Essential viewing

Perched high for views and privacy, this home comprises two pavilions – one a social hub, the other a parental retreat.

- John Williams

Most of us have a dream of where we’d like to retire — by the beach, something more rural, perhaps somewhere overseas. For this expat New Zealand couple living in Sydney, that place was Central Otago. Although retirement was some time off, they were planning ahead when they engaged architect Regan Johnston to design their home on the shores of Lake Wanaka.

“Coincidentally, they’d seen a house I’d designed in Trends and wanted something similar,” says Johnston. “They liked the spaces, the feel and materials I’d used and also the quality of the home.”

Their requirements were simple – create a comfortable home that took full advantage of the elevated lakeside site and could accommodate their family of three adult children at any one time, without having an impact on the parents’ use of the home.

“It was a large site, at approximately 3300m 2 . But because it forms the gateway to a large subdivision, we had to be very mindful of the design, both from the point of view of the other residents, and also the privacy of the owners,” says Johnston.

Setting the house high up at the rear of the section gave his clients the privacy and views they wanted. This also mitigated its effect on the rest of the community.