A house on the beach is the dream of many Kiwis, but it didn't turn out quite that way for Lynley and Todd Kilmister. Like many of us they yearned for a coastal property, but their house near Matakana ultimately proved less than ideal.
"The beach was the reason we wanted to be in this area, but we found our property very windy, and it was too small," Lynley says. "We wanted more space and more flat land, so we bought five acres nearby. It was just two empty paddocks and we excavated it to make it flat because we're big on croquet and the kids wanted somewhere to play soccer."
Lynley and Todd planned the house and took their design to an architect to be drawn up. Within the solid block building with its corrugated iron roof is a family-focused home, designed for easy, indoor-outdoor living.
As with many modern country homes, the hub of the house is the kitchen, and they're so pleased with it Lynley says they fight over who gets to cook. It has two ovens -- one conventional and one fan bake -- which is great for co-ordinating fast and slow cooked dishes, and for entertaining. It also has a wide hob with a burner for keeping things warm, and a wok burner.
Lynley loves the big, walk-in pantry with its upright freezer -- an essential, she says, because they grow most of their own food. She's always been a gardener, even when she was flatting, and now she has a year-round vegetable garden that produces a year's supply of garlic and potatoes. There's also a productive orchard.
At nearly 300sq m, the house has more than enough space for an active family, with four bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, a study and a rumpus room. Lynley has kept the interior light and airy, with pitched ceilings and exposed beams all painted white. American oak floors and well chosen pieces of classic, country furniture add warmth. In the dining room, an antique colonial table shares space with a lovely old piano -- a family heirloom. And in the master bedroom, Lynley's grandfather's curved timber bedroom furniture with Queen Anne legs takes pride of place.
"I don't keep much in it because we have a big dressing room, so it's mainly for show," she says.
Image 1 of 8: Their favourite sport required a flat lawn. So this passionate family created one
"Far away" from the master bedroom is the rumpus room, which easily accommodates a pool table and other toys.
"When the kids were small there was lots of screaming and fighting going on but now they're in their final year at school it's all about socialising," she says.
The children also have outdoor spaces -- the couple's daughter uses one of two big sheds as her art studio, and the other does duty for sleepovers and parties.
Lynley describes their neck of the woods as a friendly, social area, and every year she and Todd host a croquet tournament. The kids amuse themselves with soccer and cricket on the lower level of the huge, flat lawn.
The property is sheltered from wind and neighbours by native bush and plantings. Lynley and Todd started planting as soon as they bought the land, mainly because they wanted lots of birds. There were existing totara, to which they added flax, puriri and more. Now, seven years on, they regularly entertain kookaburra, kaka and kereru.
The kids are reluctant to move, so as a compromise, Lynley and Todd are going to stay in the area.
They had considered a move to the North Shore, which is where Lynley works, but because the city is only 45 minutes away they've decided to stay with what is a fairly easy commute, and continue to enjoy what the area has to offer.
