A Musician Couple’s Wedge-Shaped House Echoes the Majesty of the New Zealand Landscape
Imagined by Jeffrey Day of Actual Architecture Company, the sharply angled structure rises at a 12-degree slope that suits the mountainous backdrop.
Imagined by Jeffrey Day of Actual Architecture Company, the sharply angled structure rises at a 12-degree slope that suits the mountainous backdrop.
Justine Cormack and Marc Taddei are something of a classical music power couple. He is the music director of both Orchestra Wellington in New Zealand and the Vallejo Symphony, near San Francisco (their seasons are at opposite times of the year). She is an award-winning violinist and cofounder of NZTrio in Auckland, which is where the couple was long based.
Corrugated steel wraps the South Island home of musicians Justine Cormack and Marc Taddei. The wedge-shaped design, by Nebraska architect Jeffrey Day, was originally intended for Day’s mother, who lives in Maine.
Photo: Simon Devitt
But a few years ago, when Justine decided to leave the ensemble, they suddenly felt free to move anywhere, as long as it was within striking distance of an airport. They chose to look for land in the Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island, a scenic area of snowcapped mountains and glacial lakes where Justine had vacationed as a child.
In the kitchen and dining area, chairs from Nood slide under the island and surround a Maraetai table from The Axe.
Photo: Simon Devitt
The couple soon settled on a site in Queensberry: a 10-acre parcel in a subdivided development that was surrounded by mountains and overlooked the Clutha River. "When we put our feet onto the land, it felt like an ‘aha’ moment," Justine says. "The 360-degree views were stunning."
At the taller end of the 2,575-square-foot house, a second story holds two bedrooms, one of which Justine uses as a music room and office.
Photo: Simon Devitt
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Musician Couple’s Wedge-Shaped House Echoes the Majesty of the New Zealand Landscape
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