In many ways the Grey Lynn house that Jacqui and Lincoln Watson renovated five years ago is a microcosm of the suburb itself. Originally a villa, it was renovated in shingle bungalow style in the 1940s by the architect responsible for the design of the then-new suburb of Point Chev.
It had been a flat when Grey Lynn was affordable, multicultural and bohemian, but by the time the couple bought it 11 years ago, the area was well-gentrified and ready for a new life.
"When we returned from the UK, we flatted around in Tutanekai St, but my brother and I had always lived here since university days," says Jacqui.
"I remember Aladdin's Cave, and the Mamata bakery when it was the old co-op. Our neighbour told us her mum used to play here as a kid, and remembers our house being shifted by horse and cart from Tutanekai St."
Now the street is pure Ponsonby, with a Gypsy Tearoom on the corner, organic this and nature that.
Jacqui was pregnant with daughter Jamie, now 11, when they moved in with toddler Felix (now 14). The attraction then was the big backyard, a surprising oasis in the middle of a busy city.
Richmond Rd shops meant everything was in easy walking distance, and the network of parks was a great playground for the growing kids.
About five years ago the Watsons were ready to embark on the next part of the Grey Lynn lifecycle: renovating the old house.
Architect Jack McKinney (his firm is best known for the pink Light Path) worked with Cameron Ireland, well known in the area for his spectacular renovations to completely bring the bungalow/villa into the 21st century.
Sensibly they kept the original front of the house, still with its welcoming porch, curved shingled bay window and leadlight windows.
But they rearranged walls and removed an old fireplace to create a gracious master with an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet on one side of the hall, and two good bedrooms with deep closets on the other side.
The old family bathroom got a makeover to match the glittering master, with floor to ceiling stone tiles in a striking swirl of grey stone.
Jacqui became very keen on the decorating project, enlisting the help of cabinet makers for vanities, kitchen and scullery, as well as the custom shelving and entertainment unit in the living room.
Katherine Haimes from Uno design, just up the road, stepped in with dramatic drapery — drifts of linen in the bedrooms, a 'touch me please" pleated velvet in the sitting room.
The back half of the house is completely modern The addition is a C-shape that wraps a gallery along the south side of the property to frame the lawn and pool and flood living areas with light.
The polished concrete floor is heated, leaving the gas fireplace for just visual warmth. Jacqui admits there was a degree of over-kill on the insulation and heating plan, used as they were to warm English houses rather than drafty Kiwi villas.
McKinney used variations in ceiling heights and sight lines to create separation between the kitchen, dining and casual sitting areas, siting the more formal living room off to one side. He pushed the house to the boundary, creating a generous scullery and back door off the kitchen and allowing a laundry to be tucked in as well.
The palette of shuttered concrete walls, a kitchen that mixes stainless steel, white lacquer and black glass is softened by the touches of wood in shelving and the warm fabrics. Full height sliding glass windows open the entire back of the house to the deck and lush lawns.
A fourth guest bedroom, entered past a frosted glass-enclosed bathroom (wth more of the tile drama), has more glass doors sliding open to the pool. With its murky colour and surrounds of tropical planting (another Jacqui touch) it truly is the oasis the family had envisaged, sunny and surrounded by neighbours' native trees.
Needless to say it is the in-demand bedroom when friends and family visit Auckland ("there's no competition" says Jacqui). But the family now want to downsize to free up capital to invest in their business, so their striking urban oasis is on the market.
