Love at first light

Clever design provides light, privacy and views. Photo / Supplied

3 THELMA CRES TORBAY

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SIZE: Land 3001sq m, house 280sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: For sale at $1.55 million.

INSPECT: By appointment only.

ON THE WEB: premium.co.nz/8256

SCHOOL ZONES: Glamorgan School, Northcross Intermediate, Long Bay College.

CONTACT: Richard Milne and Lewis Guy, Premium, ph 916 4392, 021 770 611 (Richard) or 021 867 355 (Lewis).

FEATURES: A pristinely renovated 1960s home with wide views over the Hauraki Gulf. The house opens on to private park-like grounds, and the large section is potentially subdivisible.

With breathtaking harbour views from her 4.9ha Matakana property, which runs all the way down to Whangateau Harbour, Emma Haughton wanted a house design that would maximise this exceptional building platform.

Her brief to architect Marshall Cook was to make the most of the natural light and views northeast out to Little and Great Barrier islands, Omaha and the Whangateau Harbour (as well as east to Mt Tamahunga and surrounding farmland) but also to provide shelter and protection from prevailing weather conditions.

The result is a contemporary home which wraps around a courtyard, and always there is a sheltered side where doors and windows can stay open, whatever the weather. And being on a large and private piece of land, well away from neighbours, meant Emma and her architect had the luxury of design freedom - they didn't have to worry about such details as height to boundary constraints.

The resulting design features light-filled areas with cedar-framed glass doors leading to decks on two sides of the living and bedroom areas, plus access to the lawned courtyard.

Emma chose natural materials for the house where possible: cedar weatherboards, cypress beams, concrete blocks, American oak flooring.

At the western end of her home is a two-storey board-and-batten garage with an upstairs lounge, bathroom and bedroom for guests (this area could easily be set up as a home office). The garage is double-ended so cars can be parked end to end, and there's offroad parking for up to four more cars.

The rest of the home is L-shaped around the courtyard, with the bedroom/bathroom/playroom wing and their decks, and then the main living space and kitchen with its atrium effect afforded by an abundance of windows and the large sliding double glass doors. "It is so private here, we don't have neighbours," says Emma. "I don't even have curtains in the living areas as no one can see. And we get the sun all day long."

There is another separate TV lounge where the family hunkers down when they watch TV.

The central kitchen is Emma's favourite area of the home, especially in the mornings when the sun streams in. It's well equipped with two ovens and the multi-purpose 3.2m-long island bench. "I also have the walk-in pantry and office space behind the kitchen, so all the clutter doesn't end up on the kitchen bench.

"I love to cook and the kitchen has the view out to the harbour. It's nice to stand and cook and look out at that," she says. Other special touches are the main living area's floating American oak flooring (so soft for bare feet), the large, luxurious tiled bathroom with underfloor heating and the two log burners for the chilliest winter days.

Emma says the property's central spot, five minutes to Matakana, Leigh or Omaha is ideal as her object art gallery, Piece, in Matakana and 9-year-old son Finn's school are an easy drive away. When she's not working, Emma enjoys time at home, meeting family and friends for barbecues or making the most of the area's beaches.

But now she is selling because, with just her and Finn in the house, Emma feels it is too big for them. "There are two of us in this great big house and we have almost 15 acres. I need to downsize. It needs a family who want to do something with the land, who enjoy the views and the ease of living here."