SCHOOL ZONES:
St Thomas Primary School, Glendowie High School.
CONTACT:
Steen Nielsen, Ray White Remuera, 0275 578 336.
AUCTION:
September 16.
Shortly after they married 19 years ago Paul and Naoko Chapman bought their St Johns home overlooking Remuera Golf Course. They never really got a chance to settle in because Paul was offered a job in Tokyo.
For the next 15 years they lived in Japan, where they had two children.
In 2011, they were thinking of returning to New Zealand to give their son and daughter a taste of the Kiwi lifestyle and that plan became a reality after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country's Pacific coast in March of that year.
Naoko says the family was unsettled by the disruption and uncertainty and moved back to New Zealand within a week of the tragic events.
Having lived in apartments in Tokyo, Paul says they found the Lockwood home and its timber joinery, panelling and sarking inside "a bit gloomy".
Naoko says: "When we got married we got a lot of presents that were wood and our home was wood. At the time we loved wood but when we came back we found it a bit dark."
For a while, Paul was commuting between Tokyo and Auckland, working two weeks about in each city. "So I left Naoko here with the kids and said, 'Here's the house. Can you renovate it?'. And with her attention to detail, she made this beautiful home for us.
"It's fundamentally a wonderful home -- really strong and solid -- so we didn't want to change that but it did need modernising."
Naoko says painting out the wooden panelling, sarking and joinery has produced a "boathouse look" with whites, greys and beiges creating a light but restful environment within.
Image 1 of 9: Bright and restful home connects the dots with clever linking of living areas
Paul says using an exterior colour scheme of whites and charcoals to contrast with the greenery of the garden has created a "clean and fresh look".
Another major improvement is the pool and pergola they installed off the north side of the house in 2012. The wooden pergola with overhead heater mimics the look of the house and is connected to it by a mahogany deck.
"It's lovely to have an outdoor area and the kids can swim in the pool and have their friends over and we can sit out here and watch them, and have a drink," says Paul.
The wide-boarded deck sweeps down the west of the house, providing an easy connection with the kitchen/living room and the office. It also provides another outdoor dining space.
"In summer we use this part of the deck a lot for lunch and dinner because it's private and sunny," says Naoko. She had the kitchen renovated so it connects with the family living area on one side and with the more formal dining area and lounge, which overlooks the golf course, on the other.
A window seat in the lounge is one of the Chapmans' favourite spots to sit and have a coffee, looking out over the Remuera fairways.
Adjoining the lounge is a smaller, sunken lounge with wraparound glazing. "We call this the golf room," says Paul. "You can sit here in the afternoon sun and look out on the golfers on the course but they can't really see you." From this lounge there is access to the garage beneath.
The formal lounge and the master bedroom open to balconies on the east of the house. The master bedroom has an en suite, and there are three more bedrooms plus the office.
Having enjoyed apartment living in Tokyo, the Chapmans have bought an apartment in Parnell.
