A striking new home for a sloping Gilbert Street site in New Plymouth, The Yakisugi Home draws its character from the ancient Japanese craft of Yakisugi — timber deep-charred, brushed, and finished with natural oil to produce a dramatic, evolving black carbon patina. Here that tradition meets a bold gabled form, creating a home that feels simultaneously rooted and contemporary.

The building's silhouette is defined by two intersecting gabled volumes clad entirely in charred Redwood, their dark mass punctuated by tall triangular windows that flood the interior with northern light. At street level, the architecture steps down the site through a series of weathered multi-toned brick retaining walls — a grounded, textural counterpoint to the dark timber above, and a nod to the honest materiality that runs throughout the project.

From the rear, the home opens generously to the landscape. A louvred pergola frames the transition between inside and outside, drawing the garden into the living spaces through full-height glazing. The sheltered patio becomes a quiet retreat — somewhere to sit with the distant hills and the changing light.
At 274m² across two levels, the programme is thoughtfully arranged: living, dining, kitchen and a guest suite on the main level, with the master suite and bedrooms above. Passive solar orientation, high levels of insulation, triple-glazed uPVC joinery, and a heat recovery ventilation system ensure the home performs as well as it looks.

The Yakisugi finish is more than aesthetic choice — it is a philosophy. An embrace of natural aging, of materials that weather with honesty and grace. The Wabi-Sabi beauty of a house that will only deepen with time.