A fresh perspective

When this couple moved south to be closer to family in Wellington, their reimagined home was slighter in size but far greater in opportunity

LEFT Russell Martin practises guitar on the deck that is sheltered between the living zone and bedroom wing of the home’s L-shaped layout.

ABOVE Despite generous glazing, a Jayline woodburner and underfloor gas-driven heating keep the home toasty year round. The owners bought the dining table and chairs from Mango in Greytown. RIGHT In the kitchen, designed with Kitchen Elements, the Trethewey Stone tops are an exclusive limited edition named Mt Victoria. Owner Kate Martin loved the oversized pear for its knobbly, tactile shape.

RIGHTSIZING IS A term that’s inching its way into design vocabulary. It means living somewhere neither too big, nor too small. Like the baby bear’s porridge, it’s just right.

A sunshine-yellow door says it all at this Waikanae property: Kate and Russell Martin have found the perfect fit, their happy place. The former kiwifruit growers were used to lots of land when they moved here from their Bay of Plenty orchard. “We wanted something with a view and the feeling of openness and space,” says Kate. They found it at Ferndale, an eco-conscious development set on 15 hectares of rolling land on the Kapiti Coast. “My brother-in-law brought us to this subdivision and, as soon as we drove in, we thought, ‘This is it’,” says Kate.

A David Reid Homes showhome on top of the hill also captured their imagination. The Martins liked the way the natural wood cladding allowed it to blend into the landscape. Low-key but high quality appealed to them. The couple, who had previously built 30 years ago – a much bigger, double-storey home for their family of five – relished this opportunity to reinvent themselves.

When they met with the architectural designer, Peter Davis from AD Architecture, they asked for a home that was simple, easy-care, connected to the outdoors, but most of all warm. “Russell has a medical condition that means he can’t tolerate the cold, and has to spend the entire winter inside,” explains Kate. Views and heat retention might sound like polar opposites, but the generous windows are double glazed, and the underfloor gas-driven heating keeps the dwelling at a comfortable 20 degrees Celcius year round. Well, comfortable for some. “We tell the neighbours to wear their shorts when they visit,” laughs Kate.

Wardrobe dictates aside, the house, at 213 square metres, is a good size for just the two of them, but expansive enough to host family and new-found friends. Clad in dark-stained vertical and horizontal cedar, it has a smart yet demure presence on its 1600-square-metre site. The cedar continues internally in the entrance as well as the hallway, warming up the welcome.

The L-shaped footprint comprises a linear, open-plan living zone that looks east out across kohekohe forest to the Hemi Matenga Scenic Reserve and a bedroom wing that juts out at right angles. Decks that wrap the north and east elevations with alfresco options mean that on F

ABOVE Three pendant lights in French grey provided the colour cue for the kitchen, which is in a moody tone matched to Resene ‘Nocturnal’, in contrast to the cheery yellow front door. OPPOSITE The house, clad in dark-stained cedar and partially hidden by a bund, is low key within the environment.

sunny mornings, the couple can enjoy breakfast outside while watching the birds or entertain at night in the north-facing covered outdoor room, where a carpet of lawn runs into the native backdrop.

Inside, the couple aimed for a modern-rustic aesthetic using engineered oak flooring to anchor the scheme made contemporary with floor-to-ceiling glass sliders and a streamlined kitchen. Kate, who worked closely with Kitchen Elements, had firm ideas about the layout of this space and eschewed the now-popular ‘secret’ scullery for a pantry behind doors. “I mostly have it open because I keep it pretty organised, and I like to be able to grab things immediately,” she explains.

Last time around, Kate and Russell had a white kitchen, but this time opted for tones that were darker and moodier to meld with the oft-cloudy sky. Three galvanised-steel pendant lights that Kate had bought at a French shop became the cue for colours: blue-grey for the cabinetry and antiqued brass for the tapware. A dropped ceiling differentiates the space from the living zone, where grooved boards and an exposed-beam ceiling enhance the rusticated look. Just off this area, a nook containing a built-in desk is ample for their needs. “In the old house we had a separate study, but no one ever used it,” says Kate. “It works well as you don’t feel you have to shut yourself off to catch up on emails.”

With Kate involved in the decisions and Russell her sounding board – “We’d have a discussion and then he’d say, ‘Well, over to you’” – the design-and-build process ran smoothly. Trouble was, they had already sold the orchard. During the nine months the dwelling took to build, they went house-sitting, paid a long-term visit to their son in Australia, and had the loan of a friend’s holiday home. “It always seems like ages when you’re looking forward to something,” recalls Kate.

The wait was worth it; the house is the fulcrum for a lifestyle they have taken to like the ducks in the nearby wetland. Their two grandchildren pop in often, there are bushwalks nearby, and the community is so welcoming. Russell practises guitar on the deck while Kate indulges her gardening passion. “It’s quite a challenge after my former English cottage garden,” she says.

But the best part is… freedom. “Moving here gave us the impetus to get rid of a lot of stuff we didn’t really need. Now we can head off in our motorhome and leave the house knowing it’s perfectly safe.” P

Going native

Kate Martin faced sandy soil, constant wind and feral rabbits when establishing this garden. Here are her tips:

• A bund (made from soil removed to flatten off the building platform) is a nice way to provide some privacy from the street without sectioning off the home from the neighbourhood. • Hardy bronze and red-coloured grasses and flaxes (Anemanthele lessoniana and Carex testacea) withstand the wind and add some dynamism as they move in the breeze.

Also try golden Libertia ‘Taupo Blaze’ and silver tussock. • Rabbits don’t enjoy eating flax so they’re a good solution if these pests

are a problem. For interest, plant a mix of colours such as Chatham Island flax and Phormium ‘Emerald Gem’. Hebes and coprosma also work well but protect them with temporary netting until the plants establish. • Natives are also suited to a steep slope.

On the eastern side of this property, there are larger flaxes and tussock grasses such as Chionochloa flavicans interspersed with mānuka, the glossy leaves of Griselinia lucida, and bronze and green akeake. • Consider planting varieties that will meld into the backdrop. Here a mix of kōwhai, pittosporum, pōhutukawa, puka and kohekohe will gradually blend with the trees in the reserve.