Words Philippa Prentice
Photography David Straight
Like the flax threads of the exquisite hieke/cloak framed in its entryway, everything in this extraordinary home ties in beautifully. It’s connected to its owners’ past and present; to their loves and lifestyle; to the land, sea, stream and sky. If you were to view it from above, you’d also be struck by its intriguing shape, but more gazing up and out happens here.
Dubbed Waitī House after a star in Te Kāhui o Matariki cluster that has links to fresh water and the protection of life within it, the home’s name reflects its owners’ commitment to care for this piece of land, alongside which the Wairau Stream supplies a tinkling soundtrack. It also speaks to a passion for stargazing — one of the key experiences enabled within the experience of this out-of- this-world yet down-to-earth dwelling.
As directors of interior, architecture and project management studio Ko & Ko, Thandi Tipene and her husband Bachelor oversee their clients’ builds from start to finish, finding the perfect piece of land, introducing them to the right architect (in this case, a team from Crosson Architects headed by Ken Crosson), devising the interior design, bringing together top trade professionals and attending to every single detail. Having met entrepreneur Elisa Roorda and advertising agency owner Flavio Vianna after their arrival in Aotearoa from São Paolo, Brazil in 2020, they embarked on a highly collaborative and responsive project that allowed adjustments to be made as the journey progressed, to ensure the ultimate outcome.
Both nature-loving creative types, yogi Elisa and stargazer Flavio share an adventurous spirit that saw them lean into opportunities to design things differently. Asking for an abode in which their story is evident and that’s in harmony with the environment has resulted in a melding of New Zealand and Brazil that toys with the boundary between inside and out.
In addition to the stream, this special property in Ōākura, Taranaki, has a bush backdrop and epic rural and sea views, all of which Crosson Architects set out to facilitate engagement with. Of course, with this kind of west coast outlook comes a certain level of exposure, so several sheltered external spaces were designed — along with an internal courtyard. A circular structure inserted into the four-bedroom home’s parallelogram-shaped floorplan to complete the replication of the Brazilian flag and its blue disc dotted with stars, the courtyard spirals up to an observation platform.
“We wanted to give the family that classic Kiwi experience — a home where you can retreat inside and live outside — and get Flavio into the big sky,” says Ken. “He sets up his telescope and has an uninterrupted view.”
Just past the entryway (the travertine tiles in which were deliberately smashed then laid in an organic arrangement) and into the curved, pine-lined hallway (enhanced by Ko & Ko’s meticulously custom-developed timber stain), the leafy oasis is a key part of the overarching family narrative that’s woven through this home. Described by Thandi as “the oxygen of the house”, its garden combines Aotearoa and Brazil in its natives and tropical and floral plants, which surround you as you float in the hanging chair or climb up to the 360-degree deck to breathe at all in — or check the surf.
The home’s social kitchen/dining/living area stays connected to the greenery via slender windows in the hallway, while on the other side of the space, generous joinery frames the vista. So as not to compete with the view and to instil a sense of calm, the interior design champions tone and texture over colours or objects that demand attention, with the material palette placing a firm focus on raw, honest, unobtrusive products and finishes.
“The natural environment is at the forefront of everything we do,” says Thandi. “When designing interiors, my favourite mood to create is one that truly settles your spirit. The purpose with this one was to make it fit with the site, and create a feeling first and foremost, rather than a celebration of objects. I find real comfort in an interior that’s not full of highly processed materials or styled according to a specific genre. Natural materials hold a story that’s long lasting and can develop over time.”
Crafted around the family’s lifestyle, variation in the architecture offers spaces for occasions, and cleverly uses vertical volume to expand the relatively modest 228m2 footprint. “We’ve got high spaces and low spaces,” says Ken. “In the more powerful zones like the kitchen, dining and living area, there are lofty ceilings that give a bit more height, and then in the sunken lounge, for evenings and wintery days, it’s much more enclosed and snug.”
As in this cosy sanctuary, the children’s bedrooms are fitted with smaller windows to inspire rest — though the older kids’ spaces also boast an exciting detail: each has a ladder that leads to its own private playroom in the roof cavity, hidey-holes that have circular hammocks inserted into the floor that bulge down into the ceilings below. “It’s another interesting take on living,” says Ken. “When you’re given a bit of rope, you can come up with some extraordinary things.”
Set back on this site towards the bush, there’s a self-contained studio that functions as a yoga space and guest quarters. Like the hammocks, the link to the flag continues with a circular skylight over the bed.
Here and in the main dwelling, the colour palette is dedicated to warm neutrals, but, says Thandi, “coming from Brazil, which is traditionally much more lively than New Zealand, Elisa and Flavio are drawn to colour, so we’ve pulled it in in places — like the blue tiles in the studio bathroom, for example — and it has a really nice balance.”
She identifies a similar duality in the home overall. “You open the door and feel a sense of peace and also excitement — it’s quite awe-inspiring, but not in a fancy way. When you take your shoes off at the front door, you can feel the different heights of the tiles under your feet, then run your hand along the wall and feel the crevices of the timber. You look up and there’s the door opening into the lush internal garden with a chair that immediately invites you to engage with the space, then the light play when you go into the living spaces feels enjoyable from every point.
“Sometimes when you walk into a very beautiful house, you can feel like you’re an outsider, like it’s at a different level to you,” she continues. “That doesn’t happen here — it’s welcoming and casual enough that you develop a relationship with it straight away. It feels like it’s the place for you.”
Now that’s quite a talent — genuine star quality.
