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Pac Studio director Sarosh Mulla eloquently describes this project in Heathcote Valley as a study in simplicity, colour and connection to the landscape.
Near Ōtautahi Christchurch, the enchanting property belongs to florist Alicia Erceg of Bunch Floral, who engaged Pac Studio to create a new family home that reflected her appreciation for nature and the beauty of the dramatic valley location.
The resulting residence is carefully embedded into the sloping site, broken up by a series of discrete structures.
One wing contains the three bedrooms at the entry; a long hallway opens up to the living areas bathed in natural light. A sheltered courtyard beyond serves an extension of the home itself.
‘This spatial arrangement breaks down the home’s overall mass and enhances connection to the landscape, allowing more of the home to engage with the shifting light, seasonal changes and views,’ says Sarosh.
The client’s own creativity also played a central role in the home’s originality.
Built-in ledges, shelves, and surfaces throughout offer spaces for Alicia’s fresh and dried floral arrangements to become part of the architecture — pulling the garden into the built fabric of the home.
These details are layered with deliberate pops of colour that feel like a breath of fresh air as you move through the house. The exterior reveals soft green steel cladding and dark timber, while windows and openings are brightened by the operable awnings in a cheerful yellow fabric, aligning to significant landmarks in the valley.
Inside, terracotta hues and marigold accents are reminiscent of nature’s seasonal hues, contrasted by concrete floors.
The whimsical palette is enhanced by the warmth of timber-lined ceilings, detailed joinery, and custom furniture hand built by one of Alicia’s close friends.
‘Our aim was to strategically use colour as a tool to blur the boundaries between indoors and out, and to create a warm, ever-changing environment,’ Sarosh says.
The surrounding meadow-like garden is pretty special too. Water-sensitive plantings were selected to grow ecological resilience, as colourful flowers sprout up amongst the verdant greenery.
It’s a playful and personal home, that’s perfectly immersed in its picturesque location.
