Dramatic promontories of schist and pale clay are naturally occurring wonders in Earnscleugh, Central Otago. Peppered with pine trees and poplars, the area has a unique and striking scenery, unlike any other in the country.

One site in particular, elevated on a schist hillside, takes in a rather exceptional panorama of the area.

“This is an incredibly special site, located at the top of the Earnscleugh River Valley, hard up against an area of outstanding natural landscape where the schist is scattered in promontories across the site,” says Johnston Architect’s Matt Jeffery, who were engaged by the clients to create a serene retreat, where they could entertain and accommodate family and friends.

The elevated building platform was chosen to take in the views, yet it was important not to dominate the setting with a large, conspicuous home.

“Working in such a pristine and rugged environment, we wanted to make sure that the house wasn't dominant within the landscape. So what we've done is we've broken it into three smaller volumes.”

Each volume is a gable form and is offset around an external courtyard at the rear of the house. The garage and utilities sit under the bedroom/guest wing for family and friends at one end of the house, while the master suite and entertainment lounge/study create a resort-like space at the other end. The central gable form is the living space and connects the bedrooms and master wing.

The journey to the home builds suspense, as the low-lying entry point to the site takes visitors up the hillside on a long, winding driveway lined with poplar trees to the recessive, metal clad home.

Cleverly, the forecourt doesn’t offer visitors the full scenic view and the stairs on the back side of the home leading to the front entry, which are offset from each other, further extend the sense of taking a journey through the landscape.

The front entry space is humble in scale, yet teases the first glimpse of the jaw-dropping views of the majestic valley below.

But to the left and right of the entry, the living spaces and bedrooms feature almost entirely glazed walls to allow maximum views of the valley landscape, creating a crescendo moment in that journey.

The dramatic entertainer’s kitchen sports a bold granite benchtop and a recessed storage space to one end, with black tapware and dark timber veneer cabinetry.

The interior materiality was chosen to reflects the setting directly, with oak floors, granite, and schist drawing the external environment inside, ensuring synchronicity with the views.

Directly adjacent to the kitchen sits the external courtyard with schist open fireplace and louvred roof for year-round outdoor entertaining.

The sedimented layers of the hillside behind are banked against the external courtyard, making it a cosy and protected space to dine and relax outdoors.

On the other side of the kitchen the open-plan rooms spill out onto a quila deck that wraps right around the front of the home. Matt says sheltered outdoor spaces were an important part of the brief.

“There's always somewhere to retreat to, to find the sun and enjoy the views, depending on the time of the day or the season.”

But for Matt, the real success of the home is how it sits in the setting.

“My favorite aspect of this property is just the way it integrates with the landscape –being able to almost surgically insert it and have it part of the landscape, not just sitting on it was a fantastic opportunity.”

Words: Jo Seton

Photography: Larkin Photography

Builder: CDL Building