Herne Bay: French accent

Tucked away in a desirable location, this concrete house has charm and character.

10a Bella Vista Road, Herne Bay.

Although starkly modern with its grey concrete and silver aluminium, this is a house which in its external appearance has a fleeting touch of southern France about it. Perhaps it is the deep window reveals and the tall austerity of the main house with lower wings crouching almost like barns around its footing that gives this impression, but inside any resemblance to history and peasant farmhouses disappears in a flash. So up-to-the minute are the fixtures and fittings, and in such perfect condition, that it is hard to believe that it was actually designed and built six years ago for its previous owner by North Shore architects Compass Dolphin.

Both inside and out a largely monochrome palette, given textural interest by the weathered copper roof and down pipes, is both glamorous and sophisticated at the same time. The walls are a soft grey concrete, and the chic manicured gardens and courtyards are strictly colour-controlled. Juliet, one of the owners, says they have only recently been replanted as they wanted something that was as strong and fuss-free as the house itself. The effect is simple and striking.

Tall doors lead out from all the rooms on the ground floor. The living room opens to the west-facing garden and gas-heated pool. The guest room to a private little courtyard as perfect for Andrew's toddler nephew and as it would be for teenagers. Courtyards on three sides of the house allow the occupiers to bask in the sun no matter the time of day.

The house embraces the westerly sun, and its solid mass of the concrete walls and floors keep it cool in summer and warm in winter. For those romantic evenings at home in the heart of winter there is an open Jetmaster fire. On cold days Juliet's Maltese cross Charlie claims the rug in front of it.

At the other end of the long, generous living room is a strong, simple kitchen with cabinets of solid Tasmanian Oak, and a broad expense of polished exposed aggregate as the kitchen surface. It's doubled as a bar on more than one occasion, admits Andrew. The ground floor and gardens have been planned for entertaining on a generous scale.

Up a spiral staircase is the master bedroom, complete with giant wardrobes and a full-sized, Philippe Stark-appointed bathroom. A quirky touch is the little bridge with views of the harbour peaking through the pohutukawa that leads to a gabled room tucked away on the roof of the garage. Juliet uses this as her office from where she manages her swimwear distribution business.

Tucked away in the charming enclave of Herne Bay Point, Andrew and Juliet have come to love the area so much that they aren't moving far. They've bought a house across the street.

Vital Statistics

BEDROOM: 3

BATHROOM: 2

GARAGE: 2+

SIZE: Land 467sq m, house 232sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV (2005) $1.36m. Auction February 9.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-2.45pm.

CONTACT: Jan George, Ray White Ponsonby, ph 376 2186, 0274 784 119 mob, 817 8998 a/h.

FEATURES: Six year old concrete townhouse on a freehold site in the heart of Herne Bay Point. Office, courtyards, heated pool.