Comfort and enjoyment abound

11B Burwood Cres, Remuera. Photo / Michelle Hyslop

11B BURWOOD CRES, REMUERA

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SIZE: Land 575sq m, house 276sq m approx.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $2,450,000. Tenders close August 22.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.30pm or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/502736

SCHOOL ZONES: Victoria Avenue School, Remuera Intermediate, Epsom Girls' Grammar and Auckland Grammar.

CONTACT: Stanley and Barbara Armon and Phil Davis, Barfoots. Stanley, ph 021 723 177 or DDI 215 4399 and Kaycee Nicholas ph 0220 588600.

FEATURES: Multi-level home; open-plan dining/ kitchen and family living, formal sitting room. Double basement garage with workshop potential plus single entry-level carport. Two bathrooms plus separate powder room, double garage with workshop plus carport.

Winters in Honolulu and summers in Auckland have been the secret of Phil and Dawn Davis' splendid retirement based in the home they bought 22 years ago.

It's also a home, designed by architect Peter Sargisson, that epitomises the changing dynamics of family lifestyles in the late 80s and early 90s. Open-plan living returned to favour rather than formal rooms that were often rarely used.

As Peter explains, "We were still grappling with the idea of not having formal dining rooms.

"Here, we put in a formal sitting room designed as a retreat somewhere more discreet, a bit like the traditional idea of having a 'best room' away from the everyday, more familiar, living areas."

Designed for easy conversation, this quickly became Dawn and Phil's favourite room for entertaining guests. Dawn's eye for quality in her interiors is evident in the French curtains embroidered with gold thread that still hang there.

The deep architectural reveals in the corners allow space to display sculpture and antiques without compromising floor space. The doors out to the deck beneath the curved cedar-clad soffit bring in the harbour views and late afternoon sun.

"We added it for drama," he explains of that deck. The height of the schist veneer concrete block wall was significant. "It was about creating some level of privacy and separation from the people walking down to the entry."

For Phil, a former publisher, and Dawn, a former teacher, this home has perfectly suited their energetic, optimistic social lifestyle.

Says their daughter, Lyn, "The house is exactly as it was when they moved into it. They didn't need to change anything."

Timber shutters in the entrance and steps throughout its three-storey floor plan have created a light-filled home that unfolds over five levels, with privacy and a sense of connection. Put simply, the house comprises mid-level living, upper level bedrooms and a double basement garage designed for cars and three P-class yachts.

Steps off the entrance lead down to the open-plan dining, living and kitchen and up to the formal sitting room and study. On the nearby hall landing, en route up to the bedrooms, Phil liked to reminisce about his Navy days watching, through his binoculars, the ships crossing the harbour.

For these retirees, then in their mid-60s, opting for a home just as grand as the one they'd left was never about standing still. They installed an in-ground pool off the terracotta family room deck and both swam regularly until well into their mid-80s. Alongside one of the towering Queen palms behind the pool is a mandarin tree from which Dawn would pick fresh fruit for her guests.

"There was no giving fruit that was two days old. It had to be fresh. My mother was very particular," Lyn explains.

More recently, Phil and Dawn engaged Peter to design a viewing deck high above the rear courtyard. "Mum used to say, 'If you don't get that deck built for me soon, I won't be able to enjoy it'.

Lyn obliged and the two women would often chat over a wine, taking in the protected views across Orakei Basin.

For Dawn and Phil, the decision to move to a more suitable single-level home has been made reluctantly.

"It's difficult moving from the home you always thought you'd stay in forever," Lyn explains. "For both of them this home has been very special."