An architectural designer and an interior designer come together to build a house. It sounds like the start of a joke but the only punchline here is a beautiful hillside home that is a testament to the combined expertise of Matt and Lucy Wilkie.
The couple met while working on a commercial design project in Christchurch. Matt was fitting out the office and Lucy was choosing and supplying the furnishings.
Fast forward 10 years and they are now married with a 4-year-old daughter, Stella. They both run their own businesses – Matt co-founded architectural design and structural engineering practice W2 some years ago and just after the Covid lockdown in 2020, Lucy set up Lucy Wilkie Design.
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Stephen Goodenough/NZ House & Garden
Spectacular views over Christchurch past the second sitting area; the Viv swivel tub chairs are by West Elm, the large armchairs by Kelly Hoppen and a Walking on Clouds rug in Dusk is by Moooi. Designers Lucy and Matt Wilkie with daughter Stella and boston terrier Harry.
They are also behind Romotow, a futuristic caravan design.
When they spotted this hillside section, they had a vision. “We basically built the biggest box we could,” says Matt of the two-storey 365m² house. It’s a bit of an understatement for a striking home created as the result of such thoughtful design.
Stephen Goodenough/NZ House & Garden
The 6m-long kitchen island with its slender Carrara marble benchtop gives ample space for cooking and preparation while a deliberate lack of bar-style seating encourages use of the sitting area.
Matt had to design the home to match the footprint of the quake-damaged house that had stood on the site and work around existing retaining walls. There were pros and cons to these restrictions – you may save on construction costs and reduce the risk of extra excavation bills, but you also inherit any shortcuts the original contractor may have taken.
The build took about a year and was reasonably stress-free, despite Lucy being pregnant and the budget being tight. “We trust each other and our choices,” says Lucy. “So working together was actually good.”
The front door and entrance open straight into the relaxing champagne tones of an upper mezzanine level, but it’s the soaring double-height space beyond that has so much impact. “It is very much about that collaborative, open-plan living… that sort of loft space,” says Matt, who was inspired by the several years he spent working in New York for New Zealand architect David Howell.
That openness is taken even further – there are no doors on the cluster of rooms on the mezzanine, which includes an office, Stella’s bedroom and the main bedroom with a walk-in-wardrobe and en suite. Instead, privacy comes from partition walls which allow the view to loom large, even from the bath.
“The city lights at night are beautiful,” says Lucy. “Sometimes I like to lie on Stella’s bed with her at night and we just look at the lights.”
A hallway runs the length of the mezzanine, overlooking the living space below and the view beyond, framed through a glass wall that runs 18m along the front of the house and soars to the same height as the 5.5m-tall ceiling.
There’s also nothing shy about the scale and apportioning of the downstairs living, dining and kitchen area which Matt describes as “almost cathedral-like”. The rear wall is a sculptural expanse of honeyed oak timber and the kitchen island bench is an impressive 6m long with a tubular metal extractor fan suspended above.
Matt refers back to his experience in New York: “It was a real eye-opener in terms of high-end interiors. And because space is so valuable there’s a real appreciation of good design and people spend time on things like joinery.”
Of course, high-end finishes don’t come cheap and there were times when the couple hit pause rather than cut corners. So the timber cabinetry on the rear wall of the living area and the marble benchtops in the kitchen and bathrooms were later additions.
“We wanted it to be exactly what we wanted so we took our time,” says Lucy.
Stephen Goodenough/NZ House & Garden
The office has Kekke leather chairs by Piet Boon, a USM Haller credenza and an Atollo lamp by Oluce, all from ECC.
Lucy’s astute eye for interiors has brought together a simple palette of calming colours – off-whites, warm timber finishes, greys and pastels which give a sense of calmness and consistency throughout.
Importantly, the house is physically warm. With just one wood burner and a couple of fans, this might seem impossible but the passive solar effects of all that glass are key.
Stephen Goodenough/NZ House & Garden
A soothing champagne colour palette flows through the main bedroom which has an adjoining dressing area/walk-in wardrobe and en suite; the wallpaper is Carmona from the Exotique collection by HookedOnWalls and the lamp is Birdie by Foscarini.
“If you’ve got blue sky, you walk in the door in the middle of winter and it’s 24C,” says Matt.
Matt and Lucy like to unwind watching YouTube clips on sailing. They have a boat in the Marlborough Sounds and try to get out on the water regularly, although their sailing styles differ. “Matt is an adventure sailor and really I am more of a gin-drinking sailor,” says Lucy.
When they’re in Christchurch, their home becomes a true retreat – with family meals at the table, playing with boston terrier Harry, watching Stella’s favourite nature programmes with her or simply looking out at those bewitching city lights.
Q&A Matt & Lucy Wilkie
A clever tip for other homeowners: In bathrooms use large format tiles to reduce grout lines and make the space feel bigger. But don’t exceed a 1200mm format unless you’re not worried about the cost of labour. (Lucy)
Best decorating tip: We are plant obsessed. Plants are a great inexpensive way to add life, volume and interest to any space big or small. (Lucy)
Best budget tip: Lounge spaces don’t move so rather than pay for timber flooring and a rug opt for a carpet insert. (Matt)
Bravest thing we did around the house: Building a double-height space with double-height windows and relying on west-facing glass to passively heat the large volume all year round. (Matt)
Best money we have spent: Hansgrohe Puravida plumbing fixtures throughout and the timber veneer joinery. (Matt)
In the next 10 years I’d like to: Have a new entry extension and a third level to house a lounge, gym, sauna and roof garden. (Lucy)
Best attraction in the area: All the beautiful birds we get in the garden from the forest – the most exotic so far is a kingfisher. (Lucy)
Favourite local restaurant: Arbour Bar & Woodfired Pizza in Lyttelton – best gluten-free pizza ever. (Lucy)
