A tour of the new Hallmark Homes show home will put you in nesting mode almost immediately. The three-bedroom home, incorporating earthy and natural shades, is targeted at relaxed families who appreciate the finer things in life.
Luxurious yet practical, the Cardrona show home in Lincoln is a masterclass in what can be achieved in a 209 square metre space.
“We wanted to create a home with an architectural aesthetic and great road appeal,” says Esther Bonné, lead designer at Hallmark Homes. “Each one of our show homes is different to the last. With this show home, we took our inspiration from the peaks and rolling hills of the Cardrona Valley in Otago.”
The high-reaching peaks of the gables mirror the shape of the magnificent Crown Range, and the exterior’s muted greys and white colour palette are reflective of the mountainous colours of the south.
Linear angles in this home have been softened by curves, and much attention has been paid to natural colours. The light-coloured roof and joinery reflect the expansive scenic countryside south of Wa¯naka. In addition, the breakfast bar is curved, the rounded sofas and dining tables all speak to the rolling nature of our natural environment, and the polished concrete floor is a beautiful way of embracing the comforts of nature in a practical, timeless way.
The floor plan is designed with functionality and beauty in mind. There are many ‘chill’ zones for family members to retreat to, for example, the separate media room or the nook in the kitchen, which gets the first morning sun. There’s also a window seat in the master bedroom, perfect for soaking up the afternoon sun.
“With the impact of Covid-19, we are seeing more families entertaining at home,” says Esther. “This home is an entertainer’s dream, with a gourmet kitchen and built-in bar adjacent to the living areas and kitchen.”
Indoor-outdoor flow was also an important factor for this home, incorporating the patio, complete with water feature and outdoor kitchen, as an all-weather living space. The corner sliders can also be opened-up for level-entry access between the kitchen and the family area. There’s undoubtedly a feeling of spaciousness about this place – inside and out.
“The high ceiling in the kitchen area with skylights is pretty impressive and brings in lots of natural light,” says Esther. “And we know how much Cantabrians value outdoor living, so it was important to us to create a seamless connection between the indoors and outdoors,” says Esther.
While natural textures and colours are keeping us grounded in this home, it’s good to know the house is also a warmer, drier and healthier home than the standard building code requirements. The home is built to a Homestar Rating of 7 as per the criteria set out by the New Zealand Green Building Council. This means there’s extra insulation in the floor, walls and ceiling, thermally broken, Low-E windows, and underfloor and hot water heating with air-to-water heat pumps. The electric fireplace and heat exchange system also remove stale air and replace it with warm, fresh air.
Typically, customers work with Hallmark in one of three ways: building off plan, modifying an existing plan or designing their own plan.
“We recognise that every family is unique, so house design selection varies from one family to another,” says Esther. “We credit our success to providing flexible house plans that exude quality and style, coupled with functional inclusions that make life easier and more convenient.”
Hallmark Homes is also gaining a reputation for showcasing and working with a range of different products, features and materials. “The Cemintel concrete panel on the garage is not a common product but shows the alternatives available in today’s market,” says Esther.
“The Xtherm Gold Plaster system has great insulative properties, and the underfloor heating from Warmth.nz with an air-to-water heat pump delivers the heat via warm water rather than dry air. The heating comes from the ground up, which is a nice contrast to the traditional heat pump,” says Esther.
This home applies innovative design technologies, including passive heating and airflow control, inclusions and the latest options for in-home smart technology. The balanced ventilation system delivers energy-saving 520 cubic metres of air per hour, and the thermally broken joinery on the windows has excellent insulative properties that contribute to the high Homestar Rating of the home.
“At Hallmark Homes, we are passionate about family, health and the environment,” says Esther. The company encourages all its clients to upgrade to a Homestar Rated home, so the home can become a healthier place that is cheaper to run and benefits the environment. “Why invest in a standard home when you can have more at a minimal additional cost?” says Esther. “You can’t put a price tag on your health and wellbeing and creating a home that feels great.”
Beautifully complementing the curved theme are the Scandinavian-inspired interiors. Experienced interior designer Fiona Renton from Sandalwood Design is behind all the interiors of the home. It was important in her brief from Hallmark to get across a cosy, family feel when styling the home.
“We’ve used plenty of curves and organic textures to bring a soft and wavy feeling to the home,” says Fiona. “We are seeing more and more use of these rounded features in the interiors world right now. The advantage of curves is that they create instant softness and, in some way, make us feel cocooned, safe and warm. New homes often have plenty of sharp lines, so these techniques help to break up the rigidity.”
The fluted theme also carries throughout the home’s interior: at the breakfast bar, the use of vertical ‘finger’ tiles (Ubicloud gloss mosaic) and the decorative one-of-a-kind headboard panelling used in the master bedroom.
“We really wanted to allow comfort to take centre stage in this home,” says Fiona. “We all need this right now, and the curved forms, soft fabrics and layering of textures is a great way to create a soothing, inviting look.”
Textured fabrics and wallpaper layering also provide depth and interest to this home, contrasting wonderfully with the neutral walls to make living and sleeping spaces feel cosy and inviting.
“I adore the way we’ve added a classic touch of luxury throughout this home while also elevating the comfort factor,” says Fiona. “For instance, in the bathroom we’ve used brushed brass tapware and fully tiled the bathroom with greys and golds. People often think these two colours don’t go together, but here we show that they do. Here we used Roden tiles on the floor and walls and Carpet Sand tiles around the bath – both sourced from Nextdore.”
Hallmark has worked with Fiona for over nine years on six different show homes and trusts her implicitly with each brief. “We love working with Fiona, as she understands our vision and our customers,” says Esther. “She really knows how to tell the story of a home through the art of interior design. We love her style and willingness to push the boundaries with her innovative ideas. We have a great working relationship where we can bounce ideas off one another to create something truly spectacular.”
This stylish home is the embodiment of high country living and is packed with different features, innovation and sophistication. This show home is certainly one to be seen and feast your eyes on.
Did this feature capture your interest? The Cardrona Showhome is located at 90 Southfield Drive, Te Whāriki, Lincoln. Feel free to pop in a see the house for yourself.
Hours - Wednesday to Sunday 12-4pm, or by appointment.
