Check out this dreamy seaside sanctum in the Kāpiti Coast sand dunes

This story is from the team at NZ House & Garden magazine.

Think of a floating cedar box filled with a mix of old and new furniture and an eclectic collection of art and objet – and that’s an apt way to imagine Fay Beyer’s striking home on the Kāpiti Coast.

The retired designer and draughtsperson has stamped her mark on the award-winning home she has created for the next chapter of her life. Like a beautifully curated gallery, every piece in her home looks as though it was purposefully bought for the contemporary space, even though many have been collected during more than five decades.

The 73-year-old culled and downsized after living in much larger homes – including a seven-bedroom house in Wadestown in Wellington where she raised three sons and two stepsons – and her new home contains all of the best things she has chosen to keep.

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Designed by Wellington architect Andrew Sexton, the house was awarded a regional New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) award in 2020.

It sits high on a sand dune in Peka Peka, on the Kāpiti Coast, with views of Kāpiti Island and vivid sunsets.

Fay had been looking for a new home after her second husband, Colin Beyer, died in 2015. She wanted to downsize and to have a change.

For the past three decades, the couple had been going back and forth to a Peka Peka beach house that Fay had bought in 1992 and which used to occupy the 2.4ha site. After Colin died, Fay began looking in Wellington for either land or a house which met her two needs: it should be by the sea and be private.

On a visit to the Kāpiti bach, however, she invited Andrew Sexton over for a look; the architect lives on the coast. He pointed to the highest sand dune a few hundred metres from the sea and suggested they clear the boxthorn, blackberry vines and flax, then build there.

Says Fay: “It had actually been Colin’s dream to retire out here too and now it’s a reality.’’

With its simple shed form, the house is long and narrow with twisted roof forms which nestle down over private areas of the house, then lift to allow the extensive views. Andrew designed the concrete plinth to feel solid and robust on the dune, with a cedar box on top.

To quote the NZIA award citation: “This house’s beauty comes through its craft and contrasts: a rugged timber and concrete exterior, and refined details and finishes throughout the interior. Thanks to the house’s high-level glazing, the roof seems to float over interior walls and joinery. In a delightful change from typical beach house interiors, dark materials provide a restful sanctuary from the sun.”

Fay had just a few requests. She wanted a one-level black cedar home with just two bedrooms. She has always had an interest in design and worked as a draughtperson for various international companies while living in Europe before returning to New Zealand in 1976: “Interiors and beautiful things have always been a passion of mine.”

In the mid-1970s, she set up the Taj Art Gallery and cafe in the old toilets in Wellington’s Kent Tce and that was when she met Remiro Bresolin at a food market. After marrying, they opened Wellington’s iconic Italian restaurant Il Casino and had two sons, Lorenzo and Leonardo who have since also become restaurateurs.

It was Fay’s idea to paint the interior of Il Casino pink and furnish it in Italian style. After the couple split, Remiro imported Italian furniture, some of which is dotted around Fay’s home today, including a reclining chair in her bedroom.

The new house has everything Fay wanted and more. A favourite space is the open-plan living area, where floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors open to an exterior deck which is sheltered by the overhanging roof and is on a lower level than the surrounding lawn. Toetoe, carex grass and kānuka trees wave from the garden beyond.

It contrasts with the television area off the kitchen, where she likes to sit with a good book on the built-in corner seating and gaze out at the rural views and sheep grazing in the distance. This is where visiting family indulge in late-night movie-watching sessions and midnight feasts.

In Fay’s bedroom dark grey walls enhance colourful artworks and yet more rural views – from a deck and the bath in her en suite.

It’s been more than a year since Fay moved into her new home where the garden has become a retirement hobby. She’s established rock gardens, a mini orchard, organic vegetable beds and a composting system. Then, of course, there are beach walks with dog Yuki, a Tibetan terrier schnauzer cross.

“I love the local markets too, which provide me with eggs, french bread, cheeses, local olive oil, honey and walnuts. What more can an ol’ girl want? French champagne of course!’’

Q&A with Fay Beyer

My decorating style: I like to combine old and new, such as Danish and Italian furniture and objects. I also like monochromatic tones. Walls in Resene Whiteout contrast with dark elements like the kitchen, the Resene Bokara feature walls, American oak flooring and black carpet.

A favourite spot: The snug is sunken down two steps from the dining area and it has a woodburner surrounded by black marble. I love the television area with the family portraits painted by Airini A’Court and bookshelves which act as a room divider. This room is my grandsons’ Remi and Cero’s favourite place.

Best money spent: My lift which transports, shopping, firewood and me from the garage to the first floor.

Best DIY project: Watching my three sons erect a flat-pack glasshouse on a very windy day. Not a good bonding exercise for two cooks and one builder, although we were helped by a kind mediating neighbour.

Tip for others: Employ an architect and let them develop your ideas. Also, have a big garage for storage.

Best budget tip: The universe provides.