Shipshape in Rothesay Bay
A sea view is visible from the upper deck and main bedroom.
The main bedroom bridges over the driveway, providing a sheltered area underneath.
A further covered courtyard area connects to the living room and spills out onto the lawn.
A porthole window is a nod to the nearby bay and boat-loving clients.
The mustard coloured front door adds a 1970s touch to the exterior.
The roof is angled for optimal solar gain.
The lower level features irregular blockwork with a bagged finish.
The upper level is supported on one side by the blockwork boatshed.
The combination of white painted walls and birch ply creates a warm, inviting look in the downstairs space.
A window in the double height space allows for a view through from the mezzanine to the outdoors.
The brickwork continues into the dining area.
The main bedroom opens onto a deck.
Cavalier Bremworth carpet was chosen for its natural texture, similar to sisal.
Exposed rafters and a steel beam lend texture and variety to the kitchen.
The living room flows through to the deck and garden.
The irregular blockwork adds texture and a contemporary touch.
This family home in Auckland’s East Coast Bays uses a clever floorplan configuration to allow for maximum outdoor space while providing sea views and boat storage on a limited site.
Just a few minutes’ walk from Rothesay Bay on the far reaches of the North Shore, this site was a perfect location for a family of sailing enthusiasts looking to put down roots close to the water. The existing 1960s home was not fit for purpose, so the owners approached Kate Beilby from Milieu Architects to create a design for their new home, with the hopes of making good use of the available space.
“They’re really keen on sailing, and so a big driver of the project was how to store their two sailing boats with garaging but not have it dominate the site,” says Beilby. “We split the garage and boat shed into two separate buildings and then bridged part of the house over the top of it.”
This bridge allows for a snippet of sea view to be appreciated from the couple’s bedroom and upper deck, while below it extends the outdoor space with a covered courtyard area that can be used in any weather. “This multi-use space underneath is partly their driveway, but can also be used as a sheltered area to ride bikes, or a place to put outdoor furnishing for an extended family Christmas lunch, for example,” says Beilby.
The home is designed to be low maintenance, with a nautical theme evident in material and colour choices and accentuated by a porthole window upstairs. “For the exterior cladding on the upper level, we wanted a dark finish but the clients didn’t want the maintenance of stained cedar,” says Beilby. “We ended up going for Abodo timber, band-sawn for texture and painted a really dark navy blue, which is a nice departure from the usual black!”
A laid-back, yet robust aesthetic is created by the use of white concrete blockwork on the lower level, laid irregularly with a bagged finish for texture. This material spills indoors, where it is used for sections of the entry foyer and dining area, lending a warm yet industrial tack to the communal spaces. This look is furthered by exposed joists and a steel post and beam in the kitchen, which holds up a multi-use mezzanine room upstairs.
“The roofline forms a double-height ceiling, which allows for a flexi space upstairs. This can be a home office or a kids’ play area separate from the lounge. It is also a potential guest room but doesn’t have to be permanently set up as one,” says Beilby.
The custom made kitchen cabinets follow the line of the stairs, providing a dynamic backdrop of stepped patterning. Birch plywood features heavily downstairs, with a nod to a boatbuilding aesthetic as well as a clean, contemporary feel. Along with the oak flooring, this also lends a good deal of visual warmth to these family spaces. The living area opens onto a covered deck – a nod to the classic Kiwi veranda – which spills out onto a garden planted in wildflowers and bordered by fruit trees.
For the homeowners, the result is ideal, with both interior and exterior spaces providing plenty of options for the kids to run and play, while the boats are tucked away ready to be rolled out when a fair wind is blowing.
