Hoogervorst Builders’ meticulous craftsmanship brings to life a luxury restaurant, elevated by Hierarchy Group’s creative architectural and interior design solutions, setting a new standard in hospitality architecture.

WORDS Kathy Young PHOTOGRAPHY Lightforge Photography / Jason Loucas / Lisa Sun

The over-sized patio, kitchen and bathroom tiles came from Garden City Tiling Limited.

MWF Manufacturing worked closely with the Sugarloaf team to realise the vision, using the latest technology to develop, design and manufacture integrated bespoke joinery including crafted timber, steel, lighting and marble components.

Lighting above the bar is 30cm Smoke glass Alfie shades, from Mr Ralph Lighting.

Labelled the chicest sheep station in the world, Flockhill Lodge in the heart of Canterbury’s back country has now added seven villas and a world-class restaurant, marking a bold new chapter in luxury accommodation and hospitality.

Sugarloaf at Flockhill opened its doors as a restaurant in December 2024. It was intentionally designed on a grand scale, with soaring cathedral-style ceilings, dramatic suspended fireplace and innovative open kitchen. The dining space alone is rapidly gaining recognition as a destination.

The 900sqm space was thoughtfully designed by Hierarchy Group, with every detail telling a story of craftsmanship and vision.

Guests and visitors enter through a set of 3m-tall aged-copper doors, designed to pivot open with ease in both directions. On entering, guests are immediately struck by the breathtaking view.

“When people walk in, they see straight through to Purple Hill,” explains Andrew Cullen, general manager at Flockhill. “The cathedral-style ceilings are seven metres high, and to see people’s reaction walking in through these huge doors is just fantastic.”

Ashton Wright, architect and director of architecture and interior design studio Hierarchy Group, was part of the team that led the design. It began as a modest renovation before evolving into an ambitious luxury restaurant development and accompanying villas. The brief called for luxury accommodation and a world-class dining experience that would honour the station’s farming pedigree, showing some of New Zealand’s finest views and produce, paddock-to-plate style.

Ashton says the owners didn’t want it to feel commercial. “They wanted it to feel luxurious and crafted while carefully considering a sense of familiarity and comfort for guests.”

Every element, from the smallest detail to the overarching building envelope, reflects the brief, with particular focus given to symmetry and rhythm. On a micro scale, intricate features are unveiled throughout the property. The joinery, wall cladding and ceiling details, bracket connections to timber fins, sandwiched rafter elements and custom crafted lights and door hardware all create tactile and intimate connections.

On a macro scale, modular forms not only serve functional purposes but also define and contour the spaces, balancing the regularity of the building and ensuring the architecture feels dynamic rather than rigid. “This interplay invites exploration and discovery at every level through a rich tapestry of materials and detail,” says Ashton.

At the heart of the restaurant is an innovative kitchen design that breaks from traditional dining. The space was created in close collaboration with head chef Taylor Cullen (Andrew’s eldest son), who joined the project three years before opening. Taylor, whose CV includes heading up acclaimed Sydney restaurant Chiswick and working in luxury lodges worldwide, wanted to create an interactive dining experience centred around cooking on a wall of fire.

The restaurant’s centrepiece is a striking suspended fireplace with a concrete base and two imposing black metal chimneys. This architectural feat was achieved through the expertise of Hoogervorst Builders, led by Roland Hoogervorst, who Andrew describes as a “genius”.

Hoogervorst Builders was tasked with building the restaurant, after successfully constructing the Flockhill Homestead in 2022. Despite the complexity of the project, the construction went remarkably smoothly. “You could never have done a TV programme on the building of it,” Andrew jokes, “because really not that much went wrong. There wasn’t that much drama. The team just got in and did it.”

From Roland’s perspective, it was the immaculate teamwork and collaboration on-site that made this project a standout.

“Because of the diverse range of materials we had some challenges, but it was a team input to get a great result,” says Roland. “From in-situ walls, blackened steel walls, a range of upholstery, curved booth seating area and suspended fireplaces – we dealt with it all.”

The team also faced the technical challenge of concealing all the mechanical systems, incorporating all the ductwork and fresh air supply as much as possible within the joinery.

Roland describes his role as “mainly getting into the architect’s head” so as to deliver the vision. Hence, when it came time for Ashton and his team to run the defects list at the end of the project, the feedback to Roland was that it was an impeccable build.

Andrew valued the thorough design detailing of Hierarchy Group and the careful craftsmanship of Hoogervorst Builders. “Wen and Ashton from Hierarchy Group were great to work with. They quickly understood the working needs of a luxury lodge and the vision from the Flockhill team. Sugarloaf is stunning.”

The space is designed to be remarkably versatile, capable of creating intimate dining experiences for small groups while also accommodating events for up to 80 people. This flexibility allows the restaurant to serve both lodge guests and the broader Canterbury community, with lunch reservations opening to the public soon. Guests can enjoy the open-flame dining while eating sustainable and seasonal food.

The culinary offering at Sugarloaf is impressive, with Taylor leading a team of 12 chefs who embrace a Nordic- inspired food philosophy. The restaurant sources much of its produce from two on-site greenhouses and an extensive vegetable garden.

“Just about all the produce comes out of the garden now that it’s established,” says Andrew. “The team are busy pickling and fermenting at the moment. When seasonal products are available throughout the summer, we preserve and ferment them, so that’s what we’ll be using in the winter months. Nothing served in the restaurant is out of season.”

The complementing seven Flockhill villas comprise 14 private suites. Each villa has two king bedrooms adjoined by a lounge, enabling family or friends to holiday together. All villas are outfitted with a calming palette and organic textures, such as wooden flooring throughout. “Again, the neutral colour palette is inspired by the land – the surrounding hills and riverbeds,” says Ashton. “The villas contrast harmoniously with the red ochre tones of the existing buildings. No detail has been missed – the interiors are moody and highly textural spaces using natural materials such as plaster, stone and rustic tiles, finished with brass detailing.”

For Ashton and his team, this was a dream project. “Our passion is to craft intricate places that people can explore, layer by layer; details found within are more akin to a residential style and scale. It’s exciting to think so many guests will be able to enjoy the serenity of the space. We were fortunate to work with a trusting and visionary client and a special type of builder.

Roland was perfect for the task at hand and we were humbled when he joked halfway through construction that the detail never stops and that it was one of his more complex builds for a very long time. We believe these factors have resulted in an incredible outcome for the project.”

The success of the villas and restaurant has been immediate and dramatic. Opening in December last year, the lodge has maintained 100 per cent occupancy for its first few weeks, requiring a staff increase from eight to 42 people. But perhaps most impressive is the property’s ambition. “Our original goal was to be in the top five luxury lodges in New Zealand,” Andrew reveals. “Our goal now is to be the best in Australasia.”

Given the stunning setting and the extraordinary experience created at Sugarloaf and the surrounding villas, that goal seems well within reach. For far-flung visitors and local Cantabrians, this spectacular offering makes Sugarloaf and Flockhill Villas an excellent choice for celebrations and leisurely stays.