Look out from any of this house’s warm, spacious and surprisingly serene rooms and be seduced by views to die for: rugged fingers of rock claw their way out into the ocean, forming rock pools directly beneath the site; while looking south, a ghostly vision of the South Island’s Kaikoura hills settles on the horizon line. Boats, dolphins and whales pass by and even the hills to the north of the bay – seen from the kitchen, the courtyard and the upstairs corridor and nook – are a feast for the eyes. These sights are echoed in the distinctive local colours and the high-quality natural materials of the interior.

Beautifully planned and detailed, everything about this house fits contextually within its challenging clifftop site. Over the water, the lush mossy-olive green foliage of Taputeranga Island is mimicked in the bespoke-dyed carpet of the library, bedrooms and studies; rich tobacco-coloured tiles in one bathroom reference the slippery brown seaweed in the rock pools below; while the pebble-strewn polished concrete floor in the living area and timbers used throughout the house mirror the coastal landscape.

Upon arriving at the house from the street, a winter garden provides visitors with shelter from wind and rain. Enter into a sculptural space of intersecting rooms and staircases; this light-filled, double-height atrium allows the owners to easily talk with each other, from their individual studies and bedrooms on different levels, through cut-outs in the walls and from an overhead bridge on the first floor.

From the outset, the owners gave the architects a clear brief that they wanted to “live in the view”, to “track the sun around the house” and “find suitable places to sit at different times in the day”. Downstairs, a large study is nestled into the hill, while upstairs a stairwell encloses a snug, providing a play space for the owner’s daughter, situated just off her bedroom. The corridor also acts as a sunroom for reading while, next door, the main bedroom opens up into a dressing room with a panoramic ocean view.

On the ground floor, an open living/kitchen area links into a library, guest room, bathroom, laundry and study. The kitchen features stone worktops, bespoke walnut cabinetry and a seductive burnt timber floor, alongside a sunny informal eating area at one end. Both look out into the winter garden and a secluded north-facing courtyard. On the exterior, silvery cedar fins allow just enough light and warmth in to avoid overheating the interior.

The architect-builder-client relationship was an immensely happy one and, surprisingly, the client would be keen to do it all over again, except they probably won’t; it seems as if they have already found their perfect place in the world.

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Note: These are stories from our archives and, since the time of writing, some details may have changed including names, personnel of specific firms, registration status, etc.