Fukuda house

The owners were a young New Zealand/Japanese couple and they both had requirements that the appearance of the house would, in some way, reflect who they were and where they had come from. The house is nestled among mature native trees and it was important for this sustainably-conscious house to respect and be in harmony with the outdoor environment.

The house has two wings: a public space (open kitchen-lounge-dining area) and the private space (three bedrooms and a toilet). A corridor with a bathroom and laundry tucked behind connects the two wings. The walls of bedrooms and open public spaces were purposely kept neutral so that colours could be introduced into each space by the use of painted feature walls and doors.

We used different colour combinations and timber finishes to define the public and private spaces because this distinction was important for the Japanese culture. For example, orange and deep blue doors, along with poplar flooring, were used in the public spaces. Up-lighting was used specifically to give a glow to the warm-coloured raked ceiling varnished in Resene Aquaclear to highlight the volume of the living space. In contrast in private wings, red alder flooring and doors coloured with red, light green and light blue were introduced. We used white colour and recycled Rimu flooring for the transition space that connects the two wings.

Looks can be deceiving. The dining area with Japanese tatami mats provides a traditional and quiet exterior. Hidden underneath, however, lies brightly coloured storage compartments where you can see the colour-scheme of the whole house, giving a unique twist to this stylish house. Light blue (Resene Morning Glory) and light green (Resene Apple Green) were chosen for bedrooms as they enhance the timber floor and ceiling finish (Resene Natural wood stain). Resene Raspberry was selected for master bedroom doors for the romantic feel. The loft floor was coloured with yellow (Resene Hero) to brighten up the otherwise-small space.

The feature wall of the kitchen is painted with orange (Resene Grenadier) to give a vivid, active feel for the young residents. This orange, along with grey tones in the kitchen, also goes well with the exterior greenery and provides a feeling of connection to outside.

The feature wall in the lounge, which bridges these two spaces, is also brightlycoloured blue (Resene Cobalt) to give a contemporary tone. We chose neutral tones (Resene Canterbury Clay) for the walls of contemplative dining area to give a calming atmosphere and Resene Eighth Spanish White as a connecting neutral through all rooms.

Architectural specifier: MOAA Architects Ltd
Building contractor: John MacDonald Builders
Colour selection: Yuki Fukuda, MOAA
Lighting: ARC Lighting
Painting: Nathan Edmondston, Yuki Fukuda
Photographer: Angela Keoghan
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2013

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