Straven

A Christchurch family home balancing openness with privacy

AO Architecture designed Straven as a new family home on an established Christchurch section. The house responds differently to each part of the site: tall narrow windows bring light into the more private edges, timber screens define spaces internally, and broad sliding openings connect the main living rooms directly to the rear garden.

Defining spaces without closing them off

Kitchen, dining and living share a long open ground-floor space, while a separate lounge provides somewhere to retreat. At the entrance and stair, vertical timber screens mark the edges between circulation and sitting areas.

Those screens deliberately trade complete separation for connection. You can still see through them, but they give each adjoining space a boundary and make the transition from entrance to living spaces clearer.

Choosing where the house opens

The entrance side is more controlled. Tall, narrow windows admit daylight while limiting direct views into the house. Their repeated proportions also give the two-storey volume a strong external rhythm.

Towards the rear, the openings become much larger. Sliding doors pull back from the dining and living areas onto the deck, opening the main family spaces to the garden and mature planting of the established section.

From the dining table, the garden effectively becomes the fourth side of the room.

Cedar in two directions

Cedar wraps the exterior in contrasting treatments. Lighter vertical boards emphasise the taller volumes, while dark horizontal cedar recedes across the lower forms and more enclosed parts of the house.

Inside, timber reappears at the screens and stair wall. Dark expressed joints divide the larger wall panels into a finer grid, carrying the timber detailing through to the centre of the house.

Straven rear courtyard with timber deck opening through large sliding doors to the kitchen and dining area.
Straven entrance elevation with contrasting dark and natural timber cladding and tall narrow windows across the two-storey façade.
Straven living room opening directly to the landscaped garden and timber deck through a full-height sliding door.
Landscaped Straven courtyard with timber deck, concrete stepping paths and the timber-clad rear elevation alongside it.
Straven entrance opening into the long open-plan living space, with pale timber flooring and a vertical timber screen.
Straven dining and living area with timber floor, built-in cabinetry and large sliding glazing opening onto the deck.
Straven sitting area with pale timber floor, tall narrow windows and a vertical timber screen separating adjoining spaces.
Straven stair with carpeted treads, timber handrail and full-height timber wall panelling divided by dark shadow lines.
Straven kitchen with a large grey island, white cabinetry, pale timber flooring and horizontal window above the worktop.
Open-plan Straven kitchen and dining room with pale timber floor, long island and sliding doors toward the courtyard.
Straven bedroom with tall narrow windows and glazed doors opening directly to the timber deck and garden.
Straven bedroom and ensuite connection with a timber vanity, tiled walls and narrow full-height bathroom window.

Marine

Kawakawa

Major Hornbrook

Revelation II