Remuera: Palatial splendour

VICKI HOLDER discovers an incredible Remuera residence where a monstrous makeover has resulted in pure exquisiteness.

Putting a stunning contemporary slant on one of Auckland's finest architectural legacies has transformed an Arts & Crafts masterpiece into a family home of regal scale and classical beauty.

It took visionary owners two years and a considerable sum of money to revamp this grand brick home, originally designed in 1917 by Roy K Binney. Just completed, it's the stuff of fantasy, evoking the palatial splendour of a French chateau with grounds to match.

Obsessive attention to detail left no stone unturned in this renovation, yet everything has been done so sensitively that it seems as if it's been this way from the beginning. The owners worked to a grand plan by architect Peter Diprose that beautifully enhanced the original architecture, making the most of the huge northern slopes property.

Who would have guessed, for instance, that the cobbled terrace that reaches across the living rooms and steps down to the garden, never existed before?

The grounds slope down the valley. Renowned Australian landscape designer Paul Bangay drew up a concept for the new garden. Local landscape architect Chris Williams developed and implemented a classical Italianate design. Incorporating strips of lawn flanked by beds laced with lavender and gardenias, the centrepiece is a beautiful green pool with fountains that meet in gracious arcs.

Recessed bays are interspersed with giant French urns planted with citrus trees. At the end of the pool and spa, two pavilions have been built above a vast games room opening to the floodlit tennis court. Reflecting the original design of the main house, they provide full guest accommodation and a gym.

To one side, a large summer house with a full barbecue kitchen lets the family entertain with ease from the garden.

Filled with a princely treasure trove of furnishings and fittings from Europe, the interiors combine ultra-modern, top-of-the-line Italian Boffi kitchens and bathrooms with the mellow antiquity of Italian stone, bronze and crystal chandeliers and lavish French fire surrounds. Not only did the owners make sorties to France and Italy to collect items for the fit-out, they also sought help from interior designer and antique dealer Sharmie Griffen.

Luxurious warmth and comfort have resulted from the changes that you simply can't see. The house has been fully automated with lighting, security, sound and ducted heating systems.

The beautiful iron staircase rising behind tall leadlight windows to the bedrooms on the second floor might seem original. In fact it's new, and designed to let light flood along the long entry.

The matai floors in the parade of well-proportioned living rooms have been acid washed and limed. French doors now open north to the garden for the sun and views.

To simulate the effect of age, a master decorator painstakingly scrunched and glued tissue paper to the 6m-high ballroom, finishing it with layers of paint. The conservatory off the family living area was closed in as a dining room and the windows hung with smart striped romans.

The panelled walls in the home theatre and office on the other side of the ballroom are painted a soft cinnamon. The owners make no apology for tampering with the original to achieve a more becoming environment. Grand, old fireplaces have been installed in each of the living rooms and the playroom to create a warm and irresistible ambience.

From Italy and Kitchens, the new kitchen features a central Carrara marble island where the family often eats. Compartmentalised with smaller inserts and drip trays, the large sink benefits from a handy spray hose for washing big pots. Deep drawers conceal sectionalised pull-outs in pale timber cabinetry against a deep marble splashback hung with metal rods for easy access to utensils. Cooking is a dream at the free-standing commercial Boffi oven with gas hobs, grills and a tepinyaki plate, while aromas are whisked away by a powerful extractor canopy.

A laundry behind the kitchen is equipped with two washing machines and dryers to cater for larger loads. A second set of stairs lets owners nip up to the master bedroom through one of many to-die-for stone bathrooms, where a sculptural piece of Baharra marble reclines voluptuously like a half egg shell. In one of many dramas that punctuated the renovation, the whole floor needed to be reinforced to accommodate the weight of the marble.

"Everything in the house is tall and over-scaled, not short and mean," says the owner, and this is true of the enormous stone-lined shower in her en suite.

Definitely one of Auckland's finest, this exquisitely updated property is a wonderland of character and style.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 532 Remuera Rd, Remuera.

FEATURES: Original Roy K Binney home updated for contemporary living; landscaping concept by Paul Bangay with design implementation by Chris Williams; swimming pool; spa; summer house with kitchen; separate guest accommodation; gym; games room; floodlit Astroturf tennis court; French and Italian fittings include antique fireplaces; four bedrooms in main house; harbour views from second and third levels; four stone bathrooms with Boffi fittings and fixtures; ballroom; home theatre-office; playroom; family room and conservatory dining; internal-access double garaging; home automation system controls heating, lighting, security and electronic gates.

SIZE: Land approx 2352sq m.

PRICE INDICATOR: $7 million to $8 million.

AGENT: Leila MacDonald, Barfoot & Thompson, Remuera. Ph 524 0149 bus; 630 5488 ah; 021 928 926 mob. David Rainbow, Bayleys BRE Newmarket. Ph 520 8887 bus; 522 9667 ah; 021 923 364 mob.