Home made with heirlooms | Architecture Now

Matuku Moana is a house formed much less by a proper transient, and extra by evolving circumstance and instinct. The designers and purchasers, Jeremy of Studio Brick Architects and his spouse Anna, collaborated on the outside and inside the place experimentation, enjoyable and technical refinement took priority.

Describing the transient, Jeremy stated, “Over a few years the transient developed on an as-needed foundation as our household grew (+one), and the design was refined as we toyed round with emotive design”.

Jeremy, who based his follow in 2019, noticed the challenge as a possibility to additional outline his aesthetic: crisp, clear detailing balanced by a tactile love of timber. Anna, who works in hospitality and is not any stranger to vibrant public areas, envisioned a house that felt calm, but lively. Collectively, they designed a house that displays each their way of life and design aesthetic — every house fastidiously composed by way of curated supplies, classic finds, and expressive structural components.

The 60-square-metre footprint is compact and constrained by a flood plain. Raised on a platform and clad in vertical corrugated metal, the constructing’s heat timber inside peeks by way of full-height sliders, which intensify the verticality of the construction. Inside, the house is outlined by a deliberate spatial duality: a lightweight, open-plan kitchen, eating and dwelling space downstairs — designed for gathering and sharing house — contrasted by darkish, moody, and personal bedrooms above.

Matuku Moana has a deeply thought-about method to materiality. The kitchen includes a rainbow onyx splashback, a centrepiece that elevates the house. Stainless-steel benches, a freestanding aluminium island and bespoke chopping boards communicate to Anna’s ardour for hospitality. The kitchenware displayed on the aluminium island follows the fashion of the lounge, the place private trinkets and thrifted decorations fill the repurposed Lundia shelving.

Jeremy says, “The interiors are easy and seamless at first look. Upon nearer inspection the extent of element and thought turns into extra obvious.”

Upstairs, the tone shifts. Jeremy and Anna averted reliance on stark contrasts or sterile minimalism to separate private and non-private; as a substitute, they used kind, texture and a restrained palette to create a quiet retreat. Impressed partially by looking sheds, the higher stage layers private art work and heirlooms with burgundy carpet, moody lighting, and plywood wall panels. The angular construction of the gable roof reinforces the sense of enclosure and privateness.

Downstairs, bigger kitchen home windows invite daylight and backyard views, making a brilliant, open environment. A characteristic frosted home windows in the lounge — sometimes used to stop the skin world wanting in — is employed to cease these inside searching. The impact attracts focus inward to the encircling open front room. Upstairs, smaller home windows form darker, extra personal areas. 

Within the powder room, a repurposed rimu bench and basin are paired with the challenge’s most private merchandise: a rearview mirror that after belonged to Anna’s late father. Within the rest room and laundry, full-height Winkelman tiles, terrazzo flooring, and stainless-steel fittings meet the purposeful wants of a younger household whereas persevering with the refined aesthetic.

The results of Jeremy and Anna’s collaboration is a house that feels each crafted and lived-in — a mix of household reminiscence, playful experimentation, and technical precision.

Makutu Moana was a Residential Home finalist within the 2025 Inside Awards. See the reside presentation from Jeremy and Anna right here.