Oratia: Neutral territory

New owners have brought fresh, neutral colours to an architect-designed home.

180 Forest Hill Rd, Oratia.

It's hard to believe that such a stylish architect-designed home was once subjected to a ``bananas in pyjamas'' colour scheme. That's how Russell Dell describes the interior colours in the home that he and wife Kim bought three years ago.

Kim recalls with a shudder, ``It was bright yellow, orange and green before. We've repainted and recarpeted it.''
The couple could see past the colour scheme - perhaps a remnant of its 80s heritage - to appreciate the simple but graceful lines of the Pip Cheshire-designed home, its high stud and open living spaces.

Its elegant features are shielded from any prying eyes as you come down the long concrete driveway. Once you step inside the double height entrance the home opens up and out to its landscaped gardens.

The neutral colour scheme the Dells introduced complements the airy spaces. The layout of the home provides for an adults' wing and a children's wing grouped around the open plan living area.

The adults' retreat is on your left as you come into the house. It has a large lounge with an open fire, behind which is the master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and tiled en suite. The bedroom and lounge open on to the deck that wraps around the northern and eastern sides of the masonry and cedar weatherboard home.

The en suite opens to the outside, so you can nip in for a shower after a swim in the L-shaped in-ground swimming pool at the rear of the house.

From this wing you can either head through the foyer and down to the living area or take the stairs up to the children's wing, the domain of the Dells' daughter and two sons. There are three bedrooms, a tiled bathroom and a separate toilet. Two of the bedrooms open on to an east-facing deck. This wing also has a separate phone line.

The hub of the home is the main living area, which incorporates the kitchen, dining area and a lounge with a woodburner. The space opens to a wraparound deck that is sheltered by deep eaves.

The living spaces flow beautifully and the adults' lounge can be opened to or closed off from the main living area.
``There's lots of trickery in the design you don't appreciate until you've been here 12 months,'' says Russell. ``Like the big eaves that keep the heat out in summer but let the sun get under and into the house in winter.''

From the sweeping decks you step down to the garden, where the couple have replaced time-consuming plants such as roses with less fussy shrubs.
``We've cut down a huge amount of maintenance so we have more time to enjoy it,'' says Russell. ``And it only takes about 25 minutes on the ride-on to do the lawns.''

The grounds have been landscaped with boulders and have attractive features such as the palm and ponga-lined path that takes you down to a pond fringed by ponga and cabbage trees. Next to the pond is a circle of lawn surrounded by boulders and plantings to create an amphitheatre effect.

Back towards the house there is an orchard, and opposite that is a long strip of lawn flanked by elms.

The Dells are selling to focus more of their time and energy on their clothing business, but are planning to stay out west where their business and children's schools are located.

Kim says, ``I'll miss the privacy and the birds - the doves, the wood pigeons and the tuis.''
They might be leaving the property behind but Russell says he'd happily revisit the style of the home.
``I've got the blueprints for this place and I'd have no hesitation, if I found a nice piece of dirt, about building this house all over again.''

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGES: 2

SIZE: Land 9189sq m, house 365sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: From $1 million. Auction July 1.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.45pm; noon on July 1.

ON THE WEB: www.raywhite.co.nz/GNN10636.

CONTACT: Tom Hendriks, Ray White Glen Eden, ph 813 6690 bus, 021 644 469 mob, 832 5900 a/h.

FEATURES: Pip Cheshire-designed masonry and cedar home with L-shaped in-ground swimming pool with swim jet system. Extensive landscaped gardens with rockeries, pond, long lawns, orchard and an avenue of elms and palms.