DESKTOP
MOBILE
Designed by: Lee Turner, Turner Road Architecture
Photography by: Amanda Aitken
Brief / design rationale
The owners approached Turner Road Architecture with an ambitious brief: to create a light, contemporary holiday home that embraced its dramatic cliffside site while blending harmoniously with the natural bush surrounds.
Their vision was for a home that felt at once sheltered and open, private and social, and above all, intrinsically connected to the beauty of Mount Paku and its sweeping views across Tairua Harbour and Slipper Island.
Fulfilling the brief
The design needed to provide flexible living for family and guests, with spaces that encouraged togetherness while also allowing privacy.
Turner Road Architecture responded with a 106m² plan that positions the two bedrooms and ensuites at opposite ends of the house, linked by generous indoor and outdoor living areas.
Each bedroom has direct access to the decks and walkways, ensuring independence for guests without compromising connection.
Central to the home is an open-plan kitchen, dining, and lounge, where large sliding doors and an adjustable louvred roof system extend the living environment seamlessly outdoors.
Response to site & surroundings
The steep, challenging site 35m above the coastline was both a constraint and an opportunity.
Rather than dominate the landscape, the home’s organic roof form tilts and folds in response to the mountain’s natural contours, subtly embedding the building into its setting.
Timber walkways, expansive decking, and glass balustrades frame the views while maintaining transparency, allowing the landscape to remain the hero.
Portions of the structure and deck cantilever over the escarpment, evoking the sensation of a treehouse suspended above the sea while preserving the natural rock and foliage below.
Functionality, creativity & space design
The plan is efficient yet highly functional.
Built-in storage, a concealed laundry, and a cosy book nook ensure everyday practicality within a compact footprint.
A striking roof window above the lounge floods the interiors with natural light, while strategically placed skylights and clerestory windows introduce both northern and southern light, softening the interiors and reducing reliance on artificial lighting.
Passive ventilation, energy-efficient glazing, and thermally broken joinery further ensure the home performs as well as it looks.
Every detail was designed to balance comfort with drama, ensuring that the house is as liveable as it is spectacular.
Aesthetic response – style, detailing & materials
Western Red Cedar cladding, wide eaves, and recessed wall lines contribute to a light, contemporary aesthetic that harmonises with the native bush surrounds.
The material palette is deliberately restrained and natural, enhancing the sense of weightlessness and ensuring the architecture recedes into the landscape rather than competing with it.
Interior detailing, including a cedar-lined feature wall concealing storage, adds warmth and refinement, while large areas of glass frame the ocean outlook at every opportunity.
Overcoming challenges
The extreme slope, narrow access, and rock shelves demanded significant engineering innovation.
A five metre-high reinforced retaining wall was anchored into bedrock to provide stability, while slim steel legs cantilever the structure over the escarpment.
These technical solutions allowed the design to achieve both structural integrity and visual lightness.
Conclusion
This home is a bold yet sensitive response to a challenging site, fulfilling the owners’ desire for a light, modern home that is deeply connected to its setting.
With its innovative structure, refined detailing, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow, it stands as a striking example of contemporary New Zealand architecture that honours both people and place.
Find more design ideas and inspiration at trendsideas.com
Credit List
Building designerLee Turner, Turner Road Architecture | BuilderJP Builders |
Kitchen designerDesignmarked | Kitchen manufacturerMIL Joinery |
Interior designerGezellig Interiors | CladdingWestern Red Cedar |
RoofEnviroclad | Louvre systemLouvretec |
Main flooring / bedroom flooringForte European Oak engineered flooring | RugsNodi and Artisan |
Bathroom tilesTile Depot | PaintDulux Midhurst |
General heatingDaikin Heat Pumps – Tideline Whangamata | Feature light fittingsECC Lighting and Tidal Electrical Whangamata |
Living area furnitureSimon James Auckland | Dining table / chairsBackhouse Auckland |
BalustradesOpal Glass Cambridge | AwardsTrends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Runner-Up |
Brief / design rationale
The owners approached Turner Road Architecture with an ambitious brief: to create a light, contemporary holiday home that embraced its dramatic cliffside site while blending harmoniously with the natural bush surrounds.
Their vision was for a home that felt at once sheltered and open, private and social, and above all, intrinsically connected to the beauty of Mount Paku and its sweeping views across Tairua Harbour and Slipper Island.
Fulfilling the brief
The design needed to provide flexible living for family and guests, with spaces that encouraged togetherness while also allowing privacy.
Turner Road Architecture responded with a 106m² plan that positions the two bedrooms and ensuites at opposite ends of the house, linked by generous indoor and outdoor living areas.
Each bedroom has direct access to the decks and walkways, ensuring independence for guests without compromising connection.
Central to the home is an open-plan kitchen, dining, and lounge, where large sliding doors and an adjustable louvred roof system extend the living environment seamlessly outdoors.
Response to site & surroundings
The steep, challenging site 35m above the coastline was both a constraint and an opportunity.
Rather than dominate the landscape, the home’s organic roof form tilts and folds in response to the mountain’s natural contours, subtly embedding the building into its setting.
Timber walkways, expansive decking, and glass balustrades frame the views while maintaining transparency, allowing the landscape to remain the hero.
Portions of the structure and deck cantilever over the escarpment, evoking the sensation of a treehouse suspended above the sea while preserving the natural rock and foliage below.
Functionality, creativity & space design
The plan is efficient yet highly functional.
Built-in storage, a concealed laundry, and a cosy book nook ensure everyday practicality within a compact footprint.
A striking roof window above the lounge floods the interiors with natural light, while strategically placed skylights and clerestory windows introduce both northern and southern light, softening the interiors and reducing reliance on artificial lighting.
Passive ventilation, energy-efficient glazing, and thermally broken joinery further ensure the home performs as well as it looks.
Every detail was designed to balance comfort with drama, ensuring that the house is as liveable as it is spectacular.
Aesthetic response – style, detailing & materials
Western Red Cedar cladding, wide eaves, and recessed wall lines contribute to a light, contemporary aesthetic that harmonises with the native bush surrounds.
The material palette is deliberately restrained and natural, enhancing the sense of weightlessness and ensuring the architecture recedes into the landscape rather than competing with it.
Interior detailing, including a cedar-lined feature wall concealing storage, adds warmth and refinement, while large areas of glass frame the ocean outlook at every opportunity.
Overcoming challenges
The extreme slope, narrow access, and rock shelves demanded significant engineering innovation.
A five metre-high reinforced retaining wall was anchored into bedrock to provide stability, while slim steel legs cantilever the structure over the escarpment.
These technical solutions allowed the design to achieve both structural integrity and visual lightness.
Conclusion
This home is a bold yet sensitive response to a challenging site, fulfilling the owners’ desire for a light, modern home that is deeply connected to its setting.
With its innovative structure, refined detailing, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow, it stands as a striking example of contemporary New Zealand architecture that honours both people and place.
Find more design ideas and inspiration at trendsideas.com
[clean_tags]
Credit List
Building designerLee Turner, Turner Road Architecture | BuilderJP Builders |
Kitchen designerDesignmarked | Kitchen manufacturerMIL Joinery |
Interior designerGezellig Interiors | CladdingWestern Red Cedar |
RoofEnviroclad | Louvre systemLouvretec |
Main flooring / bedroom flooringForte European Oak engineered flooring | RugsNodi and Artisan |
Bathroom tilesTile Depot | PaintDulux Midhurst |
General heatingDaikin Heat Pumps – Tideline Whangamata | Feature light fittingsECC Lighting and Tidal Electrical Whangamata |
Living area furnitureSimon James Auckland | Dining table / chairsBackhouse Auckland |
BalustradesOpal Glass Cambridge | AwardsTrends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Runner-Up |
Related Articles
Well rounded and future friendly
Looking to downsize yet stay in the neighbourhood you love? These two high-end townhouses are designed for just such a buyer and are future-proofed into the bargain
Lifestyle transformation
This reimagined farmhouse blends rustic charm with modern conveniences – spacious entertaining areas and separate sleeping wings accommodate a growing family
Nature infused
A modern home renovation blurs the lines between indoors and out – passive solar design and seamless connections create a natural living space that flows directly from kitchen and living room to pool
Portfolios
View Industry Specialists
Portfolios
View Industry Specialists
Askö
Furniture designed for life. Ethically made dining and living furniture and accessories by international and New Zealand designers where refined elegance meets sleek, contemporary form. Explore our extensive range of designer furniture via our Christchurch showroom or browse online.
Plumbing World
Plumbing World is New Zealand’s most prominent 100% Kiwi-owned national plumbing merchant, operating over 50 branches from Kerikeri to Invercargill. Plumbing World offers a wide range of bathroom, kitchen, laundry, heating, and hot water products, catering to trade professionals and homeowners.
Landmark Homes
Founding directors Paul and Debbie Clarke established Landmark Homes in 1977. Their vision was to offer “something more exciting” than the average home: a home that made creative use of space but was also beautiful to live in.
Poggenpohl
Poggenpohl is a premium German kitchen brand known for its innovation, timeless design, and precision craftsmanship, offering bespoke kitchen solutions that blend luxury with functionality.
Mastercraft Kitchens
Founded in 1985, we are the largest group of independently owned and operated kitchen businesses in New Zealand, operating under a national banner. Our licensees have been carefully selected and are experts in their craft. We share an absolute passion for the design, manufacture and installation of high quality, well designed kitchens and other household cabinetry provided with personalised, friendly local service. Think national - be local.
Kitchen Studio
At Kitchen Studio we are very proud of the fact that we are been voted the most trusted kitchen brand in New Zealand for the ninth year running, and there are good reasons why more Kiwis trust us to transform their kitchen than anyone else.
Box™
Box isn’t like other New Zealand architecture firms; we’re a building design company responsible for every part of the process, from design to construction. If you’re looking for a team of designers or builders in Auckland, we can help.
The best architects know what it means to design both beautifully and practically, ensuring the best builders can, in turn, build more efficiently and collaboratively with you and the designer or architect.
Our consistent and attentive involvement of each team throughout the entire design-build process includes our in-house cost estimation team, who value-engineer projects to ensure the highest quality and value, while respecting your vision as our client.