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Timber became one of the defining materials of The Next Chapter, not simply as a surface finish, but as an architectural element that helps shape the experience of the house.
Interior designer Natalie Du Bois of Du Bois Design had first worked with the clients on their Remuera home around 16 years earlier. When they began planning to retire to Te Arai, that longstanding relationship brought with it an established understanding of how they wanted to live and the quality of environment they hoped to create for this next stage of their lives.
When the clients asked Du Bois for architect recommendations for their new home, she introduced them to Matt Brew. During the early stages of the project, the materiality of the house began to take shape, with timber important to both the architectural and interior design direction. There was a shared understanding that it should play a significant role within the interior, extending well beyond its conventional use as a flooring finish.
Timber was envisaged across multiple planes of the house - floors, walls and ceilings. Du Bois suggested VidaSpace, knowing that the same timber could be used across these different applications. This allowed for a much stronger sense of material continuity, rather than introducing a series of similar but competing timber finishes.
VidaSpace provided samples for Du Bois to present to both the clients and architect, and the response was immediate. The tone, texture and natural character of the timber felt right for both the architecture and its Te Arai setting, establishing an important part of the material palette from an early stage.
The principal living areas unfold as one continuous sequence, moving from the entry through the informal living space, kitchen and dining area and into the main lounge. Timber provides a consistent thread through this considerable volume, moving from horizontal surfaces to walls and overhead planes as the interior progresses. At times it reads almost as a wrapping element, becoming part of the architecture itself rather than an applied decorative finish.
With extensive timber cabinetry also incorporated throughout the home, careful balance was important. Natural stone brings weight, texture and variation to the palette, while expansive areas of glazing introduce changing light and place the surrounding landscape firmly within the experience of the interior.
This relationship with the landscape was particularly significant. The house sits within the expansive Te Arai environment, looking across rolling hills towards the coast. Large areas of glazing continually draw the eye outward, while the timber provides warmth and visual grounding within.
For a home of this scale, that contrast is important. The openness and vastness of the landscape are balanced by the warmth and enclosure of the timber, helping the large interior volumes feel more intimate and human in scale without diminishing their connection to the environment beyond.
For Du Bois, the strength of the material palette lies in its simplicity and continuity. Timber, stone, glass and natural light are allowed to work together, with no single material needing to dominate. Instead, each contributes to a tactile, natural interior that feels intrinsically connected to its setting.
Using one timber language across the flooring, wall panelling and ceilings also creates a sense of visual calm. Rather than treating individual surfaces as separate features, the timber moves seamlessly through the architecture, allowing the spaces to flow naturally from one to the next.
Du Bois also credits the relationship with Fran and the VidaSpace team as an important part of the process. Their understanding of what the project was seeking to achieve across multiple applications helped maintain the integrity of the original material direction from the early stages through to completion.
Ultimately, timber plays a quiet but fundamental role in The Next Chapter. It brings warmth to the scale of the architecture, creates continuity throughout the interior and forms an important connection between the home and the expansive Te Arai landscape that surrounds it.
Timber became one of the defining materials of The Next Chapter, not simply as a surface finish, but as an architectural element that helps shape the experience of the house.
Interior designer Natalie Du Bois of Du Bois Design had first worked with the clients on their Remuera home around 16 years earlier. When they began planning to retire to Te Arai, that longstanding relationship brought with it an established understanding of how they wanted to live and the quality of environment they hoped to create for this next stage of their lives.
When the clients asked Du Bois for architect recommendations for their new home, she introduced them to Matt Brew. During the early stages of the project, the materiality of the house began to take shape, with timber important to both the architectural and interior design direction. There was a shared understanding that it should play a significant role within the interior, extending well beyond its conventional use as a flooring finish.
Timber was envisaged across multiple planes of the house - floors, walls and ceilings. Du Bois suggested VidaSpace, knowing that the same timber could be used across these different applications. This allowed for a much stronger sense of material continuity, rather than introducing a series of similar but competing timber finishes.
VidaSpace provided samples for Du Bois to present to both the clients and architect, and the response was immediate. The tone, texture and natural character of the timber felt right for both the architecture and its Te Arai setting, establishing an important part of the material palette from an early stage.
The principal living areas unfold as one continuous sequence, moving from the entry through the informal living space, kitchen and dining area and into the main lounge. Timber provides a consistent thread through this considerable volume, moving from horizontal surfaces to walls and overhead planes as the interior progresses. At times it reads almost as a wrapping element, becoming part of the architecture itself rather than an applied decorative finish.
With extensive timber cabinetry also incorporated throughout the home, careful balance was important. Natural stone brings weight, texture and variation to the palette, while expansive areas of glazing introduce changing light and place the surrounding landscape firmly within the experience of the interior.
This relationship with the landscape was particularly significant. The house sits within the expansive Te Arai environment, looking across rolling hills towards the coast. Large areas of glazing continually draw the eye outward, while the timber provides warmth and visual grounding within.
For a home of this scale, that contrast is important. The openness and vastness of the landscape are balanced by the warmth and enclosure of the timber, helping the large interior volumes feel more intimate and human in scale without diminishing their connection to the environment beyond.
For Du Bois, the strength of the material palette lies in its simplicity and continuity. Timber, stone, glass and natural light are allowed to work together, with no single material needing to dominate. Instead, each contributes to a tactile, natural interior that feels intrinsically connected to its setting.
Using one timber language across the flooring, wall panelling and ceilings also creates a sense of visual calm. Rather than treating individual surfaces as separate features, the timber moves seamlessly through the architecture, allowing the spaces to flow naturally from one to the next.
Du Bois also credits the relationship with Fran and the VidaSpace team as an important part of the process. Their understanding of what the project was seeking to achieve across multiple applications helped maintain the integrity of the original material direction from the early stages through to completion.
Ultimately, timber plays a quiet but fundamental role in The Next Chapter. It brings warmth to the scale of the architecture, creates continuity throughout the interior and forms an important connection between the home and the expansive Te Arai landscape that surrounds it.
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