A house that sits softly within its bush setting with privacy for its owners but which takes advantage of sea and island views – that was the brief and the stunning result in this design by Wellington-based architects Atelier Workshop.
But to offset the natural setting and break up the simple palette of materials, they made clever use of two very bright Resene colours – the red Resene Jalapeno and yellow Resene Supernova. The only other ‘colour’ used is Resene Rock Salt from the Resene Colorwood interior wood stains range which subtlely washes the ceilings and upper walls. The interior pine plywood is finished in Resene Aquaclear waterborne clear urethane.
The house sits in the seaside village of Paekakariki, as part of the coastal sand dunes of the extended Kapiti sea front. A limited palette of raw materials is used to create a house that sits discreetly within the bush, retaining the sense of isolation within the site.
Natural aluminium was used to clad the house, creating a soft glow from the filtered light. The luminous object within the dense bush sends some glittery signals to the surrounds, accompanying the native bird songs.
All doors inside are the salsa-red Resene Jalapeno while the in-your-face yellow Resene Supernova is used outside as a vivid contrast to the raw aluminium and macrocarpa decks.
Architect and director of Atelier Workshop William Giesen answers these questions:

How did you and the client decide on the overall look of the house? What was your overall philosophy?

We wanted to keep a minimum of materials and the clients were keen to use plywood. Resene Aquaclear was used to provide a hardwearing finish with a coat of Resene Rock Salt (from the Resene Colorwood interior wood stains range) for all ceilings and walls above 2.4m.
We did material boards and presented these to the clients. Our philosophy was to have a very simple interior punctuated by splashes of colour.

Why use bright colours rather than more subdued tones?

This a holiday home in a dense bush setting, to us (and the clients) strong colours offset the natural setting and broke up the simple palette of materials.

What part of the house are you most happy with; do you have a favourite space?

The glazed verandah area is always warm and is private, yet has expansive views over Kapiti Island. It is probably the favourite space in the house. In saying that, it is the diversity of spaces and their unique outlooks to the surrounding bush that makes the house work.

What was the biggest decorating or building challenge with this house?

Working within the surrounding bush was a significant constraint and alongside the building the vegetation was thinned to increase sunlight and views while maintaining the privacy that makes this site so special.

The glazed atrium veranda is a favourite space.

The doors are in Resene Jalapeno while all plywood above 2.4m is softly defined by Resene Rock Salt from the Resene Colorwood interior wood stains range.

The in-your-face sunshine yellow of Resene Supernova heralds your arrival at the front door.