This Queenstown home is designed to be just as beautiful inside as out, by Carolin Friese Architecture and Nichol Developments.

PHOTOGRAPHY Simon Larkin

It would be easy for this house to be defined only by the views. Set high above Queenstown, there’s no escaping the bird’s-eye perspective that spans Lake Wakatipu, The Remarkables and the surrounding alpine ranges.

The site was discovered by builder-developer Harry Nichol of Nichol Developments and his then business partner Sam Baylis, who instantly saw its potential for a speculative build. “We stood on the land for two hours,” recalls Harry, “and I knew that I had to have it.” They approached the agent that same day. Carolin Friese of Carolin Friese Architecture was brought on board to create the design. “We were on the same page and had a similar vision,” says Harry. What followed was a close and collaborative process focused on creating a grounded, enduring and beautifully resolved home.

Harry’s brief was reasonably simple, centring on a warm, energy-efficient home with generous living spaces and three to four bedrooms. “All the good things you’d really want in a house in Queenstown.”

To architectural designer Carolin, the real challenge lay in shaping a spatial experience that balanced intimacy with expansiveness. “The location is extraordinary,” she says, “but a home still needs to feel comfortable, calm and human in scale. You don’t want the view to overwhelm the spaces you live in.”

The house maintains a single-level arrangement, with wide, level access throughout in a commitment to multi-generational usability. From the entry side, the architecture begins with restraint: a crafted timber bridge passes through a dense pocket of planting, creating a moment of pause before arrival. “I loved the idea of crossing a ‘stream’ of vegetation,” says Carolin. “It sets up a gentle transition from public to private – a staggered, more deliberate arrival.”

Inside, the spatial choreography gradually unfolds. The roof plane lifts towards the view, drawing the eye outward and upward. Clerestory windows sit above full-height glazing, allowing glimpses of the sky above the mountain ridges, and creating an uplifting sense of volume without overpowering the interior. The south- facing orientation keeps the home bright without the risk of overheating, one of many small decisions that make the house feel effortlessly comfortable.

Elsewhere, the architecture tightens and relaxes, alternating between framed moments and generous vistas. “I like to create a rhythm between retreat and release,” says Carolin. “When a space gently compresses, the next opening feels more meaningful. It heightens your appreciation of the landscape.”

Materiality plays an equally important role. Timber-lined ceilings extend out to the soffits, forming a continuous warm ribbon that grounds the home and frames the outlook. Flooring and interior finishes follow a calm, darker palette: warm, textural and deliberately understated. “It’s a soothing environment,” Carolin says. “The palette is neutral but not white, and everything is chosen to create visual quiet.”

The exterior continues this language of rooted calm. A deep, textural steel cladding anchors the home to the hillside, its muted tone blending into the alpine environment. “I wanted something bolder than corrugated profile, something with depth,” says Carolin. “The darker colour helps the house recede into the landscape rather than sit on top of it.”

On the southern edge, the house appears to hover lightly over the cliff, supported by a fine, carefully engineered structure. The contrast between grounded materials and delicate projection gives the home its signature tension that’s both bold and feather-light.

Behind the architecture is also a strong performance ethos. Carolin, a certified Passive House designer, brings high-efficiency detailing into all her work. Here she specified above-code insulation, airtightness, thermally broken windows with low-E glazing, and a mechanical heat-recovery ventilation system connected to a ducted heat pump, all integrated discreetly within the timber-framed envelope. “Comfort should be a given,” she says. “You shouldn’t have to think about it, you should simply feel it.”

The collaboration between designer and developers was key. “We each brought different strengths,” Carolin reflects. “The shared goal was for the home to feel calm, thoughtful and beautifully resolved.”

For Harry, the project unfolded in line with expectation, for the most part. “You’re always going to have difficulties with a site like this,” he says. While a site of such topographical drama inevitably presents its share of challenges — inclement weather and the technical demands of anchoring a structure into exposed rock being chief among them — the 14-month build progressed well, underpinned by an experienced team.

The completed home is a realisation of Harry’s vision, informed by a series of similar projects. Every decision was considered holistically, from materiality and spatial sequencing to the minutiae of detailing such as woollen carpets underfoot and concealed fixings within the interior timber work. What began as a handful of sketches evolved through a genuine collaboration between all three, guided by a shared architectural intent.

The resulting residence is an expression of craft and clarity, its quality a testament to the collective skill. “We’re pretty proud of it,” says Harry — and not without reason.