Secluded on an isolated corner of a farm bordering the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park on the North Island of New Zealand is a tiny, single-bedroom hut designed by architect Claire Natusch of Common Space. At first glance, it might appear to be a simple farm building—yet a closer look reveals a carefully crafted retreat that plays off the vernacular of farm sheds and celebrates a simple yet evocative material palette. Inside, the pragmatic materiality is elevated through its raw honesty, and considered design details offer moments of joy and reflection for the residents.

The hut is shared between two owners who have a dairy farming partnership, and the land has been in family ownership for several generations. It’s currently used as a support block for the main operation over an hour’s drive away, and they wanted somewhere to have a cup of tea during the day, or to sleep when working on-site. They also wanted to be able to use it as a retreat on weekends and it needed to have a layout that could adapt to sleep up to six people.

“Claire was engaged to design and oversee the build of our rural retreat, the design of which involved several parties—each with their own wish list,” says the client. “It could have been a near-impossible task, but Claire listened to our needs and wants and successfully delivered a design all were happy with—and within budget, too.”

“The brief was for a simple shelter that would be casual, unfussy, and reflect the rural setting,” says Natusch. “The clients wanted to feel relaxed there, and not worry about upkeep and maintenance.”

The hut is entered via a gap in the corrugated metal wall, where the building’s form wraps around a concrete water tank. On the entrance porch, a repurposed concrete tub allows the residents to wash their hands after a day on the farm, before entering the main room through a sliding door. The door opens to the dining table and a framed view of the windswept macrocarpa trees.

A fireplace to the right of the dining table is surrounded by built-in seating and a window that frames the coast and nearby islands. The kitchen and bedroom are located to the south, while the bathroom is accessed via the covered entry porch and opens out to a sheltered deck with two baths overlooking the ocean.

In keeping with the idea of “retreat,” the hut is designed to foster life’s simple pleasures—and careful consideration went into designing various experiences for the two clients. “They can come out onto the deck after a hard day on the farm and watch the city lights in the distance from their own warm bath, with a glass of wine on the side shelf,” says Natusch. “Or, wake to the morning light washing across the bedroom ceiling while watching deer come out of the forest. Even the view from the toilet was considered.”

Both the interior and exterior use simple, affordable materials to great effect. Pinus Radiata (Monterey pine), for example, is a sustainably grown timber in New Zealand. It displays a rough, band-sawn finish that emphasizes the casual vibe of the hut, while the exterior wood elements have been stained for protection from the elements. The metal cladding is zincalume, which is commonly used on rural sheds as it’s both cost efficient and low maintenance.

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Timber from a fallen puriri tree found on-site was also used for trims and joinery elements. The tree was milled locally and—because of the difficulty of working with such hard timber—was used to create solid planks that simply slot together, rather than intricate joinery. “The joinery design was in keeping with the casual vibe the clients wanted for the place, and their request for open shelving rather than cupboards,” says Natusch. “This also meant that the builder could do the kitchen and bathroom joinery on-site, which saved cost. He did a beautiful job.”

The result is a tiny retreat with a rustic charm that both clients use much more than they ever imagined—and one of the clients has even commissioned Common Space to create a permanent one-bedroom dwelling on the same farm.“The clients were very rewarding to work for,” says Natusch. “They had faith in the process, and would describe how they wanted to live on the site—but they also allowed creative freedom as to how this would manifest. Enabling them to experience such a majestic location in a completely new way was very satisfying.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Common Space / @commonspacearchitects

Builder: Atrium Homes

Photographer: Samuel Hartnett