Award Winning Local Homes
At Essence we love putting together our house features. We love seeing how people live, how form and function combine, how trends and practices evolve.
So we’re always interested in some of the amazing homes that are entered in the prestigious House of The Year competition. We know how much work goes into building a home and how much work goes into entering a national competition of this kind. We especially love it when we see our local builders and tradies getting recognized for their hard work and amazing skills.
The houses we are featuring here were both recognized in the awards – with beautiful design, great craftmanship and high-quality interiors – it’s not hard to see why they got placed. But we particularly love how each of them makes the most of their location – right here in beautiful Canterbury. From lakeside living to second storey sea views – these are two very different homes that are thoroughly grounded in their location.
If you’re looking to build, renovate or simply get some home build inspiration – then read on.
Award Winning Home in Timaru
Regional Supreme Award Winner - Henderson Building
The team at Henderson Building in Timaru have been celebrating a win recently in the House of the Year awards. They took out the Regional Supreme House in the under $1 million category in the whole of the Canterbury region.
It’s not hard to see why this house was a winner. It’s billed as executive style retirement living – and it’s utterly modern with its box-like form clad in vertical cedar with metal in a shade of iron sand. It’s sleek and elegant and fits right into its location on the outskirts of Timaru.
Spread across two storeys and covering 209sq metres of floor space – this 2-bedroom home is spacious and welcoming, rather than just big. The guest bedroom and entry hall are at ground level whilst the second floor can be accessed via stairs or an elevator.
The second floor has been designed for living and the location of the house has been thoroughly taken into consideration. With floor to ceiling windows punctuated with light, flowing drapes – the eye is instantly drawn to the views over to Caroline Bay and the open sea beyond. Dark kitchen cabinetry and countertop give way to paler neutrals and are offset by bronze-look tapware and pendant lights. A large balcony provides ideal indoor-outdoor flow – and the perfect spot for an evening glass of wine or dinner al fresco.
Along with the style comes comfortable and convenient living. A large master bedroom with en-suite is located on the second floor. There’s a laundry, an internal access garage and the elevator ensures the house is future-proofed for retiring residents.
The house has made it into the top 100 national category for House of The Year. This means the Henderson team are heading up to Auckland in November for the National Awards Gala. We’ll be cheering them on.
Living Luxe At Lake Hood
Silver Award – Jennian Homes
The perfect home should make the most of its location – and there’s no doubt that Jennian have done just that with this award-winning lakefront property. With four bedrooms, three bathrooms and three living spaces -covering some 370sq metres – this is certainly a spacious home. But expert craftsmanship has made it more than that.
The exterior is a sleek and elegant combination of cedar and lightweight concrete. Double entry doors open on herringbone floors and a light, bright interior – with views through the living room to the lakefront. That connection with the water is kept throughout.
From the lounge, living room and master bedroom – floor to ceiling glass sliders give access to decking areas and covered al fresco spaces – perfect for enjoy a morning coffee or brunch. Off the main living area an expansive lakefront decking is perfect for entertaining and evening sundowners.
The house itself is designed in an H-shape in order to maximise its waterfront setting and views across the lake. However, the shape also means living and sleeping areas can be separated in wings of the house – ensuring that even with a full house there is plenty of privacy. So residents can come together in open-plan communal space in the living, dining and kitchen. But when they choose to, can also retreat to their own spaces for some downtime. It’s the perfect versatile living set up to ensure a happy family or house guests.
Jennian Homes Canterbury have created a home with seamless indoor-outdoor flow – utterly in harmony with its waterfront setting. The company pride themselves on building homes that exceed expectations and this stunning build is testament to their hard work, great team and dedication.
