CONTACT:
Karl Vermeulen, Harcourts, ph 027 204 4249.
AUCTION:
Dec 6 at noon on site.
Over a glass or two of Italian red, a typical family gathering has seen those most in the know mulling over just how very European this home is.
When Marilu Destino and Jay Dignan flew in from their home in the French Alps this property brought them face to face with welcoming familiarity. For Marilu, the Italian points of reference were the kitchen and the canopy above the hob, which have a Tuscan home-and-hearth feel about them. Outside, beside the garden, it is the olive trees and the citrus blossoms that reminded her of her childhood home in Puglia, Italy.
For Jane Dignan, who has lived here for two years, the European appeal of this home has been especially poignant. Jane and her husband, Keith, who died last month, remarked on it on their return from visiting Marilu and Jay and their children in France.
"When we came back from travelling to London, France, Italy and Greece it was like, 'Yes, we've got it all right here'. When you come into the driveway you do get that feeling that you've been away on holiday."
Jay is the eldest of Keith's four children and, for him, returning here was as much about the house's Kiwi lifestyle elements as for the European touches, which include the screened sun porch off the lounge and the kitchen garden nearby with its mint, lavender and white Spanish stone mulch.
"Probably the non-European elements would be the big lounge and the open-plan living, the carpet in the rooms and the big wooden deck," Jay says.
Keith Dignan bought the property five years ago, two years after it was built. It came with the Tuscan label courtesy of the original builder.
Its elevated position in a new street with long views to ridgetop acreages is a significant part of what appealed to Jane about the Flat Bush urban development.
These are the views she sees from the kitchen, with its composite stone bench and its open traffic area between the sink and the hob that was achieved by installing the island bench off to one side. This free-standing unit is where everyone gravitates.
"It has that real round-table feel about it," says Jay.
The little-used formal dining by the family room has been good for laying out food for big family gatherings, says Jane.
Downstairs, one of the guest bedrooms and the formal lounge open out to the barbecue deck that was Keith's favourite spot for relaxing with his six grandchildren.
Out of sight behind the house is the glasshouse that was Keith's first purchase after he moved in. It is near his raised perimeter orchard of fruit trees bearing plums, lemons and oranges.
Image 1 of 6: Here, a blend of European and Kiwi aesthetics will appeal to families who love entertaining
Off the double front door, the flared staircase leads up to three bedrooms, the main bathroom, en suite and the study on the mezzanine landing.
Off the master bedroom, Keith and Jane's Juliet balcony has the same wrought-iron profile as the balcony above the front door.
Together, they are yet another layer of European styling beneath the Italian-style clay roof tiles and the painted timber corbels beneath the eaves.
Inside and out, this home has been given an official endorsement of its European ambience by three family members who have discovered for themselves why the European aesthetic is an appealing one to surround yourself with at home.
