SCHOOL ZONES:
Richmond Rd Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls Grammar, Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
Marty Hall, 0274 500 168, and Heather Lanting, 0274 394 124, Ray White.
AUCTION:
April 12.
*2 OSP
Four years ago, Laura and Nick Patterson moved into this house and updated their artwork.
There's nothing too unusual in that except that their biggest piece is a framed landscape that fills the space inside the front door.
Their work of art has been the restoration of their entire back garden with a single-level deck and tiered garden, underpinned by the discovery of a rear rock wall hidden by foliage.
From the lawn to the skyline, they've layered structure, colour and texture.
There is more that is unseen, too, including the wall-mounted clothesline and a new storage shed on one wall.
Opposite, a small garden of herbs and citrus is a snip away from the kitchen bench.
When the towering Phoenix palm being taken out finally hit the ground, it shook surrounding properties.
Everyone was okay with that. The natural light that poured into the Patterson's big new space prompted one neighbour to take his Phoenix palm down, too.
For Laura and Nick, this backdrop to outdoor living didn't need a new frame inside.
The dark-stained architrave of the bay window that frames this view down the hallway was part of previous renovations.
"That's something lots of people comment on when they come in," says Nick.
Matching architraves have similar impact around the french doors out to the sheltered outdoor living area and the bi-fold kitchen window that opens beneath an awning to guests dining outdoors.
In contrast to backyard drama, Nick and Laura's interior alterations have been subtle.
In the kitchen they installed new appliances in existing cabinetry, updated with new cupboard doors and a new end panel.
In the lounge they installed shelving on either side of the gas fireplace with its villa fire surround.
Every bedroom has a new fitted wardrobe. In one bedroom they cribbed space for a double linen cupboard in the hallway with flush cabinetry and push latches.
Directly opposite, the existing bathroom has delivered everything they've needed with a space-saving pedestal basin just inside the door.
A clever earlier design has enabled the toilet to be screened behind a half-height wing wall that, in turn, partially screens the tiled, glass shower at the back.
Such villas invariably retain clues to their original form.
Here, it is in the sloping roofline of the newer dining area and kitchen and in the pillars by the lounge that would likely have been part of the original exterior wall structure.
It's also in the board and batten ceilings and the ceiling roses in the master bedroom and the lounge that are the clue as to where space has been taken for the bathroom in between.
Native timber floors in the kitchen and bathroom match the timber and stained glass door that separates the open living areas from the bedrooms at the front of the house.
Near-new, pre-existing carpet in the living areas, hallway and bedrooms minimises noise and keep this house warm and safe for their sons Theo, 2, and Charlie, aged one.
Above the hallway, refurbished storage roof space with an attic ladder is another part of this home's adaptation to modern living.
