SCHOOL ZONES:
Victoria Avenue School, Remuera Intermediate, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls’ Grammar.
CONTACT:
Tanya Kwasza, Ray White, 021 593 939 or 631 1500.
Family was the focus when Anisia Shami set about designing the perfect house for herself and her three children eight years ago.
Not only did their first-ever New Zealand house have to have plenty of room for everyone, plus accommodation for a nanny, it needed to feel like home immediately.
Anisia and children Jason, Brendon and Ana, who are British, had been through a lot of upheaval after Anisia's Kiwi-born husband, Lionel Wright, died suddenly of a stroke at their London home. During a subsequent visit to Auckland to see Lionel's family, Anisia realised how much the children loved New Zealand, so took the bold step of moving here. Then she had to find somewhere to live.
"It was important to me to have a house that we all felt happy in. After everything that had happened, the children needed to be rooted."
She had visions of living in a typical two-storey weatherboard house with a downstairs rumpus room for the children, who were aged 8, 7 and 5 when they moved to New Zealand. But she couldn't find anything she wanted in the area she was keen on. So, when she found a section in Orakei Rd, she jumped at the chance to build a house that would cater to her family's needs.
Her wish list included a separate playroom for the children, a living room for grown-ups, a pool, and a large master bedroom that would serve as her sanctuary. She was also keen to have a home that wouldn't date.
"I found that with a lot of the houses in New Zealand, the era they were built was immediately obvious. I wanted something that was timeless."
The classically styled house was completed in 2007. Anisia came up with the layout, and had a draughtsman draw up the plans.
She thought everything through carefully and considering how the family lived affected many of her decisions. For example, she included a double-height entry but enclosed it so it's not open to the upstairs level.
"I didn't want noise echoing through the house," she says. She also had soundproofing put in downstairs and around the master bedroom upstairs.
Anisia planned for all the living spaces to open to the northwest facing deck. As a result they are all warm and light. The formal lounge and dining room open out to the deck, and have a striking contemporary gas fireplace.
This space leads to the kitchen and an informal sitting area for the kids when they were smaller so Anisia could keep an eye on them while she was cooking.
She recently upgraded the kitchen, even though it was only 7 years old, adding a striking black granite bench top and sleek new cabinets. The kitchen also has fridges for red and white wines and a scullery with a second oven and fridge.
"My daughter loves to bake, so she can be in the scullery making as much mess as she likes and, if it hasn't been cleaned up, I can just shut the door."
Next to the kitchen is the children's playroom, which also opens to the swimming pool.
"I wanted a space where they could have their friends over to play and make as much mess and noise as they liked, but they'd be away from the rest of the house."
Image 1 of 4: The many and varied needs of a growing family were factored into the design of this attractive property
Also on the ground floor is a powder room and laundry, and a suite of rooms used by the nannies when the children were younger. There's a living room, bedroom and bathroom, which could be ideal for extended family members.
Upstairs are four bedrooms, including the enormous master suite that resembles an upmarket hotel room. It has an en suite, walk-in wardrobe and a balcony that looks out over the pool and across Remuera valley. One other bedroom also has an en suite, while the remaining two share a family bathroom.
Outside is the heated swimming pool, a petanque court and a large deck that's been wonderful for entertaining.
"As well as being a perfect family home, it's also been a really great party house," says Anisia.
It's proved ideal for her and the children, now all teenagers. But with the boys going off to do their own thing, and Ana keen to go to boarding school in England, Anisia is selling up to return to the UK.
