This holiday house and eventual retirement home is inspired by simple Nordic cabins, but the architecture and craftsmanship on display here are anything but basic. Top-notch carpentry and materials are pillars of the project. Pods arranged in a T-shape are wrapped in vertical timber cladding with steel-eyebrow eaves and corner windows with concealed blinds. A separate garage pod has externally accessed mezzanine storage. Internal finishing is a showcase for the builders’ skills. It’s obvious in the walls of negative-jointed meranti marine plywood with battens, bespoke wooden bunks, furniture and cabinetry. The timber is punctuated with pops of colour throughout the three-bedroom home. You’ll notice terracotta and blue porcelain tiles in the two bathrooms and pounamu-hued granite benchtops in the splashback in the kitchen, and in bathroom and laundry benches. In the living space and bedrooms, earthy-toned carpets and fabrics add natural touches that are also luxurious. Framed views of the moody mountain-scape are everywhere — even in bathrooms where windows are positioned up high for privacy. Landscaping that’s perfectly in tune with the Central Otago environment settles the house into its site.