“The house can be closed down and made cosier in winter but in summer everything can be opened up”
Design detail
Natalie was content to give architect Chris free rein on the home’s design and he relished the opportunity to work beyond the usual constraints of a client’s brief.
Every detail was carefully considered, from the width of the house (narrow, to maintain sight lines through the internal courtyard) to the line of the roof (simple, to keep costs down). The northern veranda was designed to ward off summer heat and admit winter sun, which means the woodburner frequently sits idle while neighbouring fires are burning.
A desire to embrace views through large windows has been tempered by the need to retain warmth and cosiness – plus, too many windows would mean too little wall space for these art lovers.
Timeless style
Inspired by his work on multimillion-dollar log homes in the Canadian ski resort village of Whistler, Chris was determined to utilise timber inside the house. It was Natalie’s task to adorn the ply-lined interior, and her background in fashion design came to the fore as she hunted down fabrics for the girls’ curtains and black wall tiles for the kitchen, or decided where to hang family paintings. However, she and Chris have a unified style and nothing stays in the house unless both of them love it.
“We quite like that slightly retro aesthetic,” Natalie says. “We like mid-century modern
Outdoor types
Sets of skis, mountain bikes and a dedicated drying room are testament to the family’s intrepid sporting interests. Estelle, 14, is a keen rower and multi-sport adventure racer, Scarlett, 12, is a triathlete, and both Chris and Natalie enjoy a range of outdoor pursuits from paddleboarding and water-skiing to tramping and camping.
“It’s been hugely beneficial to the family,” Chris says of the four-bedroom dwelling. “The house can be closed down and made cosier for intimate family time in winter but in summer everything can be opened up so that we are all outside playing, gardening or socialising.”
The home was carefully designed with teenagers in mind, and features sliding cavity doors that close off both ends of the hallway to create a space for Estelle’s piano and clarinet practice. The timber-floored living and dining area is large enough to allow the pushing back of sofas to create an art studio – Scarlett’s forte – or exercise room. An office-workshop near the front entrance has been converted into a wellused guest room but may well revert to an office once the girls have left home.