A Farmhouse Form That Frames the Landscape Instead of Competing With It
Hillend Station House sits within a working farm near Wanaka, designed to frame the surrounding alpine landscape rather than compete with it. The home takes cues from traditional farm buildings, breaking the program into a series of connected gabled volumes that follow the land. This approach keeps the scale grounded while opening the main living spaces toward expansive views of Mt Roy, the Criffel Range, and the Cardrona Valley.
Floor-to-ceiling glazing is used with restraint, positioned where the landscape deserves full attention and reduced where privacy or shade is needed. Corridors and bedrooms rely on carefully placed openings that capture smaller, pocketed views, while the open-plan living area embraces the full panorama. Timber-lined ceilings guide the eye outward, reinforcing the connection between interior space and horizon.
Material choices reflect both the rural setting and long-term durability. Cedar adds warmth, schist brings weight and permanence, and the metal roof provides low maintenance in an exposed environment. Inside, hardwood floors and a substantial schist fireplace anchor the interior. Designed by Condon Scott Architects and photographed by Simon Larkin, the house reads as a calm, settled presence that feels inseparable from its landscape.