Open & Shut

Considered architecture for a new build home that lives outdoors as much as in

A new home on Waiheke Island, designed to move and breathe with its surroundings. Open + Shut takes its name from the architectural idea at its core: a house that can fling itself open to the landscape, or close down to a private, cocooned retreat – sometimes within the same afternoon.

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.

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.