Full Description

www.villanevada.info Wanting to achieve a sustainable house with very little impact on its natural environment, Queenstown architect Kurt Lehman designed the straw bale house in the classic Santa Fe style. It straddles a rise in the middle of a ten-acre block, all rich terracotta tones and broad, flowing shapes from the walled gardens. With extensive views from all living areas as well as from the bedrooms, the house was designed to bring the outdoors in. It measures 500sq.m including the decks and courtyard The courtyard on the southwest wall houses an open fireplace while the nor’west facing decks provide more outdoor rooms for dining and relaxing. Fitted out in split jarrah, the kitchen is the hub of the house. A cabinet salvaged from a girls’ high school serves as the crockery cupboard in the breakfast nook where a broad seating platform, built into the external wall, hugs the table. Superb insulation provided by the building materials is enhanced by a Scandinavian heating system concealed above the ceiling gib board and controlled by wall–mounted thermostats. It acts like the sun, heating objects that in turn heat the air. There is also an open fire place in the main lounge. Only natural materials and finishing products for the house were used. All wood, including the kitchen bench and floors, is sealed with natural oils and a mix of hard and soft waxes.Using the Equus range of natural paints, they have achieved a rich Santa Fe palette throughout the house.