Whitford: Natural harmony

This traditional Japanese-style home in harmonious rural surroundings invites a range of possibilities, says Vicki Holder.

So taken by the beauty he discovered on trips to Japan, an Auckland businessman has created a magnificent, Japanese-style country estate in Whitford.

Kevyn Male took several years to develop a large property with rolling pastures, native bush and exotic pine. He built two homes on the land, calling them Japan One and Japan Two.

Both were designed by architect Noel Lane to reflect the understated design of traditional Japanese homes. Conveying quiet strength, they harmonise perfectly with the ruggedness of their natural surrounds.

The rectangular buildings are topped with elegant, low-pitched Australian brushwood roofs, the eaves of which extend across sheltered verandas. They spill into Japanese-style gardens enclosed by brush fencing. Carpeted with pebbles and groundcovers, the gardens are artistically landscaped and dotted with large boulders and small-leafed trees.

Japan Two is startlingly simple, comprising three Japanese-style living pavilions connected by a covered pathway of timber beams and riverstones. Flanked by a stand of mature kauri trees lit on posts from below, the buildings are protected from southerly winds. The three buildings step down the hill, looking north-west over massive outdoor sculptures in the grassy valley below, with the islands of the Hauraki Gulf in the distance.

Each pavilion serves a different function but all feature similar design elements. The pavilion at the top opens to a large, dramatic, open-plan living area. An abundance of natural timber brings the warmth inside even on the bleakest days. A trussed timber ceiling blends with the cedar joinery around the deep sliding windows and pale bamboo floors.

Devoid of decoration, the room is the essence of Japanese simplicity. Form follows function, without the need for any further embellishment beyond that which is entirely practical. Soft cream wall panels between structural timber beams gain their mottled texture from a mixture of plaster and iron sand. Sliding windows, like Shoji screens, open the interior to the surrounding garden in summer. The windows are shaded by white roman blinds with folds neatened by narrow timber rods.

Fitted into a corner, a European beech kitchen is positioned so that the chef can gaze through a window at the native kauri tree trunks clustered to the rear of the house. In this unusual setting, the western-style kitchen seems quite at home across a sweeping, pale timber benchtop with a deep butler's sink. A fridge-freezer and Quantum DishDrawer are integrated behind cabinet doors, while the double Westinghouse oven and convection hob are visible on the far wall.

At the end of the living room, a massive fireplace forms a wall of riverstones that took several craftsmen months to build. Logs the diameter of a grown man are stacked in a recess above the hearth. They look as if they would each burn for days to keep the house cosy.

Up a few steps, the span of the fireplace wall conceals a bathroom. Riverstones extend across the floor to an open shower with the tapware and nozzle suspended from a track on the wall. The room accommodates a thick, honed slab of basalt as a benchtop. Light filters into the room through windows high on timber walls and ceiling.

Looking out to the view, the master suite houses a walk-through, fitted dressing room behind the bed.

Two more bedrooms each have their own separate access in the middle pavilion. Sitting back to back, these large rooms have space for dressers at the entry and bathrooms with sturdy design that echoes that of the main bathroom.

Further down the hill, the third pavilion is a big, open space for cars, farm implements and exercise equipment. The floors are softened at one end for the gym. Bifold windows open outdoors across an enormous kauri slab, which makes a practical bar for summer entertaining. This building could be converted for additional living or bedroom space.

Kevyn Male has created an unconventional home on an awesome farm property. On two titles, the land also has subdivision potential.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: 435 Whitford-Maraetai Rd, Whitford.

FEATURES: Three Japanese-style pavilions in Zen garden with farm and sea views; country estate with rolling pasture, mature native bush and pine trees; open-plan living with riverstone fireplace; three bedrooms, three bathrooms; gym and garage could be converted into extra living and bedrooms.

SIZE: Two titles: 22.376ha feature rolling pasture, native bush and 8ha of exotic pine, while house is on second title of 3.9347ha surrounded by native bush and pasture.

AUCTION: 2pm, September 18, Bayleys Maritime Square auction rooms.

AGENT: Cheryl Paine, Bayleys BRE Newmarket. Ph 520 8888 bus; 021 667 778 mob. John Mason, Bayleys, Howick. Ph 535 5480 bus; 021 930 530 mob.