Riverside Ron Sang home, designed for his brother, goes under the hammer

There’s something very special about a Ron Sang house. Best known for designing the ultimate Mid-century Titirangi home, Brake House, the late architect was a prolific designer of residential buildings, with a career that spanned more then 50 years and 400 buildings.

Working from the mid-60s, right up to the 2010s, Sang’s style was distinctive and innovative, yet always accessible and liveable. U-shaped kitchens and soaring, double height ceilings were a common feature, as were monumental doors and impressive entrance ways.

All of those features are present in the home Sang built for his brother, Rob Sang, on the banks of the Waikato River in the early 80s.

Originally from Auckland, the couple was looking for a home that had “something different” about it when they moved to Waikato. Pearson knew Sang’s reputation, but hadn’t visited a lot of his work.

“My husband's also trained as an architect, but doesn't practice as one, so we did appreciate the architectural features of it,” says Pearson.

The home faces north, capturing the natural light, which immediately appealed.

Overlooking the courtyard, the kitchen is sunny all day, while floor-to-ceiling and clerestory windows flood the home with light. A double height space in the living room adds to the sense of floating above the canopy of trees.

"It's just really well planned," says Pearson. "All the kids bedrooms being down in the other wing suited us perfectly, because we had late primary, early teenage kids at that stage.

"All the rooms are very regular, it's a very clean plan, and it's got an incredible view over the river as well. That definitely helped."

One of their neighbours has even built a jetty for his kayak and for the kids to swim off. The river can be swift and deep, but the kids have been safe swimming there in summer with life jackets on.

"Our kids have been able to play and run wild down in that area. Everybody [along this stretch of the road] uses the reserve and river edge as their own backyard."

The road and suburban Queenwood are just outside the front door.

It has five bedrooms, which suited the Pearson-Rileys well, as their kids had their own rooms and they still had a spare for guests.

The home also has a lower floor, which the Pearson-Rileys use as a gym and sauna, as well as a spacious work-from-home area.

The layout of the home also reflects one of Sang’s passions: art collecting. At the time of his death in 2021, Sang had a huge collection of New Zealand art displayed in his Auckland home. Long time art lovers themselves, the Pearson-Rileys have continued that tradition.

"We've been collecting for quite a while. It's a great house for art, because there are these bits of walls, and you can do all sorts of interesting things. You come around another corner and find another piece."