A Flexible Family Compound by Fearon Hay and Katie Lockhart

For a new house set among a mature chestnut orchard near Queenstown, New Zealand, Auckland-based firm Fearon Hay and interior designer Katie Lockhart approached the project as both a family home and a place of work. Designed for a couple with three adult children living abroad, the focus was on the long view: building a flexible, multi-generational family home and ceramicist retreat to accommodate returning children and guests. The new build is conceived as a series of agricultural volumes arranged around a central courtyard that opens toward the surrounding mountains. Clad in zinc and corrugated metal to protect from harsh seasonal shifts, the interior is defined by oak joinery, limestone flooring, and plaster finishes—an architecture drawn directly from rural shed typologies, the utilitarian buildings of Central Otago in New Zealand, with a contemporary approach.

Katie Lockhart joined the project as the build was underway, focusing primarily on furnishings and soft elements to complement the architectural framework. Working with a client who is both a ceramicist and collector, she developed an interiors palette that feels eclectic but considered—custom pieces alongside vintage finds, and a continuity of materials. The result is a modern compound designed to flex with the seasons of life, pared back for daily use and artistic practice, but expandable to accommodate a full house.

Photography by David Straight for Katie Lockhart Studio.