Home: where the art is in Grey Lynn

Sally Tagg in her home in Grey Lynn. Photo / Supplied

3 SURREY CRES GREY LYNN

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SIZE: Land 319sq m, house 180sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $800,000 (2008). Auction on Wednesday at 10.30am.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2pm-2.45pm.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/443972

SCHOOL ZONES: Grey Lynn Primary, Pasadena Intermediate, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: David Dowse or Gillian Brodie, Barfoot & Thompson, ph David 360 2323 or 0274 993 319, Gillian 307 6340 or 021 906 811.

FEATURES: Vintage concrete villa with a private walled garden, two street frontages with a shop front/studio, pressed metal ceilings, timber floors, designer bathroom, gas fireplace, heater and hob/oven, secure garage.

Artist and photographer Sally Tagg knew she wanted to buy this house before she crossed the threshold - the minute she stepped into the garden, it won her heart.

Practically, the house ticked all the boxes, with room for a studio/retail space, constructed in permanent materials, with spacious rooms and high ceilings ... and, deliciously, a private courtyard, which transforms the house into a haven. "The garden is so tranquil and serene," enthuses Sally.

Tucked away among the leafy plane trees in Grey Lynn, the concrete villa shows two faces to the world; the shopfront on to Surrey Cres with loads of passing foot traffic, and a more contemplative aspect with an entrance from Selbourne St into the rear courtyard garden.

"I feel I can go to work on one side, then come home to relax completely on the other with the kitchen and the plants," Sally says.

In fact, the back garden is so secluded, Sally added an outdoor shower, complete with a living shower curtain of star jasmine.

Sally bought the house five years ago from friends, ceramic artists Andrew and Jeannie Van der Putten, knowing that their old pottery studio and shopfront would make an ideal photography studio.

"I completely stripped the studio back to block walls, put in banks of daylight fluorescents and added power points everywhere, because the last thing you want in a studio are power cords trailing across the floor!"

She also moved her office into the third bedroom, but it's an easy step to take it back to a bedroom again.

When Sally first arrived in the house, she painted it white from top to toe inside to give it a light, fresh ambience - with a couple of notable exceptions. "The only touch of colour I wanted, apart from my artworks, was a warm gold wall in the living room and a silver wall in the spare bedroom/dressing room. They've got a kind of yin yang feel to them and they just glow."

The other major undertaking was revamping the bathroom, taking it from a tired, muddy-blue room to a light, fresh space. Miniature brick tiles on the floor and walls allow another feature shower, again free-standing, with a carefully shaped floor to allow easy drainage. There's also plenty of room for the washing machine.

The house has a large, open-plan kitchen which Sally hasn't changed apart from the colour: "I loved all of Andrew and Jeannie's handmade tiles; they are timeless and are part of the history of the place."

The kitchen flows into the dining area and boasts golden timber floors. Nearby, the living room is a cosy hideaway with a gas fire. "It's great to come home on a cold night and have a warm glowing fire with the flick of a switch," Sally says.

In summer, opening up the French doors allows the breeze to carry the scent of the perfumed garden inside. A generous rear veranda is large enough for outdoor dining, and Sally added a skylight to make it feel more airy - with great natural light it does double-duty as a sheltered outdoor studio.

Upstairs, the master bedroom is nestled into the roof space, with two floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city - "When the leaves have all dropped you can see the Sky Tower," Sally says. The pitched ceiling creates plenty of nooks and crannies for storage, including a wardrobe area.

Sally has loved living here, but now it's time for a change - and for someone else to be inspired by the creative ambience of the house.