This sleek, contemporary Rangiora home is a private retreat, perfectly positioned to make the most of all-day sun and an outdoor lifestyle.

WORDS Shelley Sweeney PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

CONTEMPORARY COMBINATION AB Design provided the warm and crisp kitchen joinery with upper cabinets in oak timber, lower cabinets in Melteca Snowdrift and oven section and striking island battens in Melteca Bullet.
SMOOTH STONE Caesarstone benchtops from Shane Boyd Benchtops are featured throughout this home, with the favourite being this rare 30 mm Supernatural Calacatta Nuvo kitchen benchtop.

For the owners of this light-filled family home, experience in the building industry led to a smooth project from design through to completion.

Having already enjoyed the build process of their previous home, the homeowners had a very clear vision of how to create this dream lifestyle for themselves and their two young children.

With a single-storey and open-plan living layout in mind, it was just a matter of finding the right section. “Our previous home was one of the first homes built in its development, so we were building blind in terms of knowing what to expect around us,” say the homeowners.

This section, which had previously been an asparagus field, was in an established area surrounded by existing homes with equally high specifications, giving the homeowners the confidence to go ahead.

The result is a perfectly formed four-bedroom, three-bathroom home that maximises its 294 square metre footprint. The home opens out to a generous outdoor entertaining area through a series of large stacking slider doors to a flat lawn where the family enjoys playing cricket and football together. “The living spaces are our favourite part of the house,” say the homeowners, who also enjoy their luxurious ensuite bathroom that features a transitional wall behind the vanity with a large shower on the other side and a skylight above.

The large central open-plan living space with its stunning pitched ceiling and skylights features an entertainer’s kitchen with a hidden walk-in pantry. The living room, dining space and study nook complete this multi-functional family hub of the home.

The superb joinery in the kitchen and wardrobes was designed and fitted by AB Design, who the homeowners have known and enjoyed working with for many years. “We liked the idea of a white stone look and wanted to mix the cabinetry with oak to add warmth and match the flooring,” say the homeowners. Black battens were added to the kitchen island, bringing texture and echoing the black lines of the roofing.

The homeowners chose to bring in Shane Boyd Benchtops having worked with Shane on numerous design projects over the last 15 years. He had also provided the benchtops in their previous home. “At the time of the build, the kitchen benchtop was a rare 30 millimetres Caesarstone, which was not available in New Zealand but Shane was able to source it for us,” say the homeowners. “It was a thrill to complete the centrepiece of this family home,” says Shane. “We focused on naturally toned materials throughout which flowed through into the pantry, bathrooms, laundry and fire mantel and blended perfectly with the natural oak kitchen cabinetry and neutral décor.” Durable Caesarstone was used on all the benchtops and vanities in the home, with the bathroom vanities featuring a 20 millimetres Frosty Carrina finish.

Off the main family hub is the separate family room, complete with a gas fire, built into a schist wall, with windows on three sides creating another light-filled space. The two living spaces open out onto a centralised hardwood deck and outdoor cooking area for that all-important indoor-outdoor flow. “From a design perspective, we love the big open plan living space linking to the stunning north-facing, landscaped garden,” say the homeowners.

This energy-efficient build boasts a highly insulated envelope, wide exterior wall framing and thermally broken Low-E aluminium joinery. “We have two ducted heat pump systems, one for the open plan living spaces and the other serves the hallway and bedrooms. The house is always a comfortable temperature,” say the homeowners.

This cleverly designed family home showcases excellent craftsmanship and carefully curated materials inside and out for a home designed to meet the changing needs of this growing family for years to come.

AB Design | 021 118 9775

Shane Boyd Granite Benchtops | 021 240 0124