Te Arai Beach House by Fearon Hay and Sonja Hawkins Design

Set between the forest and the ocean, Te Arai Beach House manifests as a contemporary cabin in the woods. But what appears to be a defined, unambiguous form is revealed to be more complex.

Forgoing grand gestures, the focus of the building is on the creation of intimate moments, inspired by the sense of enclosure provided by the pines that gather on the edge of the dunes. “We had a discussion early on with the client around what it would mean to create something fora site that is coastal but also forested,” says Tim Hay, co-founder of Fearon Hay. “We developed a design direction around a ‘cabin in the woods’ concept.” Approaching the house through the trees, the timber structure that nestles into the gently undulating sand dunes could momentarily be mistaken for a barn, until the precision of the detailing marks the building as a distinctly more contemporary, considered entity.

Forgoing grand gestures, the focus of the building is on the creation of intimate moments, inspired by the sense of enclosure provided by the pines that gather on the edge of the dunes.

“The internal volume has a lovely sense of generosity,” says Hay of the holiday residence built by Lindesay Construction, “and whilst the early script was about the cabin in the woods, we also referenced shearing sheds and agricultural structures that have a much larger, industrial scale.”

The use of timber is key to “successfully negotiating quite an open occupation with something quite enclosed,” reflects Piers Kay, Fearon Hay associate. Timber not only clads the building and lines the spaces – the warm materiality creating a comforting atmosphere– it is also used in the construction of operable shutters that screen the openings. The glazing and doors are pulled back from the edges of the building to create deeper thresholds, arrival zones and window seats so that “every space has the sense of a corner and a groundedness, but the shutters mean you can really open it upas well,” he explains. “The layering and stepping of the enclosure mediate the relationship between inside and out.”

The interiors were vital to complementing and balancing the simplicity and durability of the architecture, as “if too stripped out, it would feel too industrial or minimal,” reflects Hay.

In-situ concrete walls define the fireplace, kitchen and arrival porch, and these concrete monoliths recur externally with the two separate outdoor hearths. A layered interaction between timber and concrete also takes place underfoot, extending from the internal rooms to the interstitial spaces that are created by the insetting of the perimeter openings.

Sonja Hawkins’ interior design takes a similarly layered approach. “One of the great challenges was the scale and creating a place that could accommodate groups without losing its sense of intimacy,” she recalls. The key was looking to the environment and referencing the woods. The interiors were vital to complementing and balancing the simplicity and durability of the architecture, as “if too stripped out, it would feel too industrial or minimal,” reflects Hay. “But the way the building is inhabited with furnishings and layers that occupy it in the work that Sonja’s done– the materiality experienced sitting in a window seat, the luxury of the bedroom – there’s a layering that offsets some of the more simplistic, shed-like palette.”

The furnishings and materiality of the interiors tend towards the natural and the organic, emphasising materials such as stone, linen, timber, leather and wool.

The furnishings and materiality of the interiors tend towards the natural and the organic, emphasising materials such as stone, linen, timber, leather and wool. However, the clients’ love of contemporary art influenced a rare decorative moment, with custom wallpaper by artist Lisa Reihana found in the main bedroom and recalled in the powder room and guest ‘sleep out’. “While it doesn’t seem like an obvious house for wallpaper, I had been thinking about murals, and I felt confident it would add another layer – a new dimension,” says Hawkins.

The holiday and rural typologies coalesce most strongly in the kitchen. A long timber farmhouse table stands in for the typical island, reflecting the zone’s strong social role. “The kitchen is the centre of the house. Isn’t that life on holiday all about eating and drinking?” says Hawkins. “If you’re not outside, then you’re at that table; it’s integral.”

It is the creation of many such moments, designed to offer pockets of experience throughout both the site and the building, that lends Te Arai Beach House its character and exemplifies its experience of relaxation and recreation.

It is the creation of many such moments, designed to offer pockets of experience throughout both the site and the building, that lends Te Arai Beach House its character and exemplifies its experience of relaxation and recreation. “It was about creating these radial spaces that offer other opportunities,” reflects Hay. “The way the house is planned – it responds to how the building is used and how someone might want to occupy the space at different times. The kitchen has a nook for grabbing a sunbeam in the morning, there’s a place to sit in the dunes around the fire at night and the shutters can be manipulated to change the permeability of the space. The building offers ever-changing opportunities and adaptability.”

Despite its outward simplicity, these dynamic qualities create a home that is responsive and sensitive. And, as time passes and the timber silvers in response to the elements, the house will rest even more subtly within its environment – the cabin-like form only hinting at the richness of experience that is created within and around its walls.

Architecture by Fearon Hay. Interior design by Sonja Hawkins Design. Build by Lindesay Construction. Landscape design by O2 Landscapes.