Open + Shut

Black perforated screens that filter light like lace

The defining feature of this Waiheke Island house is a series of black perforated metal screens. They allow the home to open wide to the view, or draw in for privacy and intimacy, filtering light the way lace does – soft, dappled, ever-changing. The result is a home where indoor and outdoor living flow into each other, rather than competing for space.

An internal garden, built to breathe

Beneath the main roof sits a unique internal garden, framed by timber screens. It’s a calm, climate-moderating space at the heart of the plan – one that can be opened up to extend the living areas, or closed off to create a quiet, private retreat. It’s this kind of architectural flexibility, designed to shift with how the owners actually live day to day, that we look for in every residential project.

A home designed to flex with family life

Inside, two bedrooms and an office (doing double duty as a flexible third bedroom) give the house room to adapt as needs change. The interiors lean into warmth and calm: plywood joinery, soothing blues and greens, and a grounding green carpet underfoot. Built-in seating doubles as extra sleeping space when the house fills up with family or friends – a small detail that does a lot of work.

A crisp, characterful exterior

Durable black metal cladding gives the home a sharp, elegant street presence, while a playful “eyebrow” above the corner window adds a touch of personality. It’s a home with a clear architectural identity, built to last on a coastal site.

Open + Shut changes with life – opening up for guests, closing down for quiet, and reshaping itself to match the rhythms of the people who live there.

Open and Shut was awarded the 2026 NZIA Auckland Architecture Award for New House — Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ recognition of design excellence in residential architecture — and was named a finalist in the 2026 HOME Magazine Home of the Year competition.

If a home like this – one that’s considered, flexible, and genuinely shaped around how you live – is the kind of architecture you are after, we would love to talk. Get in touch to start a conversation about your site and your project, or browse more of our work first.