News / Design intervention

Reflecting the landscape

The best way to get away from it all is to literally get away from it all. Hugged by the rolling hills of the Banks Peninsula and the glistening Pacific Ocean, the working farm and four luxury villas that make up Annandale in New Zealand are so secluded they could be on another planet. Touch down at the cedar-clad beach house Scrubby Bay after a spectacular helicopter flight that takes in the criss-crossing cliff-top farm tracks and undulating landscape.

This is the destination for total privacy and relaxation, a place in which to lose track of time wandering along the coastline, skimming stones across the water and breathing in the salty sea air. Designed to maximise on the views with expansive windows and a large sun-drenched terrace, Scrubby Bay acts as an extension of the landscape, leaving you feeling enveloped by nature at every turn. With space for 14, it’s the perfect location for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of family and friendship, offering a fresh perspective with moments of calm and solitude alongside the gentle hubbub of communal laughter, story-telling and memories.

It’s this connection with the wilderness that offers therapeutic effects – relieving stress, increasing energy levels and restoring attention. From one corner of the globe to another, Fogo Island Inn is a striking architectural feat perched off the coast of Canada that offers similar environmental succour. Here you are a 15-minute drive away from civilisation, which means the floor-to-ceiling windows enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the moon-like landscape and the wild waves of the North Atlantic beyond.

The hotel’s biggest draw is its relief from modern times; built on the principles of sustainability, the building is immersed in the landscape, and those who visit will feel their worries begin to fade as they reconnect with nature. The 43,000 square-foot Inn was designed by Newfoundland-born, Norway-based architect, Todd Saunders. It is perched on stilts to echo the temporary houses ancestral settlers used to build while they fished here before returning home.

Every aspect of your stay anchors you back to the island – whether it’s the whitewashed decor that allows the dramatic views to steal the spotlight or the bespoke furnishings designed by local artisans. It brings you closer to discovering new adventures with ocean swims, self-guided hikes and beach walks, or even the once-ina- lifetime opportunity to see whales, dolphins and seals flit beneath the waves.