Ranch Puke – Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

Featuring Vulcan Cladding finished with the soft lustrous tones of Protector – Ebony both inside and outside, this award-winning family home by Architecture Bureau has a timeless yet modern elegance gracing a traditional form and lush, long-lasting materials.

Beginning with a sloping, narrow site in suburban Mount Maunganui, this house replaces a previous 1950s home, which had been renovated and extended in an ad hoc manner over the years. Some of the failings of the original home sparked the homeowner’s requirements for the new build, which included a clear entry, a decent setback from the road, and an easy flow between living spaces and the outdoors. They also requested a traditional character to the exterior of the home, while still creating clean, modern lines.

When it came to creating the form of the home, Architecture Bureau responded with a classic gable and a design that connects the main living areas with landscaped courtyards, outdoor dining spaces and the pool. Vulcan weatherboards grace select exteriors, delivering the desired traditional aesthetic while also allowing for the rigours of the coastal location.

Inside, interior designers Gezellig Interiors specified Vulcan timber to carry through to the living spaces, solidifying a visual connection between indoors and out. Finished in Abodo’s Protector coating in Ebony’s almost black, with hint of brown hue, this timber lends a sense of grounding to the interiors, and contrasts nicely against the pale timber and textured stone used elsewhere in the design. Hidden Vulcan-clad internal doors further the sense of calm that emanates from these living spaces.