A light and airy loft

Creating characterful spaces that would handle the knocks was a priority for Auckland designer Richard Furze when designing his new loft. 

But so was time and cost savings. PlyPlay™ provided a solution that would shave weeks off the timeframe and result in a beautiful, pre-finished plywood surface.

The loft is designed for flexible guest accommodation and as extra play space for the kids. Neatly located above his double garage and below height-to-boundary daylight lines, the 48-square-metre space provides a lounge, double bedroom, bathroom and kid's cubby-come-storage space in the apex.

Furze chose blonded PlyPlay wall and ceiling linings for their character and speed of installation.

The pre-finished product provides time and cost benefits because it avoids the need for plastering and painting trades, and the robust surface means far less wear-and-tear over time when compared with painted plasterboard. 

"I wanted ply for its warmth and texture, but also for practical reasons," explains Furze. "The low sloping ceilings will undoubtedly get knocked, and plywood stands up to this better than other options, meaning less maintenance. We had time and cost constraints too, and wanted all the linings to come pre-finished so we could move in early." 

The plywood provides a modern, soft industrial feeling to the space.

Well-placed skylights and a blonded finish reflect the light around. Rooms feel larger and more spacious. Furze has contrasted the plywood with black doors, black lights and dark tiles in the bathroom for a clean, contemporary look.

PlyPlay has a tough and environmentally friendly factory-applied UV paint finish, and is glued and panel-pinned to the framing on site. "The ply arrived on site with its protective film, and the builders definitely treated it with more respect because of this cover," says Furze. With coatings applied in a controlled factory environment, all panels arrive ready to install, making for a consistent interior finish.