FINDING THE Sweet Spot

It’s a bit of a drive to find the home of Sally and Ross Stevens, in fact driving along a dirt road above Geraldine township I’m convinced I’m lost. Then the house comes into view, perched atop a hill, and I wind up the sweeping drive to reveal the true beauty of the home.

Words & images: Judy McAuliffe

Stepping out of my car, any questions as to why Sally and Ross chose this spot are immediately answered. The view is breathtaking. There is surely not another like it, anywhere.

Sally tells me that she found the property. “We weren’t originally planning to build but couldn’t find exactly what we wanted, so we changed tack and started looking for a piece of land.” Initially, they looked around Central Otago and the Sounds, then to Geraldine. The first property didn’t pass muster for Ross, property two was ‘OK’, and property three hit the spot.

“It wasn’t a straightforward build,” Ross says. “We were building our forever home so split level wasn’t practical, but we had a very narrow building platform.” A scraper was brought in to take the top off the mound that the house now stands on. From up here, you can see for miles.

The couple’s brief to Timaru architect John Rushton, was mid-century modern. “We wanted a home that wouldn’t date as time passed.”

This home may look elegantly minimalistic, but it is actually a well-thought-out, highly detailed masterpiece. Some of those details only reveal themselves at night, like lights that are tucked into recesses. Other cleverly designed features include the rows of handle-free cupboards and doors, Sally’s office hidden behind a wall, and the pantry workspace and storage, again hidden from sight.

Sally and Ross point out other features on a tour of the house – a hidden door tucked behind the macrocarpa timber panels in the hallway; there’s the elegantly tiled shower in the ensuite with stunning views over the landscape – it’s like taking an outdoor shower – and the detailed joinery in the kitchen right down to the beautiful kitchen drawer dividers and spice racks.

High, birch ply ceilings accentuate one notable feature - there are no skirtings or architraves to be seen - everything is visible. Junctions of walls and ceilings are highlighted, and they are perfectly aligned. “We have a 10mm reveal everywhere – it takes a lot of skill from everyone to make something look this simple,” Ross says. “Huge credit has to go to our Architect John Rushton, builder Nigel and team from Colin Shore Building and our joiner Paul Autridge”.

Sally and Ross have been hands-on involved at every step of the process. “It was important to us both that we had a large input, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Everyone involved listened to us and gave us advice. We were lucky we had the right people on the job. We learned so much.”

Sally ‘pretty much’ designed the kitchen, ensuring that everything was out of sight. “It’s fantastic, it works so well. I have to credit our joiner - he created my vision and it’s brilliant,” she says.

Ross has also been tireless. Coming from many years farming at White Rock Station, he ‘was pretty handy’ anyway, he says. He also spent many hours ‘googling’ how to do things. The results speak for themselves in the panelling at the breakfast bar and in the hallway, the beautiful window seat in the dining area, the walk-in wardrobe and the deck. Engaging Sarah Bennett Design to help create their spaces made the task easy. “Our architect was horrified when we said ‘no white’, but Sarah worked with us, and there’s no white!” they smile.

In fact, the black kitchen ceiling - Sarah’s idea - is a favourite. “We were not so sure, but she said ‘Trust me. It’ll be fine’, and of course she was right. It goes against everything you hear, but it’s fabulous.”

Landscaping was a major excavation, and while there’s still work to do, Ross says its ‘getting close’. Sally has planted thousands of natives and was thrilled to have the first tui visit on Christmas morning. She’s hoping the kowhais will draw more in once they start to flower.

The 260sq metre, three-bedroom home is built for the view, and designed for all weathers, all seasons. “You don’t get a view like this without wind, but we’ve built spaces where we can be out of it. If its blowing from the east, we can just move, or if we’re indoors, close windows and open others,” Sally says.

“It’s amazing to live in,” Ross adds. “Thermally it works brilliantly, the long eaves keep out the direct sun in summer so we’re nice and cool, and in winter the sun is lower, so it just beams in.” A hydronic underfloor heating system driven by a heat pump and a diesel fire ensures constant comfort. “We went right through last winter with no curtains or blinds,” Sally says. “We have them now, but just for the softness really."

Thought has been given to future proofing this home. Bathrooms, kitchen, hallways are all designed to accommodate walking frames or wheelchairs if need be. As Ross said, “This is our forever home. We love it, and we’ll be leaving “feet first”.