Designed by Priyanka Sareen, Home Factor

From the group home builder

Design Inspiration

Inspired by the elegant motion of a diving whale’s tail, this Wanaka home embodies the meeting point of sculpture, landscape, and living.

The design is a study in balance – between organic curvature and architectural precision, between natural texture and refined minimalism.

The home’s signature form – twin curved cedar panels that meet like the flukes of a whale’s tail – creates a sense of movement even at rest.

This gesture anchors the architecture, shaping both the home’s exterior silhouette and the spatial flow within.

Every curve, line and junction expresses purpose: to connect, to frame, to harmonise.

Heart of the home – central courtyard

At the centre of the plan lies a glass-wrapped internal courtyard – an unconventional and defining feature.

This full-scale, open-air courtyard reimagines how a home can breathe.

Every key space opens to it, allowing light and air to permeate from within.

The louvred canopy enables all-weather living, transforming the space into a year-round gathering hub.

It functions as both garden and living room, blurring the threshold between architecture and nature.

Beyond its beauty, the courtyard solves practical challenges of scale and light.

By drawing sunlight deep into the home’s core, it prevents the interior from feeling enclosed, instead creating an atmosphere of openness and calm – a quality rarely achieved in large, contemporary homes.

Materiality and exterior form

The home is fully clad in vertical cedar – a nod to alpine architecture but expressed in a modern, sculptural language.

Contrasting tones of warm and dark cedar accentuate the curvature of the design, while schist stone grounds the structure at its entry and reappears within the interior, reinforcing the continuity between inside and out.

A sun-drenched north-facing deck extends along the home, anchored by a stone-clad fireplace.

This outdoor space, softened by natural planting and layered lighting, invites year-round entertaining against the backdrop of Wanaka’s lake and mountains.

Entertainment and living spaces

Spatial flow defines this home’s experience.

The open-plan living and dining areas are anchored by a suspended fireplace – a sculptural focal point that floats between zones, creating a natural sense of connection.

Adjacent, a flexible media room extends or encloses as needed, supporting both intimate family moments and large-scale entertaining.

The courtyard and exterior decks extend this functionality outward, with the stone fireplace and soft lighting creating a seamless transition from day to night, inside to out.

Kitchen – sculptural precision

At the heart of the home lies a kitchen that captures both artistry and function.

An Oyster stone benchtop, with natural shell-like veining, forms the centrepiece – its waterfall edge mirroring the home’s oceanic inspiration.

Soft-touch dark cabinetry contrasts with fluted glass and brushed metal detailing, while concealed appliances preserve the sculptural purity of the space.

Lighting has been treated as an architectural element – task, ambient, and accent lighting layers create depth, drama, and comfort in equal measure.

The result is a kitchen that performs effortlessly while exuding timeless sophistication.

Bathrooms – a dialogue of texture and light

Each bathroom carries forward the home’s design narrative – organic, refined, and deeply tactile.

The master ensuite is a moody retreat, defined by reeded glass, deep-toned tiles, and soft, integrated lighting.

Stone surfaces and aged brass fixtures bring warmth to the monochrome palette, creating a sanctuary-like feel.

The children’s bathroom introduces playful elegance through terrazzo and copper accents, while the guest ensuite balances calm and luxury with soft marble and oceanic blue herringbone tiles.

Every space is distinctive yet connected by a shared language of light, form, and authenticity.

Powder room – sculptural utility

The powder room distills the home’s design principles into a compact, high-impact space.

A lotus-shaped stone vanity provides a sculptural focal point while remaining highly serviceable.

Leaf-pattern mosaic tiles articulate the walls, offering texture and a subtle botanical reference to the courtyard beyond.

A black-framed arched mirror introduces verticality; a wall-mounted faucet and concealed cistern ensure a streamlined profile.

Thoughtful lighting and material choices make the powder room feel intentionally designed – an elegant pause between public and private zones.

Master retreat

The master suite is framed as a private refuge.

A raking cedar-lined ceiling and soft-toned feature wall create warmth and scale, while glazing opens to a secluded deck and native planting.

The ensuite and walk-in wardrobe are integrated for seamless daily flow; layered textures and considered detailing cultivate a restful, luxurious atmosphere.

Innovation and functionality

The home’s beauty lies in its clarity of concept and precision of execution.

The design resolved significant site challenges, including the need to preserve views for neighbouring properties, achieved through careful modulation of the roofline and sectional form.

Structurally, the glass-wrapped central courtyard required advanced steel engineering to achieve transparency without visual heaviness – a technical feat that defines the project’s architectural innovation.

Every design decision serves both form and function, creating a home that feels light, connected, and alive to its environment.

 

See the award-winning powder room