It may have modern sensibilities, but this architecturally designed three-bedroom home outside of Dunedin isn’t afraid to muck in. It’s the perfect blend of designer and down-to-earth living for the family who lives here.

Easy indoor-outdoor flow enhances everyday activities on this lifestyle block. A covered link connects the house with well-used utility areas and the garden.

Set back from the main road near Mosgiel and clad in vertical red cedar, it blends effortlessly into its natural surrounds. Negative detailing is a real positive too.

Inside, polished concrete floors act as a heat bank, contributing to energy savings. In-slab hydronic heating warms or cools, depending on the owners’ needs.

A freestanding log burner set against concrete stack bonded blockwork, delivers warming ambience in the open-plan living area. The fire is also connected via wetback to an adjacent hot water cylinder.

A hush falls over the crowd under the striking ceilings lined with acoustic rated pre-finished ply. These not only add beautiful texture to the interior, they minimise any noise from the harder floor surfaces. We’re lost for words.