SCHOOL ZONES:
Remuera School, Remuera Intermediate, double grammar.
CONTACT:
Peter Cleave, 021 756 246, or Greg Gibson, 021 940 048, Unlimited Potential.
From the outset, creating a luxurious, resort-like feel was the driving force behind this new build on an elevated site.
And that begins right outside the front door, where a screened entry has suspended flagstones forming an L-shaped path that crosses a water feature. As well as providing privacy, thegeometric-patterned metal screen creates a sense of arrival and throws intriguing shadows when the light hits it. The flagstones are uplit so they appear to float on the shimmering water at night.
David Living, group project manager of Phi Group, says invoking a "tropical spa feeling" was behind the design of this two-storey home, the rear one of two on a site that used to be occupied by a 1920s house.
Designed by Daniel Marshall Architects, the vertical cedar-clad home has been highly specced, with a high stud, floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors, and quality fixtures and fittings. Granite and marble feature in the kitchens and bathrooms to reinforce that serene, resort-like feel.
Even the garage door, which faces you as you come up the driveway, has been integrated into the home so that there is no break in the home's sharp lines.
Although the home has a neutral colour scheme, interior designer Megan Judd has introduced feature walls of graphic or textured-looking wallpaper to create interest throughout.
Image 1 of 9: Step over the flagstones and you will feel like you're coming home to a tropical spa. Photos / Ted Baghurst
The geometric patterned wallpaper that greets you inside the overheight front door also runs through into the separate lounge to provide a clever link.
This space, which has windows flanking a gas fire, has been wired so it could be used as a media room.
Outside the windows, tropical plants are uplit for night-time drama.
"Ferns and the like throw shadows beautifully," says Megan, pointing out that the landscaping and lighting continues along the back of the house and long, low windows in the kitchens and scullery to take advantage of it.
Oak floors give warmth to the open-plan kitchen and living space, which opens via stacking sliders to a west-facing outdoor area with lawn and decking around an in-ground swimming pool. A low wall screens the pool from the driveway and entrance.
Upstairs, the views open up with an outlook across the city.
Storage is abundant thanks to custom-made shelving and drawers throughout.
Megan stopped short at curtains and blinds.
"We don't do window treatments because that's quite personal for people," she says. "Especially as a buyer might have particular colours, furniture or artworks from which they might want to key a colour scheme."
And that's the only box left to tick on a property with huge attention to detail and designed for luxurious living.
