Decisively Seamless – New Plymouth House by EMA
Emerging as a bold and yet respectfully present form along its coastal milieu, New Plymouth House culminates in a seamless interior integration that conceals its functionality, aligning with its modern aesthetic. EMA, in partnership with Fisher & Paykel, has crafted a home of enduring contemporary refinement.
Anchored to its site, New Plymouth House resonates with a sense of permanence and an understanding of place. “Coming to the site the first time with the clients,” explains Evelyn McNamara, Director at EMA, “it was evident what was so important to them to capture within the architecture – the expansive views to the ocean and some of the really special framed views to New Plymouth landmarks.” Growing up only two hours down the coastline gave Evelyn “a really natural understanding of the rugged west-coast environment,” and put EMA in excellent stead for honouring the environment New Plymouth House occupied, as well as establishing a new home that would only appreciate over time.
Anchored in place, New Plymouth House resonates with a sense of permanence and an understanding of place.
The exterior of the home is a pushing and pulling of forms, with a heavy base grounding the structure whilst a lightweight timber emerges on the second floor. The home has two living areas – an upstairs formal living space and, upon arrival, a more casual, relaxed lounge. The downstairs lounge is “very much a resort-style entertaining area,” says Evelyn, as the space easily flows out to the outside decking, pool and sunken lounge. “My overall design aesthetic is one where I try to create simple and calming spaces,” she notes, “and providing a lot of storage and cabinetry is a huge part of how we achieve that.”
New Plymouth House balances its contemporary design with a coastal repose. “One of the biggest features of this house is the rich cabinetry used throughout it,” explains Daniel Varcoe, Fisher & Paykel Design Development Manager, and a key aspect to the design brief was to hide the day-to-day necessities of the home. “There’s walls of cabinetry in a lot of the rooms,” says Daniel, “including the downstairs entertainment unit, where our [Fisher & Paykel] CoolDrawer is seamlessly integrated.” EMA not only worked with Fisher & Paykel but also Rowson Kitchens to ensure the home could seamlessly blend its functional duties. “Evelyn and I collaborated to detail and execute multiple areas of joinery within the home,” says Annika Rowson, Director at Rowson Kitchens. “Beyond the kitchen, there is an extensive amount of joinery throughout the home, including the laundry and built-in furniture downstairs.”
The clients enjoy cooking and entertaining, where the upstairs living space is designed for a more formal use. The architectural brief for the kitchen was “designed to blend seamlessly into the open plan living area and is a great example of the benefits of integration,” explains Annika. “There is a fantastic interaction between the kitchen space and the dining area, so whoever is cooking is very much still part of the conversation,” Evelyn says. “The use of integrated appliances and the minimal aesthetic of the [Fisher & Paykel] black ovens was an obvious choice.”
Visually, New Plymouth House is a layered balance between materials. “While the exterior of the home is quite a strong, bold and slightly masculine form,” notes Evelyn. “It was really important to me to make sure that the interiors provided a sense of softness and homeliness and warmth.” Softer furnishings, timber materials and a refined palette complete the coastal structure and form a home of lasting character and composure.
