Bedded down into Waikato farmland, this home combines the best of a rural Kiwi outlook with a European sensibility, creating a modern farmhouse home.

The homeowner grew up on the farm, which his family still owns and so he feels a special affinity with the landscape and wanted a home that would offer a connection to the land, says architectural designer Dean Baldock.

“Set on a three-hectare block of land, the house enjoys a northerly aspect from the living area so creating a flow from the house to the block was a key consideration in the design. The building site was sufficiently removed from any of the other buildings on the farm so there is also that definite sense of being out in the countryside.

“The client had travelled throughout Europe and was very taken by the pared back, almost minimalist style of many of the rural homes he saw there and was keen to recreate that look and feel with his own home—particularly with the exterior treatment and the landscaping.”

Dean says you approach the house from the west and are, somewhat atypically, met with the side of the house.

“Setting up the arrival on what is the ‘long side’ of the house creates an immediate level of interest and anticipation for what is to be revealed once you enter the front door.

“The owner wanted a pavilion-style home that was all about proportion and symmetry and that also offered a high level of separation within the home, between the living areas and the bedrooms. You enter into a foyer space within the first of the two pavilions—which houses the main bedroom and three secondary bedrooms. A linking element then leads you through into the living areas, located within the second pavilion.”

“The whole process was fairly clear-cut; the client knew what he wanted to achieve from the outset and the site was flat with easy access so there were no issues around connecting services or needing to excavate.

“That said, it’s never a truly straightforward process designing a house, especially when the brief calls for a home with a very pared-back aesthetic, which makes hiding any ‘faults’ virtually impossible—it can be quite tricky to successfully pull these aspects off.”

Dean says that in keeping with the minimalist style he favoured, the client wanted a more refined look to the property but not one that was out of context with the rural landscape. Material choice, therefore, was central to achieving this.

“He didn’t want a home that screamed ‘rural vernacular’ with obvious allusions to barns or sheds, so the materials were chosen for their subtle sophistication—shingle roof, rendered plaster finish and burnished concrete floors.”

When it comes to choosing an aspect of the home that exemplifies the design intent, Dean says that, for him, it’s the connection between the built and natural environments that, for him, is the true success.

“The fact that, regardless of where you are in the house, you always feel connected to the surroundings is pretty cool. Take the fire pit area, for example, even though it is somewhat removed from the house, it’s still physically linked via the boardwalk element, making it a further extension of the outdoor living.

“We put a lot of work into maximising the plan and ensuring a high level of visibility and natural light at all times, so it’s really rewarding to see that pay off.”

Words by Justin Foote
Photography by Arie Stokes Photographer; Designwell