84 | Hallmark Homes BUILDING Tim Bullin: 027 330 1263 office@maestroelectrical.co.nz maestroelectrical.co.nz Commercial | Residential | Servicing The Right Connection For Your Next Project! T T Kelly Deeks Highly individualised home wins Gold The single-level Oakbridge home was designed around the way its owners live, with cooking, entertaining, art, gardening, and outdoor living all central to the brief. Hallmark Homes has taken out a regional category win and Gold Award in the Canterbury House of the Year competition for a $750,000-$1 million home that combines dramatic architecture with the practicalities of family entertaining. The single-level Oakbridge home was designed around the way its owners live, with cooking, entertaining, art, gardening, and outdoor living all central to the brief. Hallmark Homes General Manager Patrick Dixon says the 510sqm corner site offered an ideal starting point, with all-day sun, a north-facing outlook, and a driveway layout that helps maintain privacy within the cul-desac. The home’s most striking feature is its cathedral-ceilinged main living area, where the soaring roofline draws natural light deep into the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living spaces. “The clients wanted the main living area to feel genuinely dramatic, not just spacious,” Patrick says. “Pairing a cathedral ceiling with an openplan layout let us build real volume into the room and let natural light travel right through it.” The dramatic architecture is balanced by warmer, more intimate details, including a fireplace and recessed television set into a feature wall, while a dark kitchen with marble, rich cabinetry, and high-end appliances provides a strong visual centrepiece. A scullery keeps the kitchen uncluttered, while custom joinery continues through the study, laundry, wardrobes, and bathrooms. Consistent gunmetal hardware and the owner’s own artwork add further cohesion throughout the home. Patrick says achieving that level of finish within a $750,000–$1 million budget started with listening. “At Hallmark, we listen to our clients and want to bring all of their wants and dreams into their home within budget,” he says. “Our in-house pricing team and designers work closely together to make sure a design can become reality without blowing the budget. For this project, I think our team did an amazing job of listening and helping create the homeowners’ dream home.” The connection with the outdoors was equally important. A wraparound concrete patio extends the living areas outside, with a louvred pergola providing shelter for dining and entertaining, while a fire pit creates another destination across the lawn. Landscaping was developed alongside the outdoor living areas, with biodiversity also part of the homeowners’ vision. Lorraine Parry of LP Garden Designs created a relaxed backyard oasis designed to welcome birds and bees. The judges’ recognition reflects both the home’s design and the quality of its construction, with House of the Year judging placing strong emphasis on workmanship alongside design, functionality, and style. For Hallmark Homes, the award comes during a significant milestone for the family-owned business, which has been building for over 30 years. Mike and Esther Bonné’s daughters Caitlin, Georgia, and Ashley are now involved in the business, alongside long-serving team members Debbie Stewart (25 years), Chris Marr (30 years) and Jodi McIntosh (25 years). While building standards and construction methods have changed considerably since the day Mike and Esther started, Patrick says the company’s philosophy has remained consistent. “Hallmark’s motto has always been that you walk in as a client and leave as family, and that’s been true from day one,” he says. The award is welcome recognition, but Patrick says Hallmark Homes’ priority remains the client experience and delivering homes that people love to live in.
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