Chill and go with the flow

A clever, considered layout ensures this redeveloped villa offers incredible indoor-outdoor living.

Lying on her floating beanbag in the pool, gazing up at the stars with a glass of wine in her hand – this is Laurinda Sutcliffe’s favourite chill-out ritual. ‘‘I’ve actually fallen asleep on it before,’’ she says.

The pool, fringed with lush greenery, is the standout feature of the luxurious indoor-outdoor living area at Laurinda and husband Brent’s Herne Bay, Auckland, home.

The space exudes an exotic flavour with a resort-like, tranquil vibe thanks to clean lines and open spaces filled with natural light from the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that slide right back to let the outside in.

‘‘I walk in the door at the end of a busy day and I’m in another world. It doesn’t matter how bad a day it was, I get such a sense of peace,’’ says Laurinda.

‘‘When we first bought the house, I saw a stunning property that was architecturally exciting, with the old and the new juxtaposed beautifully together, but didn’t see it would be such a retreat.’’

The pool area is now one of Laurinda and Brent’s favourite places to find some ‘‘me’’ time or to entertain. ‘‘On a beautiful evening, when the doors are all open and the lights are all on dim, it’s really quite spectacular,’’ says Laurinda. ‘‘It’s truly my happy place.’’

What was your vision for this space?

We wanted to maximise the indoor-outdoor flow, and views to the pool and garden. We didn’t want to clutter up the space with furniture, but we still needed it to be comfortable and nurturing when just us and our son are using it, but open and functional when we were entertaining.

What are the key features of this area?

Huge sliding glass doors that disappear into cavity walls to open up the living , dining and kitchen almost completely to the outdoor area.

The glass ceiling at the back of the space that runs the length of the room and brings light but retains privacy.

The space is all white with dark floors so we have used a lot of textiles and textures to soften the hard lines and bold artwork to bring colour to the immense white walls.

Did you encounter any decorating challenges?

Given how much glass there is, furnishing the space was a bit of a challenge.

We chose a lot of furniture that was light and could easily be moved around between the indoors and outdoors as required.

What is your best decorating tip?

Buy the best quality you can afford.

What do you like best about this space?

I love the natural light, the high stud and the way you can see right through from the back of the house to the front, through the various windows and wall cutouts.

I love the way I feel cocooned away from the stresses of the world, but not shut off from it. In the evening, with the garden and pool lights on, it feels like being in a beautiful five-star resort.

Laurinda planted bromeliads and other lush greenery in pots by the pool. A view from the living room to the pool.

The floor-to-ceiling glass doors slide right back to let the outside in at Laurinda and Brent Sutcliffe’s home in Auckland’s Herne Bay.

Laurinda says the living room was hard to furnish as there is so much glass and very little wall space.

Laurinda, Brent and their son Zandi.