Building the mid-century inspired masterpiece that captured the attention of Grand Designs New Zealand

Overlooking the lush, sun-soaked hills of Puhoi, architect Felicity Brenchly’s dream home is a labour of love. Built by the talented team at City of Sails Construction, the home is beautifully refined yet equally expressive — revealing its character through curved details and textured materials. 

Featured on the 2023 season of Grand Designs, it’s no surprise that the build experience was special. ArchiPro caught up with Tom Van Kan, director of City of Sails Construction, to learn more.

Curves, angles, and everything in between

“Felicity’s brief was to create a family home that incorporated as many New Zealand-made and eco-conscious materials as possible,” Tom says. “The house needed to cater for a growing family who wanted to spend as much time at the home as they could, taking into consideration the need for a work studio, pool and spa, open plan kitchen, and multiple lounge and deck spaces.”

Felicity’s design references mid-century elements with a modern sensibility, creating spaces that feel timeless and classic.

“The home is located in Puhoi, overlooking the farmland and forestry with a backdrop of the ocean. We loved working in such a beautiful landscape,” Tom says.

Almost in imitation of the landscape’s rolling hills, the house features many curved elements that contribute to its soft, inviting feel. Tom says no detail was spared to ensure these curves came together perfectly.

“The curved elements include a wrap around pool deck, some interior walls, a platform deck that overlooks the property, and the round skylights — all custom-made!”

To achieve a ‘perfect’ circle for the pool deck, Tom’s team improvised a tool that could measure the deck’s circumference using two timber planks. One plank was placed across the deck diameter with the second plank attached on a swivel, allowing the builder to rotate it, like a clock hand, to measure the outside of the circle.

The home’s angled Abodo soffit was another challenge for the team. Rather than the typical 45-degree mitre, the soffit needed to be on a 48.25-degree angle with a 23.5-degree undercut to achieve Felicity’s vision. 

“We also spent several days planning how to make the ridge lines of the ceiling meet the edge of cabinets, interior brick lines, and joinery. This was a request from the client, a nod to her eye for detail,” Tom explains.

Alongside the unique angles and detailed features, Felicity chose environmentally conscious products to ensure the home would be safe for her family and the land.

“Magnum board is a New Zealand-made health-based product free from harmful chemicals, meaning it’s a more eco-conscious alternative to traditional plasterboard. This product has to be installed at a specific temperature and humidity to ensure adhesion so it needs time to acclimatise to the house.”

As an architect, Felicity is no stranger to lofty project budgets — understanding how easy it is to spend large when building such a grand home.

“Felicity was savvy when saving costs in this build, acting as her own cabinet maker, bricklayer, and glass blower for the feature pendants. We also helped out where we could with these areas,” Tom says.

“This project is special to us as it was featured on Grand Designs New Zealand. It was such a privilege to have our building featured on a show that has such a great rep in the architecture and design world.” 

Watch the build from start to finish on Episode 5, Season 8 of Grand Designs New Zealand.

Learn more about City of Sails Construction.