Country road – take me home

Despite a modest footprint, this stepped, U-shaped rural home is large on liveability – features include soaring ceilings, a sheltered central courtyard and hero outlooks

The home's soaring, wall of glass living spaces

Thee home offers sheltered outdoor living at its

Year-round al fresco dining. - Country road –

Skylights optimise natural light in the covered central

The sheltered north-facing side deck. - Country road

Clerestory windows mean not a single ray of

The contemporary kitchen island, with clean-lined pendant overhead,

The dramatic two-tone kitchen has an airy feel,

Dining area – the home's interior is flooded

A window splashback floods natural light on the

Looking through the living spaces. - Country road

Designed by Tony Borland-Lye, Box Design-Build

From the building designer:

As soon as the owners saw the sloping site that culminated in a mini wetland and a bridge across a stream, they knew instantly it was to be their slice of paradise.

We pictured a smallish home on the site as we didn’t like the feel of a 300-400m2 house, and unlike other design-and-build companies, Box was big on using good design within a small footprint and sustainable material choices, says one of the homeowners.

Their dream was to build something bespoke but they also realised they couldn’t afford a full-blown design from an architect.

The dwelling, at 170m2, is ample for the family of five.

The low-profile home is low-key on arrival.

The home steps down from its front door,

“On approach, it looks like an understated little house,” the owner says.

The home steps down the hillside in a split-level programme that incorporates four bedrooms, two living areas and a ‘mud room’, which facilitates a transition between outdoors and in.

“With all these boy children it does get a bit dirty,” she says.

On entry, the home's true character is revealed.

Anticipation is part of the arrival as stairs lead immediately down to the open-plan living zone where the ceiling rakes up to an incredible 4.2m and the glazing follows suit – giving the greenery surrounding the house hero status.

The U-shaped form of the home embraces a covered central deck which faces west but also speaks to a second north-facing deck that leads out from the dining room and allows the second living room to connect directly with the pool.

The owners wanted the form of their home to recede into the bush section, hence the use of matt-black Weathertex.

"We wanted to connect with nature, and to use as many natural materials as possible,” the owner says.

With room enough to enjoy the boisterous lifestyle that often comes with young children, there are also spaces to hide and relax.

When it’s not that easy to pop to the corner shop, a walk-in pantry keeps the larder well-stocked and, after the children are in tucked up in bed, the ensuite bathroom with its grandstand view of a manuka forest underplanted with flax beckons.

“It’s one of my favourite spaces and I think bathing will be a nightly ritual,” she says.

That’s the beauty of a forever home: it moulds around the dynamics of a changing lifestyle.