Remuera: Bottom’s up

Photo / Geoff Dale

A Remuera couple turned their lives upside down when they renovated their home, writes Liz Dobson.

46 Upland Road, Remuera.

Peter and Nicole Coombe's Remuera home could be called the upside-down house. When the couple bought the 1950s two-storey bungalow in 2003, the living space was upstairs to take in the views of Mt Hobson and below were the bedrooms.

But after six months of consultation with Stephenson Architects, then one year of building, the home has been turned upside down - with stunning results. Now, the top floor consists of four bedrooms and two bathrooms while the ground floor has been totally revamped.

"What attracted us to the property was the huge amount of land out the back that wasn't being used," says Nicole.

"So our brief was that the house had to be basically turned upside down - we wanted to swap so the living would flow outdoors, and enable us to use the land."

Now the once unused expanse of grass is connected to the home by large decks, then steps that lead to the 9m pool and on to the fabulous two-storey playhouse for the couple's two children, Hannah, 5, and Sam, 2.

But it is the revamped ground floor area that not only adds new life to the home by becoming the epicentre, but also has a tranquil feel. All the living spaces connect - the large kitchen and family dining space flows to the open-plan living room with views over the pool. This large lounge opens to the decks thanks to two walls of floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Off the kitchen area is a separate formal dining and lounge space.

The feel and look of this living space is just what Peter and Nicole wanted in their second Remuera home.

"We had a list of what had to be in the house. The list was five bedrooms, two living areas that had to be north-west-facing, a playroom and for everything to connect. We didn't want our second living space to be separate in any way. We wanted to use the entire floor," says Nicole.

A cunning addition to the living space is the playroom that can be turned into a study nook when the children are older. It means Nicole can keep an eye on the kids while she is in the kitchen.

Although Nicole had help from Auckland interior designer Prue Lane, she also had firm ideas for the look of the house, thanks in part to a clever decorating tip. If Nicole spies a design feature, piece of furniture or just a look in one of her glossy magazines, she clips it out and sticks it in a large scrapbook. So come decorating time, she can flip through the book and pick out looks for the home.

One of those scrapbook ideas was the large glass inset doors that divide the kitchen space from the formal lounge.

The frosted safety glass doors were a first for builders JRC Ltd, but the result is stunning - dividing the two spaces but allowing light into the formal lounge.

The ground floor living spaces work so well that the Coombes could easily fit 40 people in the home for a family housewarming dinner recently.

Now that the work is done the couple has decided to sell so they can start all over again, this time from scratch. They are looking for land in Remuera - as they love the area - and want to once again create a feeling of flow.

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Double-storey house on 814 sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest upwards of $1.7 million. Auction May 15.

INSPECT: Open homes Sat/Sun 3-3.30pm, or by appointment.

CONTACT: Alex Baker, Harcourts, ph 520 8104, mob 0274 579 805.

FEATURES: Two-storey renovated bungalow with five bedrooms; study/playroom; three bathrooms; separate laundry; combined kitchen/dining/living plus formal dining/living; decks flow to the pool and extensive lawn.