KEY POINTS:
A young architect found that success started close to home.
5 Browning Street, Grey Lynn.
As a young architect trying to break into the Auckland market, Jonathan Smith decided to make over his own home to show off his skills.
In those days he also had his office in the front room of the villa so clients could wander from there through the rest of the house to check out his ideas for bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces.
"The whole idea of doing it up was to set my business up. It's hard being a young architect and getting yourself established so it's good to have something to show clients," says Jonathan.
"Architecture's all about trust and you want to have a good relationship with your clients, especially when you're taking on these big projects. It showed them that I was able to give them what they wanted."
From the road, the house presents as a standard early 1900s single bay villa. Jonathan has left the front two rooms largely untouched apart from improved storage and painted cedar shutters over the sash windows that provide privacy for the occupants and interesting detail to the building from the street.
The room on the right as you enter is set up as a second lounge, has a fireplace and is painted a bold red.
As you move along the hallway the changes become more apparent. The third bedroom has built-in storage space including a work area for a computer and on one wall a solid maple panel with negative detailing. This panel is repeated on the living room wall. Negative detailing is also a feature throughout the house with an aluminium channel used around skirtings and architraves, some of which have been taken back to bare kauri.
There is also a fireplace in the master bedroom, which has a curved plywood bedhead that rises to the ceiling and helps create the space for the en suite behind. The en suite is tiled, including the curved ceiling, and, like other parts of the house, has frosted glass panels to provide light while maintaining privacy.
The main bathroom is a luxurious retreat designed as a wet room with a free-standing bath and an open shower. While the lighting is discreet, including an illuminated glass cabinet, the dual extractor fans are exposed for an industrial look. Continuing that theme is the 80mm thick heated concrete slab in the centre of the bathroom and the stainless steel grill that allows drainage back into the shower.
An oversized aluminium hallway door with frosted glass signposts the transition from the existing home to the new extension that is occupied by the open plan living room, dining and kitchen area.
With the bifold doors from the living room and the bifold windows above the kitchen bench pulled back, the rear of the house is almost entirely open to the east-facing back yard, which has been landscaped with boardwalks and jarrah sleepers. Kauri floors have been continued in this space and flow though to the kwila decking outdoors.
"It's great in summer - just amazing," says Jonathan.
A feature of the living space is the storage unit for TV and stereo gear that has aluminium laminate cladding and can be entirely opened up using a sliding stacking door system.
The kitchen's stainless steel bench faces the garden, and windows can be opened right back to make it user friendly from indoors or out. Now that Jonathan has his practice - Bellingham Architects - in offices in nearby Richmond Road, he's prepared to move on from the villa he bought in 1999.
"My partner Melody doesn't want to go but I'm an architect and I want to keep on working," he says. "I'd like to buy in the same area and do the same thing again."
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: 4
BATHROOMS: 2
GARAGES: *
*No garage but off-street parking.
SIZE: Land 546sq m, house 160sq m (approx).
PRICE INDICATION: Interest over $1.3 million.
INSPECT: By appointment.
ON THE WEB: www.premium.co.nz HRN30188
SCHOOL ZONES: Grey Lynn School, Western Springs College.
CONTACT: Brett Humble or Blair Haddow, Premium, ph Brett 021 400 915, Blair 021 544 555.
FEATURES: Kauri villa with architect-inspired renovation and extension that includes re-wiring, re-plumbing, re-roofing and insulation to walls and ceiling. New copper spouting and downpipes. Gas heating, data cabling.
