Trends New Zealand Volume 35 No 3 | Page 52

Above: Testament to the skill of Metzger Builders as well as O’Neil’s, the airy living spaces required exact finishes, with no kickboards or ceiling cornices to hide mistakes. In conjunction with the predominantly glass walls, clerestory windows give the living area ceiling a floating effect. Facing page: The dining room steps down from the adjacent living zone. Oversized custom pieces – including a ‘Fandango’ pendant by Hive – balance the grand scale of the home. search | save | share at “The home connects with its green outlooks via long stretches of floor-to-ceiling glass which are balanced by generous overhangs, providing shade and protection,” says David Rea. However, the deep overhangs are only one of several reasons that the home looks so serene and harmonious. The simple, clean forms are accentuated by the lack of distracting details such as exterior roof gutters. Plus the house has two strong vertical elements that both contrast and complement its overall horizontality – the double-height entry and double-height lounge. In addition, the home is designed to look like it is actually constructed from walls of glass, rather than solid walls punctuated by windows. To this end, the steel structure holding up the home is disguised in some areas as dense window framing – structural support not hiding in the woodwork, but rather in the windows. “Clerestory windows add to the lightness of the interiors, too,” says O’Neil. “These provide a breathing space between the windows below and ceiling above, creating a floating effect.” Contributing to the crisp, planar aesthetic, the tile floors run out past the windows to same-level exterior decking and the ceiling also