Lake Wanaka house, New Zealand

(Contemporary Home Design)

When you first glimpse its restrained palette of exterior colors and low-lying profile, the Wanaka house looks simple and unassuming. But first impressions can be deceiving. Inside, it's dramatic and eye-catching from all angles. It's super stylish, but also friendly and fun, as befits a holiday home - albeit a top-of-the line one.

The house is meticulously detailed and finished. This has resulted in the Master Builders Association Supreme Award - Southern Region, for builder Gerald Harraway.

Christchurch architect Broadhead designed the home to maximize the view over Lake Wanaka with its dramatic mountain backdrop.

In essence, the home consists of five pavilions. Each has tall floor-to-ceiling windows at the front, then slopes back to the rear of the site.

The main living area is the largest. The front windows are 6m high, and the ceiling slopes back 21m to the rear of the structure, which is 2.7m high.

Engineering was critical: the roof consists of prefabricated horizontal steel frames interlaced with wooden ribs. The ceiling was then gibbed and covered with pre-made acoustic panels. In a clever touch, the ceiling is curved subtly at the high end.

Cladding is machine-coated cedar over a timber frame, secured with exposed copper nails. Smartwood doors - timber inside and aluminum outside - slide back on three sides to let in the fresh air. Naturally, all windows are double-glazed. Not only does this keep the heat in on cold winter days; it also prevents overheating in summer.

The roof is sandstone grey Colorsteel Diamond V Rib, another natural color that helps the home blend in with its alpine setting.

Flooring is polished concrete, a low-maintenance material that seems to be becoming increasingly popular. In floor solar and diesel-powered heating - both highly energy-efficient - will take the chill off those sub-zero southern nights.

So, too, will the massive open fire, by Warmington. Custom-built and gleaming in red enamel, the fireplace dominates the living space. A 10m high flue had to be craned into place extremely carefully, says builder Gerald Harraway. Together with the suspended red-orange cylindrical lights, the fireplace provides a splash of color contrasting with the neutral, elegant choice of materials.

The kitchen, by Christchurch-based IGD (Ingrid Geldof Design), is a tour-de-force and work of art itself. It's striking but also highly efficient, says Geldof. Balance and harmony are also evident.

It's a two-sided structure, with the kitchen on one side and a storage space and a bench top on the reverse. This defines the entranceway, and retains the ceiling line throughout the room. An internal window allows you to glimpse from the entrance hall into the living space beyond. The cook can also see who's at the front door.

The richly polished New Zealand Red beech solid timber central island is by Fourth Generation. For the joinery, IGD called on the expertise of Robert Webster from Prime Panels who hand selected the color and grain to match the bench top. Small glass brick-shaped tiles are set behind the hob. A huge, inverted T-shaped custom-made metal rangehood by Ventech separates two tall wall units.

Blumotion Stainless steel draw runners and Prime Panels Armour Grey melamine carcasses provided a point of difference to the interior, as did the black stained MDF toe spaces and negative details, says Ingrid Geldof. Black glass mosaic tiles created the backsplash.

Two Liebherr fridges, one with wine cooler, supply ample storage and the Miele combi and 900 wide Scholtes oven were included to give total flexibility.

An overhead metal beam is a Lighting Slot blade from Aesthetic Lighting. It contains fluorescent lighting and appears suspended in space. At night, red LED lighting comes on either side of the wall units.

Even functional areas, such as the laundry, have special touches. A wooden trapdoor in the floor swings up to reveal stairs leading to a wine cellar. Push it down and it closes softly on gas struts.

A home theatre room opens off the passageway. Other wings contain bedrooms, bathrooms and a study area. All bedrooms enjoy the view. Large roller blinds pull down to filter out the sunlight when required.

In the main bedroom, the bathtub enjoys a view, too, through a horizontal window - yet another thoughtful detail. An en-suite shower is fitted with a steam sauna. Exposed concrete block work in the bedrooms defines headboards.

Landscaping, by Ecco Landscaping, features extensive plantings of New Zealand native plants and grasses. These are tough and resilient, and well suited to the semi-alpine environment. When mature, they will allow the home to nestle harmoniously into the landscape.

What's special:

Design: architect Sebastiano Broadhead, Christchurch.

Builder: Gerald Harraway, Wanaka. (Master Builders Association Supreme Award - Southern Region).

Construction: Timber frame, cedar cladding, Colorsteel Dimond V Rib roof over steel and wooden beams, gibbed with acoustic panels; Smartwood aluminum-and-timber joinery, all double glazed; polished concrete floors.

Heating: In floor piping, water heated by solar and diesel; custom-built central open fireplace.

Kitchen: Ingrid Geldof Design, Christchurch.

Landscaping: Ecco Landscaping, Wanaka.

Other features: Wine cellar, home theatre room, multi-room sound system, steam sauna.

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