Relaxation and good times

This interior design brings a sense of lightness and relaxation to a holiday bach – the new Mid-century Modern feel evoking the beachy feel the owners desired

The owners wanted a Mid-century modern feel for

Need more work space? Watch this space –

With a focus on timber throughout, the interior

From the designer: "My recommendation was to open

The owners wanted a large serving area on

The rear wall of kitchen cabinetry is finished

Creating the stone island was a painstaking process,

Herringbone flooring brings added design interest to the

The laundry room is a multi-functional space which

Before: this structural beam was moved and concealed

Before: This shot, prior to interiors rethink, speaks

Designed by Natalie Du Bois, Du Bois Design

From the interior designer

My homeowners had always dreamed of having a modern updated interior for their coastal 1970s New Zealand bach.

They wanted the new interior to make them instantly feel like they were on holiday, where they could relax and enjoy good times on weekend breaks and holidays.

A few challenges to work around and consider were that the existing kitchen was dark and had a very low, sloped ceiling with an even lower structural beam running across the room. As part of the project, I raised this beam and concealed it in the ceiling cavity.

Another factor was that the rear deck was only accessible through the laundry, which meant it wasn’t being used as much.

My recommendation was to open the tight, u-shaped kitchen layout into a galley island configuration, as this would encourage more flow.

Plus, with an addition of large glass doors at the rear, the galley configuration would allow light to flood into the space from both the rear and front decks.

This home has beautiful, eastern sea views, which I felt really needed to be celebrated, so I re-oriented the kitchen to ensure whoever was working in the space would still get to see these views, plus have better interaction with family or guests.

The owners also wanted a large serving area on the seaward side of the kitchen island, which I cantilevered to provide comfortable seating for two.

A round timber table close by further encourages social interactions.

The owner requested a minimalist design with a mid-century feel, so I introduced a number of subtle design elements, such as the curves to the corners of the stone-clad island.

This was a painstaking process, whereby strips of stone were fused together with absolute accuracy, so minimal joins were visible.

I also specified heavily textured, bead-blasted wood grain cabinetry, which ties in with the predominance of light-grained timber in the rest of the bach.

Furniture pieces like the round dining table, sculptural dining chairs and the L-shape sofa – covered in stain proof fabric – were all specified to work in together.

As the kitchen island is on show from all angles, I included an additional working area with a 1800mm benchtop within the wall of cabinetry running along the back wall.

While this work area can be hidden away behind bi-fold doors, while its timber veneer shelving and drawers with a Basalt Grey Neolith backsplash and benchtop ensure it looks good open or closed.

A minimalist, no-handles look was achieved for the cabinetry by including electric Blum servo-drive.

The only handles were bespoke handles for the heavier integrated fridges and pantry doors.

Four rubbish bin pull-outs mean recycling needs are addressed.

With a focus on timber throughout, the interior is lightened by the stone clad island and wall and ceilings in Resene half Rice Cake.

The slim black strip light above the island has random cap details with an almost bird-wing shape, echoing the beachy feel of this coastal home.

The laundry room is a multi-functional space which provides extra room for pantry/crockery storage, with an extra drink’s fridge for those times when the house is full of guests.

The overall result is an easy-to-work-in, holiday home interior that oozes the feeling of relaxation and good times.