With a nod to the mid-century, this contemporary farmhouse set among vineyard-covered hills speaks to its rural setting. A central living area is flanked by two pavilions — one for entertaining and housing the primary suite, the other a separate bedroom wing for guests. Deep eaves provide shelter and shade along the northern elevation, while a generous entry portico to the south extends outward to create a sheltered arrival.
Positioned on the crest of a hill, the landscape here transforms dramatically throughout the year as the surrounding vines follow their seasonal cycles. At times dense and green, at others crisp and brown, the setting is united by an enduring earthen palette. Beyond the home, another vineyard stretches across the hillside in ordered rows before giving way to a dense stand of native bush.
This landscape informed a material palette that allows the contemporary form of the home to recede quietly into one of New Zealand’s most recognisable wine-growing regions. Vertical cedar cladding wraps the building in its entirety. Finished in Dryden WoodOil Ironsand, it initially reads as a crisp brown-grey before revealing rich golden-brown tones in the changing light.
Up close, the grain of the timber emerges, lending the exterior warmth and a tactile, human-scaled quality. “We chose wood oil because it gets absorbed into the timber and helps nurture it — meaning we won’t need to maintain it as often,” architect Simon Clarkson says.
Dryden WoodOil Ironsand is part of an extensive range of wood oils designed in New Zealand for our conditions. Suitable for applications from cladding to garage doors and decking, it maintains the natural beauty of timber while protecting its core strength and durability.
Explore the full range and order your samples at dryden.co.nz
