Bringing this new build to life was the work of Angelique Armstrong from Armstrong Interiors. A sense of belonging and feeling right at home sum up this abode perfectly.

WORDS Kathy Catton PHOTOGRAPHY Hazel Redmond Photography

It’s an art to capture the spirit of a home and an even finer art to envision a home yet to be built. So, the homeowners of this rural architectural residence on the Canterbury Plains knew they wanted a highly proficient interior designer to create and complete the embodiment of their home.

By chance, the homeowners had previously purchased the bach of Angelique Armstrong of Armstrong Interiors. Angelique had completed a renovation on the Akaroa bach and, before selling it, had carried out an extensive remodelling to create an original and authentic interior. The homeowners loved the style and so tracked down the award-winning Angelique to commission her to work on their new home.

“The client wanted me to take care of all aspects of the architectural interiors,” says Angelique. “We initially worked with Garry Maynes’ architectural plans and had many meetings with the clients to fully understand their needs and how we could assist with selecting the most appropriate interior palette and materials to enhance their interiors and enhance their lifestyle.”

CHARRED AND WEATHERPROOF The charred cladding on this home provided by Chartek looks incredible and is ‘maintenance optional’. It gives a bold statement to the home.

Angelique describes the home as modern with a farm-like style. “There were a lot of natural timbers throughout the interior and exterior, so it was apparent that the clients wanted a timeless home with quality pieces.” Situated on grassy pastures with beautiful views, it lent itself to clean lines inside to avoid detracting from the beautiful natural landscape surrounding the home.

“We chose natural materials – warm and calming – with a darker, timber-toned palette,” says Angelique. “We worked with each space but also made sure there was good flow throughout the home.”

DARK SOPHISTICATION The matt black tapware and towel rails are from Plumbline and add to that warm and sophisticated vibe throughout the home.

The architectural brief for the home was a timeless, three-bedroom home with energy efficiency integrated throughout and generous outdoor living with views of the mountains and rural outlook.

Garry Mayne, designer and director at Chilton and Mayne Architecture, saw that the solution to this brief was a simple one.

“We adopted an H-shaped layout of two simple wings,” says Garry. “This allowed for a separation between the interior spaces yet still provided plenty of integration.”

The pavilion-styled home is a natural response to the site and the surrounding subdivision. To visually soften the impact the house had on the site, different areas of the home have been defined with the pavilion structures linked with lower flat roofs. This, in turn, breaks down the mass of the house into forms that are reminiscent of the scale of buildings traditionally found on rural sites.

“Raking ceilings increase volume and create a feeling of space beyond the square metre area of the floor plan,” says Garry. “In the living pavilion, ample glazing on the north and west-facing sides of the house opens the interior to the views and encourages engagement with the outdoor spaces. Orientated to the mountain views, the living volume opens to a large internal courtyard, enclosed between the living and bedroom pavilion. This arrangement has the advantage of bringing shelter from the prevailing winds and maximising the views.”

The living pavilion contains the kitchen, dining and living areas. Angelique has made sure that natural materials are at the heart of this home and the interior scheme. For example, to achieve this, Angelique layered timber on timber, working with different textures and significant furniture pieces to create the classically proportioned spaces. “When there’s a lot of timber involved, I like to make sure to either use opposite tones of wood or the same tones of timber,” says Angelique. “In this case, I’ve used the same shade, but a slightly darker tone on the ceiling panels.”

This timber theme flows through the home beautifully, with the simple palette of materials of dark charred larch making an appearance as the exterior cladding, which follows through to the entranceway and powder room. Woven fabrics, natural colours and sumptuous textures give a richness to the feel of the home, and this is carried through to the final layer of plants, artwork and accessories.

“The butt-jointed bluestone tiles around the fireplace are a particular favourite of mine,” says Angelique. “We worked hard to make sure that everything we chose for the house was going to work for the homeowners’ lifestyle: mud, dust and pollen all feature in country living, so we wanted to embrace this factor and make it an easy space to live in.”

The kitchen is particularly welcoming. Its sense of openness despite the relatively small square meterage is achieved with light-coloured tiles and a clean and pale neolith benchtop. The lighting and dark cupboard handles offer that sense of grounding with seating available for four at the island.

The bathrooms continue the flow with the same mitred neolith on the vanities and dark wood cabinetry. The bedrooms are light and airy with some pops of natural blues and greens to connect the space to the outside.

Because this home was built during the Covid-19 pandemic, Angelique sought to source much of the products and materials from local manufacturers and suppliers. Local builder Sam Millar was the main contractor when it came to the construction of the home. Des Millar Construction is a family-owned business that started over 40 years ago and now specialises in new home building that can be enjoyed for generations to come.

The final result is a home that is more than just a dwelling. It’s a fine example of Angelique’s mastery of colour, texture and design and her demonstration of sensitivity to the clients’ lifestyle. The home has a comfortable, peaceful lived-in ambience and allows for easy living, every step of the way.

BOLD BOGETTA These large tiles in the Bogetta range come from NextDore, and feature in the powder room, master ensuite and laundry. They add a warmth of colour and texture throughout.

“This home is one of our favourite homes and gets a lot of nice comments from people passing by,” says Garry. “It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to work on a project like this, and to see the final outcome is always a special moment for me.”

Angelique agrees, saying, “Seeing the clients are happy gives me the most joy. Working alongside Garry Mayne and his expertise was an easy process. I read the whole space as one, and it’s come together beautifully.”