“Build the home you truly want, where you want to be”: a couple create a relaxed seaside home in New Zealand after retirement

The appeal of building your own home is the freedom to break through limitations and create a home that truly matches your vision in your favourite location. From the exterior design and interior layout to materials and everyday functionality, every detail can be tailored to your needs and aesthetic.

 

That was precisely what motivated Tony Palmer and Diane White to build their own home, ultimately creating a beautiful, practical modern farmhouse on the Bay of Plenty coast in New Zealand that suits their lifestyle.

 

Design inspiration

Born and raised in Ōpōtiki, Tony Palmer has deep ties to the local community and shares Diane White’s love of nature and peaceful coastal living. Although both are retired, their days remain full: Tony is a volunteer firefighter, while Diane volunteers at a local charity shop and belongs to a walking group. They greatly value their community connections, and their home has naturally become a welcoming gathering place for family and friends.

 

They enjoy building their own home because everything can be tailored to them. Diane says:

 

“I love that we could create a home that fits our lifestyle perfectly. This isn’t our first build, but it has been a long time since the last one. We enjoy the building process because we can design around our needs.”

 

To realise their ideal design, they worked with the Landmark Homes team to customise an existing plan and create a home tailored to them.

 

During the design process, they faced a challenge: how could they maximise sea views without cutting down the large trees? The final result exceeded expectations: a home that perfectly combines nature, functionality and aesthetics.

 

The twin-pavilion home has three bedrooms, a media room and a spacious deck, making the most of the surrounding sea views and the natural greenery provided by the trees.

 

The kitchen is Diane’s favourite space and, in her view, the most worthwhile investment. “The kitchen is the heart of the home,” she says. Tony’s favourite is the purpose-built garage housing his cherished vehicles. The house also has a comfortable guest room so their children can visit often and enjoy everything this wonderful location offers.

 

Material choices

 

To withstand the coastal climate, they chose James Hardie’s Oblique™ cladding, an exterior material designed for harsh conditions and particularly well suited to coastal locations. They also used Hardie™ Groove lining to create a distinctive tongue-and-groove ceiling finish that is both attractive and practical.

 

“These materials are ideal for coastal living and work beautifully with dark paint colours. We wanted the house to blend naturally into the surrounding bush,” says Diane.

 

The exterior is painted in Resene’s dark shade Element, perfectly complementing their beloved modern farmhouse aesthetic.

 

They were delighted with the building experience. Their advice to anyone considering building is: “Spend enough time at the planning stage and confirm all the details. It can greatly reduce changes and costs during construction.”

 

Modern farmhouse style combines contemporary functionality with the warmth of traditional design, using clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic to bridge past and present.

 

Its design features include:

 

• Clean lines

• Open-plan layouts

• Contrasting materials

• Design flexibility

 

The distinctive wide grooves of Oblique™ cladding, together with a choice of board widths, bring drama and visual interest to a building’s exterior.

 

A modern farmhouse featuring Oblique™ cladding

 

Looking for more design inspiration and styling ideas? Scan the QR code to follow James Hardie New Zealand’s official WeChat account, where we will continue sharing outstanding design projects.

 

If you are interested in Oblique™ cladding, click “Read original” at the end of this article to visit the official website for more product information in Chinese.