Feature article
Modern looks for Lockwood homes
Here are some stunning ideas to create sleek, immersive interiors in your Lockwood home.
Last updated: 28 February 2024
Lockwood Homes has become synonymous with New Zealand residential architecture, with the company having built more than 50,000 homes in Aotearoa and around the world.
Founders, John van Loghem and Jo La Grouw, came to New Zealand in 1951 from The Netherlands, and were commissioned by Wellington City Council to supply and build prefabricated housing. While those early homes were constructed using imported components, it wasn’t long before the Lockwood Homes system was developed using locally grown pine.
Due to the company’s consistent standards, and the solid-timber homes’ reputation for efficiency and sustainability, popularity of the product continued to grow for the next few decades, and even today, Lockwood homes from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are still very popular when they come onto the property market.
One of the biggest ‘complaints’ you will probably hear about a Lockwood home is that the knotty pine timber interiors are very old-fashioned. What people may not know is that Lockwood homes are highly customisable, allowing personalisation of exteriors and interiors to include painted/wallpaper feature walls, stonework, blonded timber finishes and even clear pine with no knots. Whatever your taste, be it traditional, contemporary or ultra-modern, you’ll find a Lockwood Homes finish to suit.
Cover image: This stunning contemporary Lockwood home in Tauranga features a central schist wall that meets knot-free pine walls. The high sarked ceiling creates a voluminous sense of space and an airy, light open-plan living area.
This modern Lockwood home uses blonded timber to create a pared back, contemporary aesthetic.
Can you paint the interior of a Lockwood home?
Painting the interior walls of an existing Lockwood Homes house is a relatively easy task — as with any painting project, the correct preparation will ensure a high-quality finish. In the holiday home pictured above, white-painted walls and ceilings create a crisp, fresh coastal aesthetic.
Better still, renovating an ‘original’ Lockwood, is a relatively simple process, as is incorporating an extension. If you’re looking to create a larger family home, talk to the Lockwood Homes’ design team about the possibility of extending your Lockwood.
This Lockwood holiday home in Mount Maunganui is painted with a white finish to capture the essence of the coastal setting and create a Cape Cod aesthetic.
Are Lockwood homes insulated?
The natural insulating quality of solid timber is well known, which is why older Lockwood homes don’t have wall insulation, and don’t usually require it. However, a renovation project on an older Lockwood home is a great time to incorporate or update ceiling and underfloor insulation to ensure adherence to modern-day codes.
Contemporary Lockwood homes incorporate the Lockwood 107mm external insulated wall system, which has been rated with an R-Value of 2.1, much higher than the building code requires for solid timber buildings. This rating is achieved consistently throughout the exterior walls with the use of a rigid foam insulation sandwiched between solid timber.
Modern Lockwood homes are highly customisable, with the Scandi aesthetic popular when it comes to contemporary designs.
Decorating and decor ideas for Lockwood houses
If you’re looking for a décor style to suit your recently updated Lockwood home, an obvious choice — and one that sits well within the New Zealand landscape — is the ‘Scandi’ style. Scandinavian Design consists of clean lines and is generally minimalist; much like a Lockwood home. Using a blend of textures and soft hues, Scandinavian Design champions simple furnishings that are functional as well as beautiful, to create sleek modern décors that are also warm and inviting, and that won’t date.
If it’s a new Lockwood Homes design you crave, the company offers a wide variety of customisable plans, kitset homes — which you can put together yourself if you have the requisite skills — and even prefabricated homes delivered directly to your site. So, whether you’re after a small, 60 square metre sleep out, or a large high-end 600 square metre family home, there is a Lockwood Homes design to suit.
The options are endless when it comes to modern looks for Lockwood homes. Here, a polished concrete floor, clerestory windows and a monochromatic colour palette create a striking bold aesthetic.
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