Photography: Tim Williams
Tucked away in a quiet nook of her family’s tranquil Tata Bay hideaway, which is framed by native trees and sweeping ocean views, Amy Hendry finds solace in her favourite spot.
“I always gravitate to the bedroom at the north-west corner of the site,” Amy says.
“It backs onto a bush, so it is surrounded by greenery, yet still looks out to sea – it’s shady, private and lovely.”
As co-founder and architect of Four Walls Architecture in Auckland, Amy designed the home for her family with flexibility at the heart of the plan. She carefully considered how the space would function day to day, ensuring it could evolve alongside their needs. The result is a thoughtful design that nurtures solitude while still comfortably accommodating large gatherings.
Home profile
Meet and greet: Amy Hendry (architect and co-founder of Four Walls Architecture).
The property: A four-bedroom, five-bathroom holiday home located in Tata Bay, Golden Bay/Mohua, Nelson.
For Amy, designing a holiday home for an evolving family was about crafting a dwelling where adult children can return with their partners, where future grandchildren can play and where everyone feels connected, yet at ease. The brief called for a home that could evolve as the extended family grew. It also needed to give each member their own private space while still providing large communal areas.
Tata Bay lies within Tasman’s Golden Bay in Nelson, a place of golden sand beaches and crystal blue waters. With the breathtaking view over Tata Bay just a five‑minute walk from the house, the setting already does a lot of the heavy lifting. Any type of home built here would look spectacular. You could easily rest on your laurels on the design front. But this house’s design is as stunning in its considered design as its surroundings.
Taking her cue from the seaside location and her vision for a place devoted purely to unwinding, Amy leaned into a relaxed, beach‑house aesthetic. The result is a look and feel that suits the 1157sqm site perfectly.
“Before we built, there was nothing here,” Amy says.
“Just a blank piece of land.”
A series of pods or bedrooms sits at the heart of the plan, and you can add more as needed. They form a small, informal settlement that clusters around a central courtyard and the main living pavilion.
“Three of the four bedrooms are separate from the main house, giving grown children, their partners and grandchildren a true sense of retreat,” Amy says.
“The design provides space to do our own thing and come together when we want to.”
One bedroom connects gently to the main living zone, that’s close enough for easy interaction when the family feels like it, but still separate enough to offer privacy when needed. The remaining bedrooms sit deliberately apart as self‑contained spaces with their own bathrooms. You can open them up or use them independently, giving people the freedom to come and go as they please.
All paths and decks lead back toward the central living area. It’s the heart of the home, where everyone can gather to talk, cook and eat. From there, people can drift off to their own spaces whenever they feel the need.
The beauty of this home lies in the width of the site.
“We had the luxury of spreading the house out, so every room has a view of the sea and is all arranged around the courtyard, except for the separate bunk room. What balances the design nicely is how these separate pods are anchored by this courtyard, which by default becomes a place for everyone to gather. “You never feel like you’re on top of each other. It’s not a large house, but you can have 12 people staying and still feel a sense of calm and personal space. Also, each pod has its own bathroom, so there’s never a queue for the shower.”
Amy’s design aesthetic leans into a laidback, breezy feel, capturing the essence of Golden Bay itself.
“The interior palette and materials evoke a relaxed boatshed look. I brought in a classic gable roof style and a beachy aesthetic with painted ply and baton, plywood floors, exposed trusses in the separate pods and used corrugated steel as ceiling lining. I wanted it to feel like when you’re there, you’re instantly on holiday. The place feels relaxed, with nothing fussy about it inside or out.”
Amy keeps the bathrooms functional and minimal. The standout feature in each one is the wall‑to‑wall, vanity‑to‑ceiling window that looks straight through the bedroom to the view.
“You can’t escape the views even in the bathrooms,” Amy says.
The kitchen uses stainless steel bench modules, open shelves and a gas cooker for practicality and a functional look. The unfussy materials and simple finishes add to the sense of ease.
“Furniture is deliberately minimal because it’s a beach house. It doesn’t need to feel cluttered. One family member is an artist, so there are paintings on the walls in bright, bold colours.”
One of the most notable pieces of furniture is the dining table that can fit 14 people.
“It’s on large wheels so it can get wheeled out to the end of the deck facing the water, where the family enjoys long meals.”
Such a tranquil part of Golden Bay only enhances the relaxed nature of the house.
“It’s a place where you can walk around barefoot and a bit of sand doesn’t matter as it’s relaxed. You can dump your bags and leave everything behind. It’s hard to think of anything else when you’re here.”
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