Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 4 New Zealand | Page 41

The idea of a high-end working farmhouse
may conjure images of massive rafters, saddles
on walls, and an oversized rustic kitchen with
a bus-sized Aga stove – but, as seen on these
pages, there’s another, more sophisticated way.
This rambling ranch house calls to mind an
exotic, lustrous jewel discovered high up in the
mountains. It’s the grand vision of the owners
and designer Mark Gacesa of Ultraspace.
“When I came on board there was already
an existing plan for the house,” says Gacesa.
“However, while keeping with the same footprint and roof I reworked the entire layout,

the facades, windows and balconies, as well
as adding the sunset lounge and fire pit. The
builder, Ian Henry of Stewart Homes, played an
integral role in the highly customised project.”
The clients travel abroad often and wanted
this home to be a showcase of their travels, with
many places allocated to display objects. It also
had to evoke the feel of the glamorous hotels
around the world that the couple have stayed in.
In addition, while appearing luxurious, the
house had to be robust and low maintenance.
“We set out to achieve the clients’ broad brief
by fusing earthy, natural product with more

Above: The sunset lounge and fire pit
stretch out towards the views in this
luxury ranch house. Both the house
and hard landscaping are by designer
Mark Gacesa, who reworked earlier
plans. The brief was for opulent-look
materials interwoven with natural
elements. Everything had to be
low upkeep – here, rock cladding
simulates a hand-built wall.
Following pages: Rich aesthetic
– organic and gold tones give the
home an exotic ambience.

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