Freemans Bay: In the limelight

Musician and anti-GM food campaigner Alannah Currie treats VICKI HOLDER to a tour of her fabulous Freemans Bay pad.

Unconstrained by any obligation to stick to tradition, Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey have brought their grand Freemans Bay mansion back to the land of the living. In a huge landscaped garden surrounded by big old trees, this handsome home looks out to the street, enjoying the bustle that makes the city fringe so vibrant.

As the main players in the 1980s superband, the Thompson Twins, anti-GM food activist Alannah and her husband Tom were never shy of the limelight. And their home reflects their eclectic tastes and artistic personalities, brimming with exuberant detail.

Alannah says when they first spied the home - which was thought to be built in the 1880s for sea captain William Daldy - it was empty and scheduled for demolition to make way for council townhouses.

"It had been in six flats, but had been empty for a year. We felt good about rescuing it. It took us about one and a half years to rebuild with a design by architect Richard Priest. In the meantime, we camped in the little flat, once servants' quarters, at the back," she says.

The couple wanted to take it back to its original form, incorporating a modern family home and something with history. The rooms were tiny and they began knocking out walls with gay abandon, salvaging the best of the original and replacing parts that could be improved.

Because they had small children, Jackson and Indigo, they wanted rooms that would let both grown-ups and children escape. Says Alannah: "I wanted a house that would be great for big parties and just for living in with the children as well. It's hugely expandable and works on all levels."

They also sought definition between areas for summer and winter, both downstairs in the living area and above in the bedrooms. The division is denoted by a switch in colour - white in rooms north of the central hallway and moody hues on the southern aspect. Alannah says the different flavours of the house make it "quite schizophrenic, but I like that".

A large kitchen-dining area on the north side of the house reaches out to a huge terrace, which everybody can enjoy whatever the weather. To give shelter, Alannah replicated the sweeping curved glass canopies she had seen along terrace houses in Holland Park in London. With sofas pulled out onto the terrace, it's where they live and entertain most of the summer. They can sit and watch croquet games on the lawn or chat to neighbours as they stroll along the street beyond the iron fence rails.

Constructed mostly of stainless-steel cabinetry, the industrial-style kitchen makes no attempt to blend with the original design. There was never a kitchen in the main part of the house anyway, says Alannah. Tall pantries made of time-worn steel hark back to the days of school lockers. The robust Lacanche oven Alannah brought from London, "because it was really pretty, and it works well, which is a bonus", she laughs.

Dripping with heavy crystals, an extravagant chandelier from Barcelona hangs above the island bench. It's one of the many pieces around the home that Alannah and Tom collected on their European travels.

Two rooms on the other side of the hallway are moody retreats in winter. The walls are rich aubergine and heavy curtains drape from rods at the windows. Deep gilt cornices around the ceiling were copied from another home in the area. Although the two rooms are linked, the smaller functions as a children's space for watching television and relaxing in front of a log fire contained in a simple, elegant concrete surround.

Another large space is an office where several people can work at once at a table running the length of the room. A laundry off the guest bathroom is the kind of practical storage room for which large old country houses are renowned.

Upstairs, on the winter side, the main bedroom is a grand, beautiful mauve room opening to an en suite. The polished concrete floor wraps around the bath and a pebble mosaic adds character. Four more bedrooms on this floor are all large and two extend out to a wrap-around balcony that looks down over a part of the garden, which is designed to be viewed from above.

The family bathroom has big windows gaining stunning views over the city. All the bathrooms feature sleek imported bathroom ware, both Duravit and Villeroy and Boch.

Through a secret passage in a wall, there's enormous storage in the attic as well as under the house. Alannah also has a studio tucked behind the house, with a stairwell to the apartment.

Backing onto the park, Alannah and Tom's extraordinary property is like a grand country estate, with a difference. Pass through the security gate and turn left to walk to Ponsonby Rd or right and you're in the city within minutes.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 17 Hepburn St, Freemans Bay.

FEATURES: Grand character home built in 1880 and renovated seven years ago by architect Richard Priest; separate apartment with own entry; big, versatile living areas; kitchen and dining area extend to enormous glazed deck; children's lounge; entertaining lounge; study; at least five bedrooms; huge storage in attic and under house; artist's studio; croquet lawn and vegetable garden; secure off-street parking; room for a pool.

SIZE: Land area approx 1500sq m.

TENDER CLOSES: 2pm, March 31.

AGENT: Stephanie Kelland, Kellands Real Estate. Ph 302 2209 bus; 021 544 734.