Sustainable Artistry and Award-Winning Design
Images Samuel Hartnett
Driven by the desire to build for longevity and create a well-crafted home that resists future alteration, Felicity focussed on fulfilling the needs of her growing family without excess. The scale of spaces was inspired by the family's previous mid-century home with the interior accommodating furniture collected over the past 20 years. This philosophy resonated throughout the build, using non-toxic, local, durable materials and employing waste minimisation strategies during construction.
Set on a steeply sloping rural site in Pohuehue and surrounded by regenerated native bush, the home intentionally connects its occupants to the landscape while maintaining a strong sense of enclosure and protection from the elements. An outdoor room carved out of the compact rectangular floor plan creates an outdoor living space that remains visually connected. A timber ceiling slopes from a social to intimate scale along the spinal corridor, with utilitarian spaces to the south and living to the north where its apex frames the angular kitchen complemented by a curved island bench.
Composed of simple geometries and finely detailed junctions between materials, rectilinear, angled, and curved forms intersect with precision. The play of light and shadow is emphasised through skylights, deeply recessed glazing and brick screens protecting from the harsh western sun while allowing in filtered light. Rooms are human- scaled and proportioned to suit their preloved furnishings as well as custom built cabinetry and window seats.
Robust brick and timber detailing extend from the exterior to the interior, combining with handmade basins, tiles and brass handles, plus handblown glass pendant lights by Monmouth Glass in the kitchen and dining areas, as an ode to craftsmanship. The refined material palette references mid- century design using sustainable Abodo Vulcan timber and locally made brick. Bathrooms combine a polished concrete floor with lighter micro-cement plastered walls and marble mosaic tiles on curving shower walls.
A series of conceptual artworks were created during the design stage considering form, proportion and the effect of shadows and screening. These exploratory studies informed the detailing of the interior and are now hung on walls throughout the house.
Significant cost savings were achieved by self assembling and installing all cabinetry, tiles and bricks, allowing higher quality finishes and fittings by reducing labour costs. Cutshop provided custom CNC cabinet panels to Felicity’s design which were installed incrementally over several months. Folded brass cabinet handles were designed as a reflection of the curves and angles of the house, and handmade in collaboration with Felicity’s mother Nicola Roake, a Silversmith “The process of designing and building my own house has helped to refocus my practice on what I enjoy most, which is creating with my hands. I am now intentionally weaving my art practice into my architectural projects. This allows me to explore more freely and conceptually at the start of a project and gives me a good excuse to switch off from my laptop and work with my hands more often,” reflects Felicity.
It also deepened Felicity's love for the earth, providing a deeper understanding of ways in which building practices need to change in order to minimise environmental impacts. “My aim is for projects to have a net positive impact on their environment,” she says. Felicity will continue these efforts, implementing a planting plan created in consultation with Cielo Landscape Architects and Russet Gardens to regenerate native bush and create a food forest to boost biodiversity and soil health on her own piece of whenua.
Achieving finalist status in the 2024 Interior Awards residential house category and winning the 2024 Trends International Design Awards New Zealand Architect Kitchen of the Year, plus featuring in the latest season of Grand Designs New Zealand, the home Felicity has created is a true reflection of her passion for design and architectural expertise.
www.FelicityBrenchley.nz | felicity@FelicityBrenchley.nz | info@CieloSpace.com
