Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 1 New Zealand | Page 52

Above: Alaskan yellow cedar cladding distinguishes
the more modern annex from the stone building.
Separated from the latter by a breezeway, the
annex is a self-contained guest wing.
Facing page top: Ancient olive trees on the
approach to the front entrance contribute to the
backstory that the stone building is an old winery.
Plan: 1 entry, 2 hall 3 great room 4 kitchen,
5 scullery, 6 dining, 7 office, 8 garage, 9 wine
cave, 10 bedroom, 11 bathroom, 12 library, 13
coffee deck, 14 closet, 15 craft room, 16 laundry,
17 breezeway, 18 underpass, 19 mezzanine

continues from the main building through
the breezeway, to the annex. This is a selfcontained guest wing with two bedrooms,
ensuites and laundry.
The annex is clad in Alaskan yellow
cedar and, in further contrast to the stone
building, all its guttering and downpipes
are concealed.
Solar panels on the roofs of the singlestorey buildings supply most of the
electricity the house needs. Cohen says
while energy efficiency was important, it
wasn’t a driving force behind the design.

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However, the house has most of its
window expanse on the more sheltered
north face, and shades have been added
to any exposed windows. The main house
also benefits from radiant heat from the
slab floor, and there’s a multi-split system
for heating and cooling.
But for Julian Cohen the ultimate success of his design lies in the responses
given by visitors to the property.
“Some people believe this really is a
renovated old winery – which is exactly
what we were aiming for,” he says.