‘Extraordinary’ Ruby Bay house fetched $3.08m
This prominent cantilevered house in Ruby Bay near Nelson has been a talking point since it first took shape above the bay. Last November, it featured on Stuff when it came on the market after the owners were poached to work in Australia.
The property, named The Lookout, was sold for $3.08 million, which is the highest price achieved over the past year for a property in the Ruby Bay-Māpua area.
And now the house, designed by Parsonson Architects, Wellington, has been shortlisted for a Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects (NZIA) Nelson & Marlborough regional award.
At the time it was listed, Simone Henbrey of Simone Henbrey Realtor described it as a “living piece of art”. “Nothing is normal about this house; everything is unique, classy and gorgeous,” she said. “Even the cat is a great big fluffy Maine coon with attitude to boot.”
As her listing put it: “Some people have a relentless pursuit of the exceptional. They refuse to accept mediocrity or normality. They can only be satisfied with the extraordinary.
“The highest quality, most coveted view, the most luxurious and superbly comfortable. In short, they are only content with the best.”
Architect Gerald Parsonson’s website notes: “The house is conceived as a protective shell, with a weathered steel rainscreen over its painted cladding, and with expansive openings framing the breathtaking panoramic views.
“Generous overhangs and louvred screens offer shading and shelter from the sun, wind and rain throughout the changing seasons.
“The house is embedded into the site with exposed concrete blocks used as retaining and bracing walls, contrasting with the delicacy of Douglas fir posts and beams of the main living space, which is lined in okoume plywood. Around a corner at the top of the stair, the hallway to the bedrooms is treated as a colour-box, with reds and oranges picking up colours in the spotted gum floors.”
Winners of the Nelson & Marlborough Architecture Awards will be announced on Friday, June 7.