This modern country home was designed by Sumich Chaplin Architects and wraps around a sheltered courtyard with perennials, a pool, and views out to New Zealand’s magnificent Southern Alps. Nestled within 85 acres in Queenstown, the house blends robust elegance with refined practicality. Step inside to find natural materials that harmonize with the bucolic surroundings, capturing mountain views of The Remarkables and Coronet Peak, while withstanding the wear and tear of country life for a family with four active young boys.

The project team was challenged with creating a forever home inside the new steel, Schist stone, and timber weatherboard structure, steering clear of the clichéd trappings of a country retreat. Beneath soaring pitched ceilings and within expanses of glass, a domestically scaled sanctuary was crafted that enhances interaction with family, friends, and nature over fussy ornamentation.

DESIGN DETAILS: ARCHITECTURE Sumich Chaplin Architects INTERIOR DESIGN Arent & Pyke LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Suzanne Turley Landscapes

Ensuring the resonant textures and tones permeated every space, a palette of blues, saffron, and silvery greys was selected—inspired by the vast sky, autumnal foliage, rocky outcrops, and wispy clouds. Complementing this palette, warm hues of oatmeal, nutmeg, and cinnamon evoke the rich, earthy tones of the landscape, while the alchemic shimmer of bronze articulates joinery handles and lighting fixtures. Stone became an expressive canvas, gracing walls, floors, and fireplaces, along with the bench and vanity surfaces.

European oak floors and custom maple joinery elements add a golden warmth, tonally referencing the tufts of speargrass sprouting across the plains. Further anchoring the home to its setting, Omaru, a native limestone, was selected for the fireplace’s surround set within a Schist wall painted with a chalky cream finish. Its curved, brusquely chiseled pillars echo the finer detailing of the kitchen island’s marble edge. A rustic chunk of flame-finished granite defines its hearth – a streamlined version sits in unison in the parent’s den.

What We Love: This stunning modern country home features elevated details at every turn. Providing the owners with their forever house, there are so many dreamy elements, from the gorgeous limestone fireplace in the living room to the warmth of the European oak floors. Our favorite feature of this home is the great room with its expansive walls of glazing that opens the space up to the outdoors while framing captivating views of the surrounding mountains.

Tell Us: What are your overall thoughts on the design of this New Zealand house? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Have a look at a couple of other amazing home tours that we have highlighted here on One Kindesign in the country of New Zealand: Amazing gable cabin retreat boasts indoor-outdoor living in New Zealand and A modern shelter in the dramatic mountainous landscape of New Zealand.

Throughout, sculptural lighting adds nuanced subtleties, with offset sconces installed at head height. Floating about, the Living Edge Akari paper lamps and spherical pendants add a gentle touch to the robust frames. Whilst country themes creep in, they are elevated with an intelligent charm.

Above: The exquisite vase on the kitchen island countertop is by Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce. The countertop material is from Universal Granite.

Above: This elegant powder room features a floor-to-ceiling marble wall and a modular vanity.

Above: A locally sourced timber log milled into a coffee table grounds the parent’s den.

Above: A cozy Pierre Augustin Rose bouclé wool armchair graces the owner’s bedroom suite.

Above: The bathrooms share applications upon their walls via skirting and datum lines of varying bandwidths, mingling with intricate tile arrangements. Featuring travertine and marble, all three convey a whisper-soft sensuality enhanced by the gentle flicker of sunlight upon glazed tiles.

Above: In this guest bedroom, the owners’ treasured Giorgetti Progetti armchair was custom upholstered with local New Zealand sheep wool.

Above: A Paola Navone trunk console decorates the entrance of the home. The crinkled Ingo Maurer desk light illuminates the entrance console

PHOTOGRAPHER Anson Smart