Creating a Seamless Indoor Outdoor Transition with Timber Flooring and Decking

Carved into the steep bush-covered hillside, overlooking Wellington harbour, sits Eastbourne House designed by Stevens Lawson Architects. This multi-level home combines bold exterior architecture with a serene interior, offering a unique blend of robustness and elegance amidst the challenging Wellington climate.

From the outside, Eastbourne House presents a monolithic form defined by glazed terracotta tiles, black aluminium and subtle, curved steel accents. These materials not only enhance the home's visual appeal but also fortify it against Wellington's unpredictable weather — a crucial consideration in the brief for this unique project.

The design incorporates an outdoor terrace that evokes a cave-like ambiance, providing a sheltered retreat from the elements while creating its own microclimate. Inside, the atmosphere shifts dramatically with natural light flooding the interior and creating a bright and airy feel that contrasts with the robust exterior. One of the standout features of this home is a helical staircase, meticulously fabricated on-site and overlaid with Forté engineered timber flooring, which elegantly ascends through three levels of the home. This staircase not only serves as a practical pathway between spaces but also as a sculptural centrepiece, adding a sense of continuity to the home.

The interior design emphasises natural materials and textures with Forté’s Ultra Marbled Oak engineered timber flooring acting as a foundation of the home, imbuing it with warmth and character. The integration of Millboard decking on the terrace, in a colour that pairs perfectly with the interior timber floor, further blurs the boundary between indoor and outdoor living. This transition creates a seamless indoor/outdoor flow and is a perfect representation of the Colour Pairings Forté offer across their flooring, interior linings, decking and cladding collections.

Eastbourne House exemplifies how innovative architecture can harmonise with its natural surroundings while meeting contemporary living needs. It represents a careful balance of form and function, where every design choice from materials to layout, contributes to a cohesive and inviting living experience for a modern family.

Explore Forté Colour Pairings

Photography by Mark Smith and Julia Kennerley

Millboard Enhanced Grain Decking

Forté

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Millboard Enhanced Grain is part of a collection of premium range of decking products designed with style for residential, commercial and public spaces applications.

The Forté Millboard Decking System shall be:

In all exposure zones as defined in NZS 3604:2011 — Where microclimatic conditions apply, as defined in NZS 3604:2011, contact Millboard for technical advice.
Fixings must be in accordance with section 4 of NZS 3604:2011. In exposure zone D, stainless steel fixings must be used.
Greater than 1 m from a relevant boundary.
On timber framing that complies with the NZ Building Code or with the Millboard support systems (Plas-Pro, DuoSpan or DuoLift) — The framing must have a minimum design load of 2 kPa or be subject to specific engineering design. Joist spacing must be at maximum of 400 mm centres for residential applications or 300mm centres for commercial applications.
As an external decking board — Durafix® fixings must be used (4.5mm x 60mm dimension) to fasten the Millboard composite decking boards to a timber subframe. Durafix® 4.5mm x 45 fixings can be used to fasten the Millboard composite decking boards to a plastic subframe.

Clause B1 Structure: Alternative Solution - Clauses B1.3.1, B1.3.2, B1.3.3 (a, b, c, e, f, j, m, & q )
Clause B2 Durability: Alternative Solution - Clauses B2.3.1(b )
Clause D1 Access routes: Alternative Solution - Clauses D1.3.3(d)
Clause F2 Hazardous building materials: Alternative Solution – Clauses F3.2.1

PASS

Engineered Timber Wood Flooring — Ultra Collection

Forté

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Ultra is a collection of engineered timber overlay flooring suitable for residential and commercial applications.

FSC Certified

Overlay flooring suitable for residential and commercial applications.

Glue down installation over plywood, particle board, concrete, existing timber
4-sided tongue and groove planks
Compatible with underfloor heating
Prefinished, can be sanded and recoated up to 5x if required
Matching stair nosing available

The Forté Timber Overlay Flooring System is certified for use in:

a) all buildings
b) in all areas, including level access routes likely to become wet, except:
i. garages and commercial kitchens, and
ii. unsprinklered sleeping areas and exitways in buildings where care or detention is provided, and
c) installed on the following substrates:
i. Concrete floors (slab-on-grade or suspended)
ii. Timber flooring (structural or overlay)
iii. Concrete floors with Hydronic Underfloor Heating system
iv. Electric underfloor heating system
v. Wet-Area Membrane systems
vi. Acoustic underlay

B2 Durability — By analysis and comparison with Verification Method B2/VM1
C3 Fire affecting areas beyond the fire source — By testing and comparison with Verification Method C/VM2
D1 Access routes — By testing and comparison with Acceptable Solution D1/AS1
E3 Internal moisture — By analysis and comparison with Acceptable Solution E3/AS1
F2 Hazardous building materials — By testing and comparison with the performance requirements of the New Zealand Building Code clause F2.3.1

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