Exploring A Unique Home Built On The Edge Of A Clifftop (House Tour)

Imbued with a genuine warmth, Clifftops House is a family home that has soul and spirit. Through thoughtful consideration of materiality and texture, Bossley Architects has built a visually striking and welcoming home defined by strong geometric architecture on the exterior and a soft, sinuous feel on the inside. Built on the picturesque clifftops overlooking Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, the home is comfortable yet capable of accommodating a growing family.

The site posed two main challenges – exposure to the elements of the nearby ocean and a long, narrow allotment. The house takes advantage of this shape with a series of walls and fins built angled towards the sea. Walls located at the east and west ends of the site also create a partially enclosed courtyard that both welcomes sun and provides shelter from the weather.

A modest palette features in-situ concrete as the main material, which is durable and allows the concrete to resemble fluid, free forms, resulting in a number of sculptural walls and curves in the interior of the home. This is offset against panels of marble cladding, glass-reinforced concrete fascias, walnut flooring, cedar ceilings and aluminium joinery.

There are also a number of windows and openings built into the architecture of the home, which serve an important role in scoping and drawing light deep inside. Additionally, a ‘slow stair’ has been incorporated to provide a sense of circulation into the linear structure. The staircase has a very long tread, so as one moves from the ground floor to the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs they experience vertical movement in a more rounded way.

The home holds most of its spirit in the interior design. Sonya Cotter Design crafted an interior experience that layers furniture and finishes in a way that works to create personality and warmth. However, most of the selections, whilst varied, all are designed to patina, invoking a constant sense of movement across surfaces throughout the home.

A varied colour palette is dominated by warm yet vibrant hues. Many artworks feature throughout the home, with a carefully curated selection of pieces chosen so as not to make it feel like an art gallery but, instead, a home with art inside.

Bossley Architects created a built refuge that is effortlessly inviting. A harmonious entangling of the home’s coastal positioning, solidity and sinuous, warm interiors gives it a tangible liveliness and character.

00:00 - Intro to the Unique Clifftop Home
00:58 - The Location
01:37 - The Site and its Aspect
02:00 - The Architecture Brief
02:39 - The Interiors Brief
03:15 - Working with the Materiality
03:41 - Crafting the Textures and the Touch
04:18 - Drawing Light Deep Into the house
05:01 - The Element of Surprise

For more from The Local Project:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thelocalproject/
Website – https://thelocalproject.com.au/
Print Publication – https://thelocalproject.com.au/publication/
Hardcover Book – https://thelocalproject.com.au/book/
The Local Project Marketplace – https://thelocalproject.com.au/marketplace/

To subscribe to The Local Project's Tri-Annual Print Publication see here – https://thelocalproject.com.au/subscribe/

Photography by Sam Harnett.
Architecture by Bossley Architects.
Interior Design and Furniture Design by Bossley Architects and Sonya Cotter Design.
Build by Challenge Construction and Bannan Construction.
Landscape by Natural Habitats and Bossley Architects.
Engineering by Brown & Thomson Consulting Engineers.
Joinery by Johannes Erren Cabinetmakers.
Filmed by Aidan Rogers.
Edited by Luey Conway.
Production by The Local Project.

The Local Project acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our respective countries and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

#Built #Architecture #HouseTour