Two Barns is a home away from home for an Auckland couple with a passion for skiing and a special connection to New Zealand’s picturesque Cardrona Valley. Key to the luxurious yet relaxing lodge, designed by Space Studio’s Vee Kessner, was the capacity to receive large gatherings of friends and family.
As the name suggests, Two Barns is comprised of two distinct structures – one for living and entertaining and one for accommodation. “The owners envisaged simple barn forms that related to the nature of the Cardrona Valley, which has a rich farming and gold mining history,” says Vee.
Inspired by in the textures and tones of the surrounding environment, the project was brought together cohesively by objects collected during the clients' travels, resulting in a “relaxed, textural barn-inspired aesthetic rather than a contemporary, minimalist aesthetic.”
The kitchen is central to the double-height living space where plastered walls echo the traditional finishes found in the Valley’s historic buildings and carry “through to the soft, textured fabrics in muted tones throughout the spaces.”
Exposed beams amplify the vaulted ceiling while hard furnishings such as local Clutha stone, schist, and fumed oak floors warm the space alongside the leathered Negresco stone benchtop and stained oak veneers, bringing elegant tactility into the room.
In Use - Project
Two Barns, Cardrona Valley
Couch in Tahiti colour Olive by Mokum FibreGuard, cushions in Staunch by James Dunlop FibreGuard | Image Michelle Weir
“The colour palette for the spaces is predominantly earthy neutrals that speak to the history of the Valley and the textures and tones prevalent in the environment down there,” says Vee. “We selected fabrics firstly for their tone and texture, but we also wanted the fabrics to have a sense of durability and longevity. It was important that those selected were soft and comfortable - to align with the restful nature of the home.”
A generous cathedral window frames the picturesque Valley beyond, and views can be enjoyed from a range of positions including window squabs upholstered in a flattened boucle weave and a large couch upholstered in Tahiti by Mokum FibreGuard, a soft chenille textile, with scatter cushions in a yarn-dyed boucle, Staunch by James Dunlop FibreGuard.
Specifying hard-wearing furnishings ensures not only the durability required in a holiday home, but also the easy-clean properties which allow you to truly put your feet up while you’re there.
The upper floor of the accommodation barn encompasses the master bedroom and ensuite, a media room, and a second double bedroom. “The journey through the accommodation areas provides moments of interest and differentiation. Carefully detailed board and batten gives way to a timber clad bunk room and hidden stairway, leading to the master bedroom and media room.”
Set apart from the rest of the home, the master bedroom is a private escape infused with the deep jewel tones of the historic Gramercy Park Hotel – the clients’ favourite New York hotel. The headboard is upholstered in South Beach by Mokum, our ultimate transitional textile and another high-performance, easy-care fabric with all the plushness of velvet.
It was essential that locally sourced products were prioritised wherever possible in the design to ensure Two Barns not only sat comfortably within the Cardrona Valley landscape but also engaged with it. Nestled into the gently sloped site, the home is protected from the prevailing winds and promises afternoon sunshine in the outdoor spaces during both the snow-covered winters and the height of summer.
Interior Design: Space Studio
Photography: Michelle Weir
Products used:
Couch – Tahiti colour Olive by Mokum FibreGuard
Cushions – Staunch colour Moss by James Dunlop FibreGuard
Headboard – South Beach colour Palm Leaf by Mokum
Window squabs – Loop colour Linen by Kirkby Design