2026
Bookends
Completed
Waipu New House
A new lifestyle property home in Waipu, designed for a professional couple making a deliberate change of pace — and built with enough room for the grown-up children to come and stay. The brief called for a home that works beautifully for two on a quiet weekday and just as well for a full house at the holidays. The answer is a plan built around two distinct wings — bookends — with a generous central living space connecting them. Solar power allows the home to perform off-grid, well suited to a rural lifestyle property where self-sufficiency is both practical and part of the point.
Two wings, each with their own purpose
At one end, the parents’ wing offers a private retreat: a main bedroom with bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, a large home office for working from home, and a media room. At the other end, the entry, two-car garage, guest bedrooms, and bathrooms form the family wing — ready to open up when the children arrive. Connecting the two, a large open-plan kitchen with scullery, dining, and living area separates naturally into cosy, well-defined spaces around a double-sided fireplace. It is comfortable for two people or twenty.
A home that shelters from the elements
Decks on either side of the house offer outdoor living in any weather — one always in shelter from the prevailing wind, the other catching the sun. A mudroom and laundry sit neatly at the threshold between outside and in, well suited to a lifestyle property where life moves freely between the two. The house nestles into its native bush setting, offering distant ocean views across the Waipu landscape.
Grounded on the outside, warm and bold within
Exterior tones reflect the surrounding landscape — greys and greens that allow the house to settle quietly into its hillside site. Inside, bold shots of red, blue, and orange in the joinery and fixed finishes bring energy and personality, balanced throughout by beautiful oak timber. It is a home that earns its place in the landscape without disappearing into it.
Solar power allows this Waipu lifestyle home to perform off-grid — self-sufficient and built for the long term
Comfortable for two people or twenty — a plan designed around a professional couple and the grown-up children who come to stay
Decks on either side of the house offer outdoor living in any weather, one always sheltered from the wind
Greys and greens on the outside, bold shots of red, blue, and orange within — a home that earns its place in the landscape without disappearing into it
Planning a new home on a lifestyle property in Waipu, Northland, or beyond?
If you are thinking about a move to a lifestyle property and want a home designed around how you actually want to live — self-sufficient, properly sheltered, and built for the seasons of life ahead — we would love to talk about your site and your project. Get in touch to start the conversation, or browse more of our lifestyle property projects for inspiration.
Photography
Jackie Meiring
