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A Beachlands Build

Scandi styling with Iconic Essence

A love of fresh Scandi styling combined with careful planning has created a beautiful family home in Auckland’s eastern suburbs that makes the most of a fantastic coastal outlook and city views. 

Owners Clayton and Toni bought the newly released section in Beachlands after falling in love with its views, which became the focal point for the design of their two-storey home. 

The house is light and airy, channelling a clean, minimalist Scandinavian influence by teaming crisp white walls with light timber cabinetry and flooring, black accents in handles and light fittings and touches of luxurious marble throughout. 

Every detail reflects the couple’s clear design vision, even down to the Iconic Essence switchgear in Arctic White from PDL by Schneider Electric. Its sleek matte white cover plates edged with real birch timber echo the home’s interior, while its handy extras like USB charging, dimmers and Bluetooth functionality add an ease to everyday life. 

Clayton and Toni's Beachlands House

bright living room of the beachlands build

kitchen of the beachlands build

A natural flow

The couple had formed a good idea of what they wanted in their house after many visits to show homes and open homes while searching for a property. Toni had sketched out ideas along the way and cut floor plans from brochures, so as soon as they secured their section she leapt into action. 

“Clay went away on a work trip for a week and by the time he came home I’d planned our house!” she laughs. “I had it all drawn to scale and had placed things to make the most of the sun, for privacy from neighbours, and more than anything, for that view.” 

Once home, Clayton used CADS software to transform Toni’s plan into a 3D model of the home. “It gave us an idea of how it would look and feel when we put the different colours and elements in,” he explains. “We could see how it would work with us and how we live.”

Toni was determined to make the most of every bit of space, with a house that made sense for their family. Clever placement has put the butler’s pantry within easy reach of the garage to avoid carrying heavy groceries through the house, while the office is tucked under the stairs, with built-in shelving solving the problem of where to put bulky bookcases. 

Large decks off the living area create easy indoor/outdoor flow, while hardwood flooring adds a feeling of warmth, as does a large inlaid carpet square that invites you to stretch out and relax in front of the long fireplace in winter. 

The children’s bedrooms are in a wing downstairs, while upstairs the master retreat includes a bedroom with sumptuous views that are also reflected in the mirrored wardrobe doors. A striking timber feature wall partially separates it from the luxurious spa-like open bathroom, where even the large freestanding bath looks towards the city. 

“The view is what sold us on the property and so wanted to make the most of it!” says Toni.

Iconic Essence in the kitchen

Switching it up

For Toni and Clayton, choosing switchgear was very much part of the design process. “It’s those little touches that make the difference,” explains Toni. “If we’d put standard switch gear into the house it would have changed the overall effect of the whole project, and we’d worked so hard to have everything just right.”

With touches of timber throughout the home, Toni was delighted to find this same timber look in the PDL Iconic Essence switchgear range, which features rounded edging in natural birch. 

“I had no clue that switch gear like this was even available,” says Toni. “Iconic Essence is so soft and gentle with the matte and the timber. As soon as I saw it I said to Clay, ‘That’s it. I’m not even looking at anything else.’” 

As well as stylish looks, Iconic Essence (and the wider Iconic range by PDL) offers a range of features to make everyday living simpler, which the couple were delighted to take advantage of. 

Iconic Essence

More than just switches

They added dimmers to their living room and bedroom lighting, and USB ports in each bedroom, as well as in the office, for easy phone charging. “We decided to future-proof a little bit there, so we’ve included the double module with the USB-C connection too, as there are more devices using that now,” says Clayton.

Pictograms help them identify which switches activate lighting in different areas and Clayton was delighted to add his own touch with the custom design service. “I came up with a design for our pendant lights that we wanted indicated and we had it engraved onto the switchgear.” 

And a smarter home

The Iconic range is Bluetooth-enabled too, providing a simple entry to smart home automation. Lights and power points can be controlled from a smartphone app and it’s easy to add and link other features later. “Clay is always using the smart light dimmers on his phone, he finds that quite handy. Especially when he has two cats sitting on him and can’t get up from the couch!” laughs Toni. 

Having spent so much time perfecting every element of what went into their home, Clayton and Toni weren’t going to sell themselves short. “You spend a lot of money on a build and big items,” says Toni. “And this sort of switchgear is not a huge investment for what you get out of it. It’s a lovely interaction every day.”

A home that’s a haven

Now, as they relax in their home, Clayton and Toni can reflect on what they have created and the journey to get there. 

“Every bit of work we put into the house and every decision we made, we feel it every day,” says Toni. “I love that our whole home flows so well and nothing feels out of place. It’s a beautiful, restful space to be in.” 

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