The owner of this property kept his eye on the ball while planning a luxurious holiday home. Kim Dungey reports.
Having three keen golfers in the family, it’s only natural that life in this house near Queenstown revolves around the fairways.
The home is sited on an elevated section at the edge of the Gibbston Valley Resort’s nine-hole golf course.
With direct access from the front lawn on to the course, it’s the ideal location for the owner’s golf-loving adult sons.
Built by Lakeside Design and Build, the 400sqm house was designed as a modern interpretation of a classic Central Otago lodge.
Condon Scott Architects says the owner wanted a sophisticated but understated retreat that would serve as a peaceful sanctuary for now but that would also work as a year-round home in the future.
Made up of three gable-roofed pavilions connected by linkways, it looks across the gentle contours and well-kept grass of the course towards the rugged beauty of the Crown Range.
The central pavilion, containing the main living area, is slightly taller than the others, subtly signalling its importance as the heart of the home. The outer wings contain the bedrooms — which have their own take on the wide view — while a sitting room, powder room and bunk room are included in the linkways.
The schist cladding and stacked stone chimneys create a sense of permanence, while high ceilings and expansive glazing bring in natural light and enhance connection to the outdoors.
An extended roof forms a sheltered outdoor living area, anchored by stone pillars and half-height walls.
Inside, interior designers Space Studio used a warm, textural palette and natural materials, including polished plaster walls and sculptural steel elements.
Lakeside Design and Build director Luke Noble says with four bedrooms and a bunk room, the house can sleep 14 in total.
"It has zoned underfloor heating and air conditioning, and has been designed so you can shut off one wing of the house, depending on how many people are staying."
Lofty ceilings and large timber trusses add grandeur to the open-plan living area. The ceilings and soffit linings are bandsawn tongue and groove New Zealand southern beech while the trusses are Australian blackbutt, reclaimed from old bridge and wharf beams.
"As the trusses had to be installed after the ceiling linings, they had to be made lengthways in the lounge one-by-one, then turned and raised dead-level so we did not damage the walls and so they slotted over the structural brackets," he says.
"Then they were scribed to the flat line of the ceiling, lowered and cut to suit the ceiling, before being lifted one more time and bolted into position."
The builders also made the bunk beds on site as they couldn’t find any that were suitable.
Blending traditional character with modern comfort, the house earned the company a regional gold award in the "new homes over $4 million" category of the Master Builders’ House of the Year competition.
