At Box™, we’re like proud parents when we see our …
With 12 hectares of bush and 360-degree views, this property is a Northland gem, so when semi-retirement loomed for Ross and Alison Gadsby, they decided to leave their Taranaki farm and move to Kerikeri, a place they had holidayed for 30 years.
They had never built before and naturally were after a house that had inimitable smartcasual appeal. The clean-lined, modernist Box™ aesthetic seemed the go and when the couple met the team, they were impressed. “It confirmed our thinking was on the right track,” says Ross.
Box™ architect Joshua Bacon visited the land and, translating the owners’ ideas, his plan for the hillside home was, what Ross terms, “an instant masterpiece”. “Josh made the whole design process easy,” he says.
Featuring a central living zone that separates the main bedroom suite from the quarters that the owners’ grown-up sons occupy when they come to stay (no bunking up here; they’re well catered for with two more bedrooms, a bathroom and a cosy TV snug), the house is as good for a couple as it is for a crowd.
“We wanted to take advantage of the home’s high position on the hill and capture the summer breezes. Many openings incorporate glass louvres to provide protection from the rain while still allowing the house to ventilate,” says Josh.
Turning the spotlight on the elevated views was the goal of the interiors and the Gadsbys worked with Box™ design lead Tim Hogarth and a friend who was a spatial designer to ensure an aesthetic that was contemporary yet comfortable and didn’t encroach on the backdrop.
The kitchen in dark oak with white melamine benchtops is smart and striking. “We spent a lot of time trying to balance the white and the timber, to get the hybrid just right,” explains Tim. Aslider window operates as a splashback with a panoramic view, the benchtop runs right into the sill (with no jambs) and the cooktop, located in the island, has a special down-draught so as not to impede the outlook. “We also built a bulkhead into the framing of the window so as to disguise the aircon,” explains Tim.
To keep the palette clean, an integrated fridge was installed, alongside the walk-in pantry, so the door could open without impeding the space. “A standalone fridge needs vertical air cavities each side which bulks up the width,” explains Tim. “Integrated fridges are narrower and vented at the toe kick. They cost more but are much sleeker.”
Floor-to-ceiling sliders and windows in the living and dining zone connect with wraparound decks and there’s even top-to-toe glazing at the end of the hallway to keep the rural artscape ever present.
While the white-and-wood tones create a calm, cohesive aesthetic throughout, Alison keyed into the surrounds by using a palette of graduated greens (Resene Hollyford Track, Resene Siam and Resene Lemongrass) for groove-lined feature walls in the living area and bedrooms.
Teamed with white oak flooring, it’s all in keeping with the modern/rustic looks so appropriate
for the area.
Externally, vertical Weathertex cladding is dark and recessive, but the cut-out soffits of the covered entrance and decks are lined in Abodo. “It’s a New Zealand-made product of heattreated laminated timber which looks very similar to cedar but, because it is sourced locally, is more environmentally conscious,” says Tim. It’s also able to be affixed with no visible nails – an aspect that many clients love. Opposite the front door, an external entrance to the laundry is cleverly disguised within the wall.
This project which, for the most part, was designed remotely is a little outside the norm for the Box™ methodology. With no dedicated builder in the Kerikeri area, project architect Josh identified a likeminded quality in the work of builder Atama O’Donnell and his small team from Leading Homes.
“We loved the look of the design of the house,” says Atama. In quoting for the job, he appreciated that every aspect of the exterior and interior finishes was already detailed. It meant as builders they could confidently quote the clients a fixed-price project fee.
“Josh was awesome to work with in terms of communication,” says Atama. When the construction team discovered some unexpected fill on the site, the plans were revised tout suite. “They were so prompt in getting the paperwork back to us so we could get on with the job.”
Josh was equally thrilled with the work the Leading Homes team delivered. “You can tell a good builder by the way he operates on site: if everything is tidy and organised, you know he has planned ahead,” he says. “Atama would contact me for clarification even before a situation arose – he had a good eye for design and was willing to throw ideas around to nut out a detail.”
Of course, a happy team + happy clients = great results. Finished in April 2024, there was just enough of an Indian summer left to enjoy drinks on the wraparound sundeck with views of the Kerikeri inlet, where clients and builders raised a glass to the Box™ team. Job well done.
