Prospect House by at.space and MAUD

Timeless timber and stone add textural warmth and tonal cohesion to Prospect House in Auckland, a paean to designer Alex McLeod’s grandparents’ mid-century home.

When interior designer Alex McLeod of at.space was thinking about the direction the interiors of her family home in Auckland’s Mount Eden would take, she kept returning to thoughts of her grandparents’ mid-century residence. “I held very dear memories of their home,” she recalls. “And I wanted to create something similar that our kids would remember or have a similar feeling about. I wanted to capture the essence and mood that house had, but in a contemporary way.”

“The batons are such a beautiful contrast to the Luca Crazy Paving. They feel a little more structured and we used them in a dry-stack application to keep the look quite modular.”

Materiality was key to imbuing Prospect House with mid-century overtones. Stone and timber not only play an essential role in the home’s subtly retro feel but work to complement each other both internally and externally. To evoke memories of the classic rock-clad walling and terracotta courtyard of her grandparents’ home, McLeod applied Eco Outdoor’s Luca Crazy Paving for the flooring throughout the internal spaces and out into the courtyards, reflecting the stone’s adaptability. “We chose the Luca because it is such a wonderful material to use from the inside to the outside,” she says. “It also has a lovely warmth and tactility. It was perfect for the project and incorporated all the colours we wanted to utilise.”

The textural nature of the flooring is echoed in Eco Outdoor’s limestone Pendell Batons, which were used for both internal and external walling, including to clad the chimneys. They make a particularly dramatic presence in the long corridor that links the main living space to a kids’ living area. “The batons are such a beautiful contrast to the Luca Crazy Paving,” says the designer. “They feel a little more structured and we used them in a dry-stack application to keep the look quite modular.” Eco Outdoor Novara Technifirma porcelain tiles appear in the bathrooms, their flecked, terrazzo-like surface “including all the colours of the rest of the material palette.”

“The idea was to create and capture views that look outward to the community and the landscape beyond but, at the same time, create internal views and a sense of our own haven.”

The stone and cedar panelling help to ground the home in its locale, a suburb with an abundance of mature trees and views of Maungawhau, Auckland’s tallest volcano. Embracing those views was top of mind for McLeod. “We really wanted to connect the house and the site to the mountain. The idea was to create and capture views that look outward to the community and the landscape beyond but, at the same time, create internal views and a sense of our own haven.”

That sense of haven is beautifully embodied in the internal courtyard, one of the family’s favourite spaces to gather. An organic-shaped pool forms the natural centrepoint, lined with Eco Outdoor’s Nacre glass mosaic tiles. “They give a tiny lift around the waterline,” says McLeod. “They also provide a lovely twinkle to the pool when the light hits it.”

An organic-shaped pool forms the natural centrepoint, lined with Eco Outdoor’s Nacre glass mosaic tiles.

McLeod has created a residence that not only looks to the past but embraces the future, with an enduring material palette that brings both permanence and serenity to Prospect House’s internal and external spaces. By connecting back to its surrounds through spaces that embrace views at every turn, the residence feels grounded and very much of its place. “I think it’s a home that feels warm and ambient and is easy to live in.”

Architecture by MAUD. Interior design by at.space. Build by Faulkner Construction. Landscape design by Babylon Gardens. Stone and tiles by Eco Outdoor. Production by The Local Production.