Grey Lynn: Dramatically modern

This refurbished and spacious ex-State house offers fabulous family living on the edge of a splendid reserve, writes VICKI HOLDER.

Bordering parkland on two sides, this dramatically modernised ex-State house in Grey Lynn is paradise for city kids. And it's blissful for Mum and Dad, who don't have a heart attack when the little ones scoot through the gate and escape the confines of the backyard to play on the sweeping lawns of Wellpark Reserve next door.

It's the ideal situation for a family. It offers the freedom of wide, open, green spaces on the edge of the city without a nosy neighbour in sight. Best of all, it can never be built out. What you see now is what you get, forever.

A modern living area added to the rear of the house sits in the sunny, north-facing garden, which is enclosed by hedging for privacy and security. Glazed doors slide open to the terrace and the garden, which is landscaped along the boundary with subtropical palms.

As stunning as the property is, you may not give it a second glance from the street. It hides inconspicuously behind a tall fence and electric security gates. A concrete path leads past the off-street parking within the property to a large, pivoting aluminium door at the side. This opens to the entry, a narrow part of the house where the old structure meets the new.

A hint of change greets guests as they are confronted by a welcoming water feature quietly bubbling away in a rectangular reflection pond. The entry opens into the open-plan living area, where a tall, dark-stained timber cabinet separates the kitchen-dining area from the sitting space.

Oversized, square, matt white tiles give a clean backdrop to the new part of the house. However, the sitting area is warmed by a luscious inset of rich, chocolate brown carpet, which provides a graphic contrast to the crisp white walls.

Long, low, horizontal storage cabinets, cantilevered from the walls, conceal the stereo and music system. Wiring is hidden in the tall partition in case somebody wants to add more speakers at a later date.

To complement the calm, natural colour scheme, the hearth and chimney around the gas fire on the wall are a creamy travertine marble.

The kitchen next door hides discreetly from the dining area behind a big, charcoal-toned terrazzo island bench. While most of the cabinets are sleek and white with aluminium handles, sliding doors across the pantry to the rear are anodised aluminium and glass. A Smeg oven and hob are contained in an area beneath an extractor.

Outdoor entertaining is made easy with the inclusion of four gas bayonets on the terrace.

Bedrooms and bathrooms in the old part of the house have also come in for a contemporary update. The main family bathroom features white tiles. The bath is surrounded by white mosaics and the basin sits on a terrazzo bench vanity with a water spout protruding from the wall beneath the mirror. Dark-stained timber shelves add smart storage.

Through a fitted dressing room, the en suite off the master bedroom follows a similar theme with a white terrazzo vanity and white mosaic floor tiles flowing into the big, open shower. The master bedroom eases out to a private garden space through french doors framed by chocolate brown taffeta drapes. And while the other three bedrooms are not as large or luxurious as the master, they have all been dressed with smart fabrics at the windows.

The bedrooms have good storage cupboards, but there's a whole lot more available in a lock-up area under the house.

This beautifully renovated and extended home had the whole neighbourhood talking the last time it sold. Now it looks set to do it again.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 41 Wellpark Ave, Grey Lynn.

FEATURES: Renovated, extended ex-State house bordering Wellpark Reserve on two sides; four bedrooms, master with dressing room and en suite; new kitchen-dining and living area; built-in cabinetry conceals wiring for stereo; gas fire in living area; new family bathroom with mosaic tiles around bath; secure off-street parking and automatic gate; good storage under house; sunny rear garden.

SIZE: Land area 580sq m; floor area 163sq m.

AUCTION: 6pm, May 28, at Meo Realty's auction rooms.

AGENT: Tricia Lafferty, Meo Realty, Ponsonby. Ph 378 1500 bus; 021 611 205 mob.