The Ponatahi Artist’s Studio sits on a small lifestyle block just outside Martinborough in the Wairarapa. "One of the owners is a painter, and this studio was designed as a dedicated space at the bottom of their property where she could work independently from the main house," explains architect Katie Gunn of Aspect Architecture.

Height was central to the design. "As a painter, she needed substantial wall space to hang canvases and work on multiple pieces at once, not always on an easel."

Katie started the design development with a simple box, then ‘cut’ into it, creating indents and diagonal roof lines that echo the rolling hills and valleys of the surrounding landscape. For the interior, she chose Bates PlyPlay in Naturally Naked, as both a lining material and the panel for several functional elements.

Embracing the rural vernacular with natural plywood

"We used prefinished PlyPlay extensively," says Katie. "It’s incredibly practical. It forms the ceiling, wraps the mezzanine, lines the underside of the kitchen area, shapes the stair, and makes up the mezzanine floor itself. It provides strength where needed — in the stairs, for example — but also works as a finished surface in its own right."

Durable and visually warm, PlyPlay brings texture and a natural timber quality that softens the space without losing the feeling of the building being rural and practical.

"We often draw on rural vernacular in our work, as many of our buildings are in the country. There’s something honest and enduring about those forms and materials in the New Zealand landscape, and we like to reinterpret them in a contemporary way."

When looks and functionality are the same thing

In a working artist’s studio, durability is a must-have. "There will be knocks, bumps, paint splashes and movement of canvases and materials. Plywood can handle that. In fact, those marks become part of the patina; they contribute to a lived-in, working aesthetic that suits an art studio."

Shelving and canvas storage are also built from ply, for the same reason. While some plasterboard features in the building, using plywood in high-contact areas reduces maintenance and the need for regular repainting.

PlyPlay is also cost effective compared with other timber finishes. For the Ponatahi Artist’s Studio, it helps define a space made for uninterrupted days of creative work in an inspiring and tranquil country setting. 

Find out more 

Order samples of PlyPlay from [email protected] or call our team on 0800 269 251 for more information.