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Canterbury power couple selling their minimalist designer home
The stylish home at 400 Pound Road is on the market
When it comes to residential architecture, choosing to build in the minimalist style can be dicey. With flourishes and details pared back, you run the risk of your home feeling stark or clinical.
When it’s done right, however, as the listing pictures of 400 Pound Road, in Yaldhurst, Christchurch suggest it has been, minimalism can feel positively cinematic. Add a grand scale and the use of rare natural materials to the mix and even a minimalist home can start to feel pretty epic.
Who lives here?
The home was commissioned by proud Cantabrians Susie and Daryll Park in 2010. A well known businessman, Daryll ran for Christchurch mayor in 2019.
Susie represented New Zealand in the 1974 Commonwealth Games in athletics. She was just 16 years-old at the time. The games is one of a number of inspirations for the home.
The Commonwealth Games inspired this space-age house
Among other things! There’s also more than a touch of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion, which was built for the 1929 International Exposition in Spain, as well as some more lyrical inspiration from the human body (more about that in a bit).
"[Architect] David Ponting had these amazing ideas from Europe," says Park. "So, we've taken a touch of Barcelona pavilion and our own desires and put it into our dream home that we've been living in for 13 years now."
The angular windows in the cupola above the home were inspired by the stylised Union Jack symbol of the 1974 Commonwealth Games which Susie took part in, and which were held in Christchurch.
The schist rock is from the Himalayas
Ponting’s central idea was to build the home around the pool, which would be like the heart of the house.
"The big schist walls were the arteries. And it was quite symbolic in terms of what he was looking to achieve. And we loved the materials he was talking about."
Speaking of materials, that is some good looking stone
Right? The couple weren’t keen on local stone, which was too brown for the look they were hoping to achieve. Instead they imported 500m² of rock from the Himalayas.
The design was also inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion.
It took three stonemasons five months to cut and dry stack the schist. "So inside and outside of the house is basically Himalayan stone."
The stone also has some special properties: it sparkles in the sun.
There’s no carpet between you and the stone, either.
"It's all stone underfloor geothermal heating throughout, not just to heat the pool, but the spa, everywhere.
“We're very fortunate that we put in all the skylights. It's an indoor-outdoor feel, it's more about having the expanse of space and that's what David was trying to achieve."
There is 500 square metres of Himalayan rock in the home.
The home also uses Brazilian stone and American white ash, as well as the more prosaic, and locally sourced wood-grained concrete.
How did they end up building it here?
Park bought a neighbouring 10 acre block in the 80s and built a house there. About 20 years later, the Parks bought an adjoining block of land.
"We thought, 'we've got a big block of land. What will we do?' So about 200-plus meters off the road, down the back, we built our dream home."
Conceptually, the pool is the heart of the home
The house has about a 4ha section around it.
Ponting positioned the house precisely to make the most of the sunlight at different times of the day.
So what else does this home have going for it?
It’s a short drive from the airport, making it an attractive proposition for international investment buyers.
The home has two kitchens: the main one in the living area and a teppanyaki-style kitchen by the pool.
"My favourite space is my office," says Park. "I do work from home. I can see the driveway and see people come in and I can operate the remote from the 300 meters away.
"My wife loves sitting looking out over the fields and the lawn and the pool, yeah. With all the glass and the reflections, the pool can be seen from every part of the house."
There’s also an informal jogging track in the lawn outside the home, which Susie makes use of.
The kitchen is made from Brazilian stone and Nepalese schist.
“It was a lovely space to bring our children up.”
What would a place like this set me back?
That’s the real question, right? With a CV of $5,050,000, you’ll need deep pockets for this one.
While it is hard to put a price on vibes, Christchurch’s good vibes are hard to ignore at the moment.
The home has four bedrooms, including a large master suite.
Canterbury’s housing market is one of the few in the country that has risen lately as the region’s economy remains strong. Census data showed more folks moving south between 2018 and 2023: 34,440 people moved from Auckland to the South Island, while 19,986 people moved the other way.
Those who’d made the move reported the city having more energy, and vibrancy than Auckland or Wellington, with at least one recent transplant admitting he has “no wish to go back” to Auckland.
Last week, Ray White Group’s forecasters predicted seven areas across the motu would see median house prices move above $1 million in the next 12 months - two of them in Christchurch.
The home at 400 Pound Rd is for sale by deadline, which closes at 12pm on Wednesday, November 5, unless sold prior. The listing is with Sean Lines and Nicky Armitage for NZSIR.
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