High Altitude
A spectacular location overlooking Aoraki Mt Cook called for a lodge-style home with a sense of history.
Custom joinery
Repurposed materials
Salvaged local timber
Organic, soft textures
“I’m not like most designers, who have to set sail on an exotic getaway to get inspired. Most of the time, it’s on my walk to work, or sitting in the subway and seeing something random or out of context.”
Using natural timber and stone along with recycled materials, heritage style fabrics and bespoke elements, I created an interior palette that helps the home merge with the vast landscape.This meant designing custom joinery and interior doors that befitted the lofty ceiling heights and country home aesthetic.
We brought in timber beams salvaged from the old Kurow Bridge for the mantelpiece, complete with rustic nuts and bolts, and included farm implements rummaged from farm sheds as feature door handles.
Recycled timber also adorns the bathroom and ensuite countertops, while schist walls create connections to the landscape in the living room and front entrance. Iconic William Morris curtain fabrics and floral wallpapers soften the spaces, while still meeting the rural look developed by the home’s rustic elements.
I picked out the wall colourings to reflect the surrounding beauty, with lake blue walls in the dining rooms and moodier, dark tones in the ensuite rooms. These guest rooms invite relaxation with luxurious bedding and lush throws and pillows, while bathrooms are sleek, stone-clad spaces with private views over the lake.