lifestyle property, which has become their sanctuary, exceeding their expectations.

O'Neil Architecture
Canterbury

About the
Professional

With over 20 years experience and an extensive portfolio of award winning homes, O'Neil Architecture has built a solid reputation designing architectural homes. 

Founder and Principal Architectural Designer Darren O’Neil leads this small boutique office, along with Senior Designer Jacinda Shirley, Senior Technical Designer Phil Ngenang, and Practice Manager Lucy Ross. We specialise and focus on high quality residential design with the purpose of providing exceptional outcomes by intentionally limiting the number of projects undertaken.

Whilst being design driven, our practice has a firm interest in the feasibility and pragmatics of construction. We listen to your needs and amalgamate your brief with our aesthetic direction, the specific site requirements, and environmental considerations. Our priority is ensuring our documentation is of the highest quality to assist your builder in creating an inspired, timeless, and elegant home.

This comprehensive approach provides our clients with the stress free, rewarding experience they deserve; and a truly superb house that will exceed all expectations.

We offer professional services from conception to completion. We’re different because we do not apply a standard percentage like many other practices. Each project is assessed and quoted individually, our fee structure is competitive and depending on the project we can usually offer a fixed price quotation.