The traditional Kiwi bach was often a small, intimate space somewhat closed off from the outdoors.

Fast forward several decades and today, it’s just the opposite – living spaces are generous and they will always open up to the outdoors.

But the inspiration for a modern beach house can still have its roots in the past, as this Waiheke Island project shows.

Architect Vaughn McQuarrie says the concept for the house was to create a central grand space, surrounded by smaller spaces, “somewhat like a church in the centre of a small village”.

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