Maisons en Ville heralds the sign above the entrance to this character building in Anzac Ave, hinting at what lies within.
There's an undeniable French influence to these residences, which are more like homes within the city centre than the modern apartment buildings that have sprung up around the CBD. Each apartment at Maisons en Ville has a floor to itself.
Richard and Celia Driver's city address commands the top level of this boutique 1936 building.
The extensive living space - with loggia beside it, and french doors opening to the balcony - looks towards the harbour and Beach Rd.
The couple bought the 178sq m apartment two years ago, saying they broke the mould for buyer profile as the other owners were lawyers.
Richard - who hosted Radio with Pictures on TV in the 1980s, before moving into documentaries and television management - decided to buy the apartment because he was commuting from Kaipara to Auckland for his role as managing director at Greenstone TV.
He had often admired the building when he went to band rehearsals across the road in the 1980s.
"It must have been someone with inspiration indeed to build something that was a model of a Paris apartment block."
The lift to level three opens directly into the apartment's foyer. To the left are two large bedrooms with views out to Anzac Ave but the noise is shut out with hush glass.
3/24-26 Anzac Ave (Maison en Ville). Photo / Supplied
These rooms have heat pumps for cooling during the summer heat, and provide winter warmth.
Another smaller bedroom is directly opposite the lift; a tiled bathroom to the right. French doors open from the foyer to the open-plan living, dining and kitchen with its solid marble bench.
The lounge has a gas fire, and on the Beach Rd side is the loggia, with dining space and built-in couch, positioned for morning sun. And, being on the top floor, light streams through the windows and ceiling skylights.
"We have a CEO in Sydney who was a ski instructor in France for most of his life," says Richard. "He praises this building for its accuracy, saying you could be in an apartment in Paris. It takes you out of the ordinary; that is what we like about it."
"And the high ceilings, the light, the spaciousness," says Celia.
While the kitchen is larger than the one at their farmhouse, Celia says they tend to eat out in the city when they stay.
Cafes and restaurants are as close as across the road, at Britomart, or they can walk to Parnell. If they fancy an evening at the movies, they catch the ferry to Devonport.
Richard doesn't have much need for a city base now, but admits he and Celia have been tempted to hold on to their apartment.
Their three daughters love the location, but Richard says they need to shift the balance back to their rural property in Kaipara.
"I think it's best to sell. It's a really nice city home for a family," he says. "It is exceptional and it's a nice sense of history in a city full of 80s construction and new buildings."
