This Wānaka property has been in the owner’s family for decades. It’s a prime spot: tucked in a calm pocket of the lakeside town, seemingly oblivious to the fast-developing nature of the surrounding suburbs. Located near the village, the water, and a boat ramp, the neighbourhood has a slow, casual charm. It’s lined with classic cribs and interesting new-builds, the relaxed result of low-density zoning.

For decades, the family decamped here to a modest 1970s lake house built for the owner’s parents. But as time marched on and their numbers grew, the humble crib couldn’t keep up. Deciding to bowl and build, the clients engaged Rich Naish, of RTA Studio, to design a new home that honoured the old one – and the garden it sat in – while carrying them into the future. They wanted to strike a balance between privacy and connection, to create a home that worked as a holiday escape or primary residence, with plenty of space to host visitors.

The site’s natural slope lends itself to discretion. The split-level home steps down the land below the street, offering little more than a roof view to passersby. “The old crib was a typical Kiwi lake house with a low-slung gable roof and a cute little courtyard,” remembers Naish. “We made reference to this by folding a similar, low-angled roof over the two wings of the house, while also blanketing a little outdoor room between them as a nod to the original courtyard.” A glazed entranceway links the monopitched wings, giving the home clear and practical separation: public spaces in one wing; private quarters in the other. The primary suite sits at one end of the bedroom wing, with three guest rooms and two bathrooms hidden behind a cavity slider at the other.

While interior spaces can be efficiently closed off when the owners are home alone, the layout is a masterclass in indoor-outdoor flow. Naish’s design engages with the landscape at every opportunity, beginning with three silver birches that line the concrete ramp leading to the entrance. There’s no slow reveal here. The moment you step inside, a wide bank of glazing delivers an immediate view out to the plant-ringed terrace and garden beyond. “I like the surprise you get at the front door,” says Naish. “You enter the house and almost immediately fall out the other side into the garden.”

The area is famed for its dramatic lake and mountain views, but Naish took an introspective approach and kept the focus tight with this home. “The original house was set in the middle of its large garden section, and we felt that context deserved to be honoured,” he says. “The garden had been planted and nurtured by the family for years, so the idea of placing a new house that responded in the same way felt like the right thing to do.”

Chunky timber window seats in the primary bedroom and living room frame unique views of the garden, and every bedroom feeds out down timber stairs to the flat backyard. It’s a deft balance of easygoing shared spaces and private retreats. Another outdoor dining area to the east makes the most of the morning sun. Long-tended vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and a pair of sheds hold their ground, while mature trees provide privacy (a pseudo fence between neighbouring properties), and a sturdy branch for a swing. There’s a sense of continuity, of old roots being respected, rather than ripped up.

Timber is the hero material throughout. It’s low-maintenance, timeless and authentic to the surrounding architecture and setting. The home is timber-framed (save for minimal structural steel), its interiors feature a mix of pine and white ash, and the cladding combines contrasting black-stained and natural Abodo. “It could have been cedar, but we liked the idea of an innovative, New Zealand-grown product over imported wood,” says Naish. “It’s more sustainable and was quite new on the market at the time of the house’s design, giving us a durable, low-maintenance cedar-cladding alternative.” Despite its prominence, the timber treatment is anything but repetitive. A dark acoustic-panel backing emphasises the slatted ceiling in the living wing; pale ash joinery defines the kitchen and many built-in elements; the living room’s window seat juts out from the black cladding as a blonde cantilevered box; and tall external screens slide across to control sunlight and soften the façade.

These tall sliders are one example of how Naish has accounted for Wānaka’s climate of extremes. In the living wing, the ceiling hitches up towards the terrace, its tall west-facing wall composed of windows and glazed doors, crucial for solar gain in winter. Come summer, when the sun needs to be suppressed, the timber screens slide across to filter light through. A similar profile is used for privacy over the guest wing’s street-facing windows. In the hallway, they cast slatted light across the wall in a peaceful shifting rhythm. A simple, low-fuss hinge and magnet keep the screens in place, allowing them to be easily opened for window cleaning, then snapped closed again.

These sunlight solutions, along with the home’s north-facing aspect, form part of a wider sustainability plan. Passive design principles, such as a high-performance thermal envelope, heat recovery ventilation, photovoltaics, and insulation well above code, further reduce its environmental impact.

Beginning a new chapter in the family’s long legacy on this land, the home dips into nostalgia while effortlessly serving the owners’ active lifestyle. A generous home for two that welcomes many, it seamlessly expands to accommodate visiting guests and family without compromising the need for space or separation. “I wanted it to feel like it had always been there,” says Naish. “While it might look and smell new, I hope its people feel like they are connected somehow spiritually to their place and that the house might in some way curate that feeling.”

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