Memories of summer

True enjoyment of your home comes not just from pleasing aesthetic qualities, but also from knowing the building can withstand the elements.

This four-bedroom Orewa Showhome from Jalcon Homes has a relaxed, bach-style feel, and is designed for the rigours of a coastal or bush setting, as well as year-round family living.

The feature wall at the entrance, for example, is constructed from water-resistant blocks. Large eaves allow winter sun to penetrate, while shielding the interiors from the harsh summer sun. The mono-pitch steel roof has no joins for rain to seep into, and encourages water to run away quickly.

A blue-and-blond colour palette, with natural materials such as wood and honed block walls, complements the ocean setting overlooking Orewa Beach, says Jalcon's Ingrid van Leeuwen.

"The colour palette could also be adapted to suit a bush environment, while other design elements could be changed to suit homeowners," she says.

At the heart of the home is an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, with high studs and extensive glazing. Downstairs, large bifold doors in the informal family room lead onto an outdoor deck with wooden seating. A second bathroom and kitchen area on this lower level creates a self-contained space, making it a home suitable for a family with teenagers. Storage in the home is plentiful, with a walk-in butler's pantry in the kitchen, a separate laundry, and extensive integrated cabinetry.

Jalcon Homes is a member of the Master Builders' Association, which provides a seven-year Master Builder Guarantee. Jalcon Homes also provides its own 15-year weather-tight warranty on all its homes.

For more information, contact Jalcon Homes, PO Box 259-162, Greenmount, Auckland, phone 0800 52 52 66. Email: sales@jalcon.co.nz. Website: www.jalcon.co.nz.

High ceilings, extensive decking and large glass doors that open to the outdoors are some of the key elements of this home's design. It's a minimalist yet warm style that evokes casual bach living, says the home's architect, Alistair Watt.

"This is the most relaxed and informal of all Jalcon's homes," he says. "There's honesty with the use of exposed materials, which gives the home a contemporary, slightly commercial look."

Exterior walls are clad in plaster, weatherboards and honed block, and the front door is fully glazed.

"Having a glazed entrance provides a casual sense of arrival, and helps to blur the distinction between indoors and outside," he says. "The five-metre high entrance creates a sense of drama, and complements the high ceilings in the home."

Extensive glazing on the north and east elevations of the open-plan living, dining and kitchen areas leads to a tiled and partially covered deck facing Orewa Beach. Clerestory windows allow additional light to enter the home, and accentuate the height of the ceilings.

For more details, contact ARW Architectural Ltd, phone (09) 443 1905, mobile 0274 752 911. Email: alistair@alistairwatt.co.nz, or visit the website: www.alistairwatt.co.nz.

Pale blond-coloured flooring, used throughout the home's ground floor, was a key element in creating a beach-like atmosphere.

The flooring is Swedish oak, finished with a clear lacquer to allow the wood's smooth, fine grain to be revealed. The oak flooring has been laid in the entranceway, kitchen, living areas and stairs leading to the lower level.

The style of wooden flooring was chosen to complement the Orewa Showhome's contemporary, bach-style look, says Peter Watts of the Wooden Floor Company.

"The wood is free of knots, which again helps to add to the sleek, smooth finish, while the pale colour suggests the softness of sand."

The oak has been sourced from Kahrs, a Swedish manufacturer that sources its timber from sustainable forests and offers a 30-year guarantee. The wood has been installed as a floating floor, with joints that lock into place for a stable surface.

"As you enter the home, the boards follow the direction of travel, so that you walk with the boards rather than across them," says Watts.

For more information, contact Wooden Floor Company, 74 Sale Street, Freemans Bay, phone (09) 307 5241. Website: www.woodenfloors.co.nz.

The use of materials with different textures and surfaces has created a subtle, architectural look in the home's open-plan kitchen, says Murray Sunckell of Superior Kitchens.

"It's an effective way of injecting interest into contemporary kitchens, and the light hues help to create an open, relaxed feel," he says.

Quarella, an engineered stone, is used for the island top, while stainless steel with a repeating pattern of tiny squares is used for the perimeter tops and in the butler's pantry. The white oak cabinetry has been treated with a clear lacquer, so that the smooth grain of the wood is visible.

The butler's pantry, adjacent to the refrigerator, helps to keep the kitchen tidy and free of clutter.

"It also allows the emphasis to remain on the kitchen's focal points, such as the island and the Titan box rangehood," says Sunckell.

Other design details include linear handles with a silver-coloured finish, overhead cabinetry with etched glass panels, and Blum soft-close drawers.

For more information, contact Superior Kitchens, Unit J, 4 Lady Ruby Drive, East Tamaki, Greenmount, Auckland, phone (09) 274 8900. Email: info@superiorkitchens.co.nz, or visit the website: www.superiorkitchens.co.nz.

Consider ceramic tiles for a moment, and the chances are you will be reminded of Italy. It's not surprising, since the craft of tile making in that country goes back 800 years, says Richard Goedhart of ceramic tile importer Design Italia.

For the Orewa Showhome, the company supplied tiles for the two bathrooms' floors and walls.

"We chose porcelain tiles for the floor, as they are non-slippery, non-porous and hard wearing. Ceramic tiles were used to clad the walls, and glass mosaic tiles in sea green and aqua tones were chosen as the feature tiles in the room," he says.

The white ceramic tiles clad the walls from the floor to the ceiling.

"People often think that this makes a room look smaller, but in fact it does the opposite it creates an open and spacious look," he says.

Design Italia also supplied the tiles for the deck area outside the main living area, which overlooks Orewa Beach. The tiles here are porcelain, in pale beige, and have a non-slip surface.

For more information, contact Design Italia, 4a Titoki Place, Albany, phone (09) 415 5656. Email: info@designitalia.co.nz, or visit the website: www.designitalia.co.nz.

For a home inspired by the sights and sounds of the sea, it made sense to source bathroomware that would complement the summery, beachside feel.

One of the stand-out features in the bathroom is the European-designed glass and chrome tap from Hansa, says Stephen Smith, director of Franklin Plumbing.

"The Hansamorano tap has been a talking point for people visiting the Orewa Showhome," says Smith.

"People are intrigued by the way the flow of water becomes part of the design. The water flows over the glass plane, creating a soft, wide curtain."

The Edra shower, also from Europe, follows the same minimalist design as the Hansamorano tap, with water coming out of two slim jets rather than a shower rose. The shower has been recessed into the floor, to create a sense of privacy.

Franklin Plumbing supplied the bathroomware for the home's two bathrooms and powder room.

For more information, contact Franklin Plumbing, phone (09) 303 1839, or visit the Newmarket showroom, 99 Khyber Pass Road, Cnr Nugent St and Khyber Pass, Auckland. Email: info@franklins.co.nz, or visit the website: www.franklins.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas