This architectural project in Queenstown combines traditional 19th Century Central Otago house-building with American mountain retreat and European country house styles. The three-bedroom house with a separate garage was originally designed for a different location but was modified to fit the clients’ dream lifestyle block in the hills above Lake Wakatipu.
The house’s exterior is made up of western red cedar timber and bagged schist, which provides both style and practicality in cold weather. One of the features is a sheltered outdoor room with a wood-burning stone fireplace and chimney, allowing for year-round enjoyment of the outdoors and stunning views.
The lower floor is designed for family life, with an open-plan great room, formal dining area, kitchen, and a mezzanine level above that houses the family’s book collection and home office. The house has diverse global influences, including nods to American mountain retreats, Tuscan villas, and English country houses. The celebration of the land around it and the crisp contemporary interior design add to the unique and timeless flair of the house.
Our clients wanted a house with plenty of character, sympathetic building materials and landscaping that would anchor the house to the land and celebrate the stunning but unforgiving surrounding environment. It was a detailed brief – and fortunately, the lakes, mountains and history of beautiful Queenstown provided endless inspiration!
