The Brae is a colourful community of 12 two storey family homes at Pine Harbour, on Auckland's eastern seaboard. The houses are styled in a contemporary interpretation of the Cape Cod design — with a touch of the Kiwi boatshed and English beach hut, in keeping with the seaside location.

The typical 17th century Cape Cod cottage was steep-roofed and clad in unpainted cedar shake shingles which weathered in time from warm tan to silvery grey.

The Brae was built by Auckland construction company Jalcon Homes, in collaboration with award winning Steven Lawson Architects, whose brief was to design innovative buildings in harmony with the land, sea and sky.

Naturally, colour was an important consideration. The architects prescribed shades of grey to coat and outline the houses in colours reflecting sea and sky scapes. Jalcon refined that prescription to New Zealand Steel's Colorsteel Maxx, which, while also incorporating those subtle grey tones, was specifically developed to withstand higher atmospheric salt concentrations and therefore best suited to Pine Harbour's coastal location.

To accentuate the individuality of each house, Steven Lawson incorporated decks and balconies in a strong white, alternating with splashes of paintwork in stunning autumn orange — echoing the raw red of natural cedar in those original Cape Cod houses. These vivid colours contrast comfortably with the façades and roofing in Colorsteel Maxx pre-painted steel in 'Smokey' and 'Thunder Grey', the combination making for a simple yet stunning blend of style, colour and texture which sees roofs, joinery, cladding and paintwork working in harmony.