Under a Big Straw Hat |
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A handmade holiday home on an idyllic Fijian island is something many of us might dream of. Simon Carnachan made the dream reality, but living it hasn’t always been easy.
As an architect, Simon is adept at shaping buildings and creating spaces that delight and inspire. But the true revelation in this project was on another level entirely. “It was a real labour of love – long and hard but interesting,” says Simon. “It’s one thing to have a holiday in the islands, but quite another to live, work and commune with the locals on a basic level.”
Simon with his late wife Robyn, soon after the Fiji house was finished; it was “Robyn’s baby – she drove it,” says Simon.
Every corner received the skilful touch of Simon’s interior designer wife Robyn and when it was finished the couple split their time between it and their homes in Auckland and Queenstown. But the dream life was shattered when Robyn was diagnosed with bowel cancer. She died in 2009.
The loss was tremendous for Simon and many people thought the memories held in the couple’s three properties would be too painful to live with. But Simon looked at it differently, seeing the homes as testament to their time together. Recently remarried, he is keen to take his new wife, Angela Scott, to Fiji to see what he and Robyn achieved together. Having transformed a few homes herself – including a manor house in England’s Cotswolds (NZ House & Garden, June 2010) – New Zealand-born Angela will appreciate the trouble the couple went to.
When Simon and Robyn first lusted after a place on this spot, back in 2005, their real estate agent (also a friend) told them they had “no hope in hell” of securing one. “The only available land, along with a nearby resort, was owned by Australians and put in trust,” says Simon.
Yet, just six weeks after this discouraging prediction, a property came up for sale and the Carnachans spent the next 12 months negotiating to buy a 0.8ha slice of paradise with 100 metres of spangled, sandy beach. Those months spent getting to “yes” not only allowed them time to explore their vision but immersed them in a cultural sea change. Before building started, a sevusevu blessing with the local chief was held and the couple were welcomed onto their land with a traditional kava ceremony.
“An important part of the experience was learning about the Fijian traditions,” says Simon.
The credit for the house they went on to build is “very much Robyn’s” insists Simon. “She did 90 per cent of the organisation. She lived up here for weeks at a time, acting as the clerk of works on the whole thing. I just floated up and did some drawings.”
The wall behind the bed in the master bedroom is clad in rough-sawn native vesi wood; louvred shutters are fitted with insect screens and subtle fluorescents beneath the bed throw an alluring pool of light onto the marble floor.
Those drawings were of an essentially tropical house. An H-shaped central compound anchors six thatched bures. Alfresco walkways link the living and dining zones in the central part of the H, with two bedroom wings that run alongside. The bedrooms all have outdoor showers and there’s no glass – just louvres and shutters that hinge or slide. Although the design template follows the original home on the site, it has been punctured with so many apertures for doors and windows that it is virtually unrecognisable. “A lot of time is spent outside, so the architectural idea is more about roofs and shade,” says Simon. “It’s like living under a big straw hat.”
With plenty of separate spaces to retreat to, the holiday home offers privacy and seclusion even for large groups. Walls are built of solid block, plastered inside and out, and a magnificent framework of timber beams and trusses supports the steel roof. The extensive decking is made from vesi, a hardwood of the kwila family, and precious rainwater is channelled from the roof to underground reservoirs.
Practicality and aesthetics both played their part in the choice of materials and methods. “We had to build what the Fijians know how to do,” says Simon. “It was all done by hand and, over the two-year construction period, we had up to 50 people living onsite.”
Every nail, piece of timber and block was barged over from the mainland. Because of the high humidity, fixings had to be stainless steel and the use of solid timber, rather than particle board or laminate, was essential to prevent swelling and warping. The soft sand base was no good for heavy machinery so spades and wheelbarrows were the order of the day.
Benches in the industrial-style kitchen are equipped with flexible hoses and are on wheels so they can be moved around, indoors or out, to suit; every drawer and cupboard is stainless-steel-lined as a guard against mould.
“Those guys worked like hell,” says Simon. A salt-water pool was dug by hand and concreted overnight. “We had to do it that way as the sun would have baked the concrete too quickly.”
Rustic the buildings may be, but the finishes and furniture are pure European style. With custom-made beds, red Christian Werner Pop chairs, Artemide Tizio lamps and two large Philippa Blair canvases in the living room, this is the essence of cool contemporary design.
The kitchen was ordered from New Zealand and shipped over flat-packed in a container. Stoves, fridges, televisions and the light fittings were also freighted in. “When we were carrying the dishwasher in, one of the Fijian workers asked whether it was a photocopying machine. He had never seen one before,” says Simon.
Three mobile all-stainless benches in the kitchen can be wheeled to wherever they’re needed. The extra lift off the floor creates a light and airy feel and it means that any creepy crawlies have no place to hide.
There’s plenty of choice for dining alfresco – under thatch in the sheltered courtyard to the rear or, in summer, on the seaward side to catch the breeze. Gas is delivered Fiji-style; a tank does the rounds on a barge and the gas bottles are filled then rolled unceremoniously into the lagoon for aquatic pick-up.
The bure at one end of the pool at Simon Carnachan’s Fijian holiday home has a sand floor and is wired for sound: “We’ll often carry the dining table in here late at night,” says Simon. “It’s the perfect contemplative space to relax in while you listen to music and sip Drambuie with the pool lit up in front of you.”
Two full-time staff – sisters Mela and Salote – live on the property, with their family nearby. They’re superb cooks, says Simon, who make “wonderful curries. I have a deal whereby I buy the ingredients, they cook and we get to share the spoils.”
Sometimes the family kayak out to catch tiny reef octopus or wade into the water to gather nama (sea grapes), which are made into a salad with chilli, lemon juice and coconut milk.
Simon has a boat he uses for fishing – walou or yellowfin tuna are plentiful – and a car for shopping in Nadi on the mainland, a 45-minute boat trip away. “The market is fantastic – so fresh and so inexpensive.” He has also discovered a veritable United Nations of suppliers to rely on: an Australian butcher who brings in export-quality beef and lamb, an Algerian and his American wife who make delectable fresh pasta and a herb farm next to Nadi airport that is second to none.
Then it’s back home to experiment and devour the haul. With architectural projects on the go here, Simon has set up an office and gets to work and play simultaneously. But it takes all his willpower not to be lured to the lagoon: “There are a number of world heritage reefs to snorkel on.” The gardens, too, exert a magnetic force.
“There’s no irrigation apart from putting the hose on every now and then,” says Simon, so plants have to be true survivors. Palms, spiky yellow and green viavia (Crinium asiaticum), Moses in the Cradle groundcover, bright crotons and spectacular bougainvillea add to the natural splendour.
The loss of his wife challenged Simon but coming to Fiji is still an enchanted experience. “It’s quite a spiritual place for me; I feel more connected to Robyn and her memory here than anywhere else. Her legacy is very evident in what’s here.”
He’s sad that she never saw the garden fully grown but she was able to enjoy the finished house for a year or more. “Robyn found the sun, sea and lifestyle here energised her.” It’s a place where joy is found in simple pleasures – eating, sleeping, reading and swimming, no footwear required.
The best money I ever spent was: On doing things properly – the tropics and salt atmosphere murder building materials. We used the highest-quality stainless steel fixings, fittings and kitchen and sand-coloured Carrara marble slab floors for coolness and sand-disguising practicality.
My favourite parts of the house are: The traditionally built bures housing outside dining rooms – air breathes through the thatch and they blend perfectly with the tropical garden. And the outside showers – the luxury of bathing under stars or swaying palms is magical and speaks of holiday.
I love this part of the world: For its light, clarity of water, coconut palms (one of my favourite trees), its unhurried and indulgent way of life and the magical sunsets.
The best time to visit is: June to October, with its settled, balmy weather, offers welcome relief from the New Zealand winter at a time when body, spirit and mind need a boost.
Simon Carnachan
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Story: Claire McCall
Photographs: Patrick Reynolds
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