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The two-floor extension accounted for an extra bathroom, a work nook to support WFH and places to connect, cook, rest and play. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Editorial styling – Belle Bright Project
The second level houses the parents’ bedroom, connected to a set up a small sunny balcony. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Editorial styling – Belle Bright Project
When faced with buying in an unaffordable and overinflated housing market, architect William Samuels and his partner Hannah D’Arcy were forced to consider alternative paths to home ownership. ‘To address this, we looked at how to detach the house value from the land value,’ says William.
The answer: leased land. William and Hannah struck up a long-term agreement with a landowner in Nelson, located in New Zealand’s South Island, to rent the land required to host their future home.
Built on a NZD$150,000 (about AUD$140,000) budget, William and Hannah’s resulting home, The Studio House, tackles the issues of housing affordability as well as sustainable design, the liveability of smaller spaces, and adaptable architecture.