Feature article
A stunning alpine Wānaka retreat
Designed by Interior Architecture firm Strutt Studios.
AI summary
This stunning Wānaka retreat was designed by interior architect Sophie Bowers of Strutt Studios to feel embedded in the alpine landscape. The home uses honest materials like steel, concrete, and timber, with a distinctive exterior clad in Dulux Lichen Colorsteel.
The design features a gabled pavilion for open-plan living, a separate main suite for privacy, and a versatile mezzanine. Created in collaboration with architect Ricky Booth, the home balances communal and private spaces and is available for holiday stays.
With its frameless corner picture window, a view of the Southern Alps lured Sophie and Josh across the Tasman to build, and the sunken living room offers a front-row seat. Designed around the proportions of a modular Ethnicraft N701 sofa, this space is a retreat with a real sense of place.
Josh is the main cook and has a rule: nothing on the benchtop. “For me the key to the success of the kitchen is a butler’s pantry, tucked in underneath the staircase,” says Sophie. The Dekton Marmorio countertop is teamed with Laminex Velveteen. cabinetry in an Organic finish and handleware in tumbled brass from Lo & Co. A South Drawn UV Fold Linear pendant ensures enough light on the subject.
Sophie, a keen bather, channelled the onsen vibe in the ensuite with a generous tiled tub. “We now affectionately call it the indoor pool as it holds more water than our outdoor bath,” she says. A Finley shower rail set from ABI Interiors brings more luxury to the space but the oriented strand board ceilings and flooring in I Cocci Siciliani terrazzo keep things a little more casual.
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