Bandsawn Oak Flooring at Pohutukawa House

A Coastal Home Shaped by the Coromandel

Perched on the rugged coastline of the Coromandel Peninsula, Pohutukawa House is a modern coastal retreat designed to sit in quiet dialogue with its weather-worn surroundings. The brief called for something that could hold its own against salt-laden winds and the shifting moods of sea and sky — yet still feel warm, tactile, and unmistakably refined inside. Every material choice, from the cedar cladding to the oak underfoot, had to carry both presence and patina.

Custom Distilled Bandsawn Oak Underfoot

At the heart of the interior is Vienna Woods’ Custom Distilled Bandsawn Oak — a bespoke finish developed specifically for this home. Each board carries a visible bandsawn texture and a deep, distilled tone that echoes pohutukawa-stained rock and wind-tempered timber. Underfoot, it reads as solid and grounded; up close, the grain tells you how every plank has been hand-worked. It’s part of our Distilled Collection, built for homes where the floor is expected to do more than simply sit quietly in the background.

Where Luxury Meets Ruggedness

The Coromandel is never polite about weather, and the floor needed to reflect that. The bandsawn texture means the surface doesn’t reveal every scuff from sandy feet or wet boots, while the distilled finish lets the oak age gracefully rather than fight its environment. What results is flooring that feels luxurious without asking to be treated preciously — a material equally at home during a bare-footed morning and a boots-off-after-the-beach evening. For a house built to weather decades of salt and sun, that easy duality was the whole point.

A Collaboration with Sumich Chaplin

Pohutukawa House was brought to life by Sumich Chaplin, a New Zealand architecture studio known for rigorous, site-specific work. Their detailing pushed our team to develop a floor finish that could hold its own alongside concrete, stone and vertical cedar. Small touches — stair treads that flow seamlessly from the main floor, thresholds that disappear at indoor-outdoor transitions — are the result of close collaboration between architect, builder and flooring consultant. It’s the kind of project that reminds us why custom work matters: the best floors are shaped as much by their context as by their craft.

Featured Flooring: Custom Distilled Bandsawn Oak

Architect: Sumich Chaplin

Flooring Consultant: Miguel Uribe

Images: Thomas Cannings

Interiors: Peta Davy (Yellow Fox)

Flooring Installation: Finesse Floors

Location: Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand