When tasked with creating this house as a Showhome, Landmark's North Shore and Central Auckland, Senior Designer Wendy King drew inspiration from the unlikeliest of places: the motorway!

“For design, I drew inspiration from a concrete wall, that was painted a deep rusty red, with a lush, green plant growing up it.”

Upon viewing the generous 600m² site, Wendy’s core objective was to transform the section into a modern, luxurious four-bedroom family home that felt deeply connected to nature. And that’s exactly what she did.

As you walk through the front door, the floating stairs are a feature unto themselves, offering a stunning view right through to the garden. This doesn’t just add interest and natural beauty, it also makes the hallway appear brighter – and larger.

At the top of the stairs, another strategically placed window offers beautiful views out to the estuary.

Floor-to-ceiling windows in the central living/dining/kitchen area offer jaw-dropping indoor-outdoor flow and views of the lush greenery outside. A big, long line of glass at the top of the kitchen lets even more sunlight spill in.

The outside is well-appointed too, with a large, concrete-paved patio complete with a Kudos Louvre roof for shelter on sunny days. Ideal for a lazy afternoon in the sun – or shade! The upper floor of the home overhangs the lower floor, offering the perfect spot for a well-sheltered outdoor kitchen or BBQ.

Functionality was carefully considered throughout: “When designing the floor plan, we really thought through how you would use the home. You can walk through the front door with all your groceries and drop them straight onto the scullery bench,” Wendy explains.

Meanwhile, the open-plan scullery is designed to keep the rest of the kitchen looking clean and uncluttered. A family-sized fridge is positioned between the scullery and main kitchen so that it’s accessible to both, giving you the freedom to work in either area with ease. It’s little details like these that make Landmark homes not just beautiful, but also delightfully liveable.

There’s a separate media room tucked away from the open-plan living area, perfect for relaxing with a book or cosying up with your favourite film. And an upstairs play area is ideal for keeping kid-induced chaos from spilling into the more adult spaces. An entertainer’s dream!

“Essentially, we’ve built an entire home on the ground floor. You could live on the downstairs level if you don’t have kids – with just the family bedrooms, bathroom, and play area upstairs.”

The master bedroom features a walk-in wardrobe and lavish ensuite with a freestanding bath, tiled shower, pendant lighting, double vanity, and floor-to-ceiling window. Truly exquisite! You can soak in the tub and look upon a secluded courtyard garden while you wind down after a long day.

This intentional connection to nature extends to the home’s interior design, best described as “earthy minimalism.”

“We wanted to make this home feel warm,” explains Wendy, “so we included lots of wood, cedar, rust colours, stone, and black marble with white and rust-coloured veins.”

Several feature walls are painted a stunning earthy green; the kitchen cabinetry is striking, crafted from aged walnut, with antique gold tiles in the scullery and laundry room and black marble benchtops and a kitchen splashback in Dekton Kelya natural, a firm favourite of the design team. This is a home that dares to be different.

“Minimal interiors have been in vogue for a while now, and we’ve seen and done a lot of Scandinavian-style interiors with light timbers and white tones. So, with this house, we’re striking out in a braver, bolder direction.”

And, boy, does it look beautiful! And, boy, does it look beautiful!