Michelle Webb loves to stand in her kitchen looking across the countryside in Awahuri, Manawatū, to catch the sun rising above the Ruahine Range. It reminds her how thankful she and her family are. “I’ve never been privy to such incredible sunrises and sunsets in one spot; we’re lucky as the Manawatū is so flat, so you can see them.”
Such special moments were a prominent feature in the home’s design for her, husband Brad and their three children. It’s a dwelling that suits the couple’s love of rural life and their journey towards a slower pace in life.
Country life resonates deeply for the couple – Brad grew up on a farm a short drive from their house and Michelle was raised on a farm in the King Country. “We’re both from rural backgrounds, so we wanted to live rurally,” Michelle says. While they were renting in Palmerston North in 2018, Brad decided he wanted to put his knowledge and skills to use and purchased 1.7ha of land off his parents to build on.
