REFLECTIONS HOLIDAY HOME || A Tranquil Retreat to Enjoy the Stillness of Nature
Imagine walking along a quiet, grassy meadow with gentle, sloping hills.
The surrounding nature is captured and reflected in the pond, where the stillness of the water presents a surface like that of a mirror. All is quiet. All is at peace. This is where the Reflections holiday home is located.
Bird’s eye view of the property showing the three separate pods and reflective pond.
Reflections is a holiday home project designed by Architect Stacey Farrell in Queenstown, New Zealand. Designed for an Australian family with three young boys, the homeowners requested to have an area in the home for the children and for guests. Thus, the home is partitioned as separate pods, connected via a gallery showcasing paintings by the artist in the family. The punchy yellow entrance to the home with large windows on either side offering a sneak peek of the large-scale painting in the corridor is another reminder of the family’s artistic character.
With this isolated pod layout, although it increases the need for the number of external walls, each pod is oriented for sun, views, and privacy so everyone can enjoy some peace and quiet while on vacation.
The architect focused the design on providing a display for large paintings.
The pods are oriented to capture northern sunshine and to maximize privacy.
As this property is intended as a holiday home, the architect ensured the materials require little maintenance and can be locked and left quickly and easily. Coloured metal cladding on the roof and down the walls minimizes the maintenance required, while minimal timber usage reduces the number of re-finishing required. A secret gutter also keeps the overall look of the exterior crisp and modern.
The Reflections holiday home makes for the perfect holiday getaway to relax and unwind, presenting a tranquil, seemingly untouched natural environment and 360-degree mountain views.
Traditional gable roofs for each pod feature large format windows to draw in natural light.
A view straight out of a fairytale.
PROJECT DETAILS
Architect: Stacey Farrell Architect
Location: Speargrass Flat , New Zealand
Project size: 240 m2
Site size: 7648 m2
Completion date: 2014
Building levels: 1
Photographer: Ben Ruffell