Country life – but not as you know it

This home responds to the owners' every need, great and small. A non-typical rural house with presence, great connections to garden and pond and even a place to groom their dogs

The owners wanted a family home that didn’t just look like just another rural house – hence the bold, contemporary lines of their country homestead.

Orienting the house to the north west, opened

A strong entrance form with copper clad door

While the build platform was very flat, the

The owners wanted plenty of glass to connect

A wall of wallpaper in the formal dining

The home has an indoor Living Flame fireplace

The home provides an easy separation between the

Throughout the home, the use of tall slot

Marble look surfaces combine with the warmth of

Designed by Landmark Homes North Shore /Rodney

Design brief/rationale:

The owners

The owners were going back to the country after 4 years in the city for peace and quiet. Their main requirement was for a modern home that showed off their landscaping, which is their passion.

They had pictures of modern box shaped houses and a sample of a standing seam copper product and wanted something that didn’t look like just another rural house. They also wanted plenty of glass to connect to the outdoor environment – especially the pond – and a level entry for seamless transition.

The owners' physical requirements

They required four bedrooms (one as an office), good separation of master from guests and lots of space for entertaining both formal and informal.

The owners also wanted connection to outdoors and landscaping, including incorporating a large covered outdoor area with an outdoor fire – they had already selected the fire.

Plus the home was to have no opening sashes anywhere. Triple car garaging and good visitor parking; and morning sun in the master bedroom.

In addition, the homeowners wanted somewhere to wash their energetic dogs.

Design development and functionality

They actually had a preliminary landscape plan done before the house design. The house had to fit the landscape including the existing pond

With this in mind, the focus was on a home that created a backdrop for their extensive planting.

While the build platform was very flat, the actual area was limited by the location of the pond and a bank to the north.

Orienting the house to the north west opened up views to the pond and afternoon sun and allowed for a generous lawn to the north.

Wings to the house maintained good separation for the master bedroom.

The owners’ current furniture, which they were keeping, consisted of very large pieces and the spaces had to accommodate them.

The kitchen/dining/living space (nicknamed the great room) flows out to the 15.5m long adjustable louvre covered area which has been made even more multi-functional with the addition of motorised blinds to keep out both bugs and the weather.

Avoiding opening sashes meant instigating a fresh air supply system incorporating a heat exchange unit, while an outdoor bath was introduced for dog washing.

The modern boxes that comprise the home become a backdrop to the planting while maintaining a sense of solidity and formality.

Both homeowners are no nonsense and this house has that in spades. A strong entrance form with copper clad door and solid block pillars gives the home a stolid first impression.

Inside the home, the garden is highlighted immediately with a full glass wall.

Warmth is brought back to what could be a stark home with the addition of oak veneer finishes in the kitchen, fireplace cabinetry, bathrooms and feature sliding doors, along with the parquet flooring.

A wall of wallpaper in the formal dining gives a whimsical feel and its theme relates to the garden. Plus the use of tall slot windows have picked up snapshots of the landscaping throughout the home.

The result is a very liveable home, connected in every way to the garden that the owners love so much.