Celebrating Connection – Cloudy Bay ‘The Shack’ by Alice Lines and Detail by Davinia Sutton

Cloudy Bay ‘The Shack’ has been redesigned to convey connection, light and character. Refining the structure’s heart and spirit, Alice Lines and Detail by Davinia Sutton have incorporated natural materials that are typical to New Zealand’s landscape and encourage guests to embrace the surrounding vineyards.

Immediately capturing attention with its raw and iconic form, Cloudy Bay ‘The Shack’ has been instilled with references to the landscape. After burning down and being rebuilt in 2012, with award-winning architecture by Paul Rolfe Architects and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, the guest house incorporates connections to its surroundings through a selection of materials and design choices by Alice Lines and Detail by Davinia Sutton. Detail by Davinia Sutton designed the kitchen, powder room and custom cabinetry, while Alice designed the guest rooms and living spaces. Together, Davinia and Alice return the wonder and surprise of ‘The Shack’ and fill the vineyard guest house with light, connection and open plan living.

Together, Davinia and Alice return the wonder and surprise of ‘The Shack’ and fill the vineyard guest house with light, connection and open plan living.

Tasked to imbue the guest house with the essence of a ‘home away from home,’ both Davinia and Alice have selected warm and welcoming materials that reference different aspects of the natural surroundings. As such, a selection of timber and stone typical to the region help to provide a connection to the warm and robust aspects of the land. Furthermore, a creative individuality permeates each of the guest rooms. The Cloud Room offers a calming and cool reference to the vineyard’s locale, the Mountain Room picks up on the hues of Richmond ranges and the River Room references the stones and textures of the nearby river. With its unique design, ’The Shack’ embodies the exuberance and beauty of New Zealand’s mountain ranges.

In the kitchen, Davinia has created a space that allows the chef and staff to connect with the guests of ‘The Shack’. By opening the kitchen up and adding open-counter bench tops, the kitchen can be used by hired chefs or guests to cook for themselves. Surrounded by picturesque views, ‘The Shack’ becomes more than a mountain vineyard – a luxury escape for guests to reconnect with one another as well as nature. Through a focus on food and celebration, the entertainment spaces allow larger groups of lodgers to gather or for more intimate occasions with coupled guests.

Tasked to imbue the guest house with the essence of a ‘home away from home,’ both Davinia and Alice have selected warm and welcoming materials that reference different aspects of the natural surroundings.

Providing a unique escape filled with warmth and celebration, ‘The Shack’ sits on the Cloudy Bay estate and instils a presence of grandeur. By embodying the exuberance and splendour of New Zealand, ‘The Shack’ is an escape that offers guests an opportunity to embrace all that the Cloudy Bay label and the vineyards have to offer.