The first house Kadri and Arvi Crossland built together was in Estonia, where minus 30C temperatures meant warmth -- and keeping the snow off the roof -- were paramount. Estonia is Kadri's home country. She met Kiwi Arvi, whose mother is Estonian, when he did his OE in the late1990s.
The couple built their house on Arvi's family land, which the family reclaimed after their farm was confiscated during the Soviet occupation of Estonia in World War II.
Fast-forward to 2016, and the Crosslands have built four new executive homes in a sun-trap of a site in the Gladstone School-Mt Albert Grammar zone.
"We've built homes we would want to move into ourselves."
They've put a huge amount of thought into the four houses, which are all different, yet complementary, in an enclave they've named Willcott Mews.
Each house differs in its interior -- with beach house-style, Scandi, retro and contemporary looks.
Kadri and Arvi commissioned sun and shade studies to ensure the houses were positioned advantageously on the 1515sq m site and have made sure the houses are configured for privacy.
Number 31d is the contemporary home. Inside the double-height entrance, Arvi points out the generous sense of space and light.
Image 1 of 7: A Kiwi-Estonian couple have built homes with style, comfort and class. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
"The entrance sets the expectation for the rest of the house," he says.
"There's a 2.7m stud height throughout and we were really careful to have light coming in on both sides of all the houses. There are no corridors or wasted space, either. That was fundamental."
Another consideration was "creating intrigue", with partial walls with niches and feature pendant lights to create zones in the open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. The kitchen features a stylish angled island bench, textured tile splashback and butler's pantry.
There is one bedroom downstairs, with an en suite and its own access outside. There's also an office nook and powder room, plus internal access to a carpeted double garage. Landscaping includes wrap-around decking, fencing, lawn, plus new planting and existing mature cabbage and olive trees, all ready for new owners.
Upstairs, there is a second living area, powder room and two double bedrooms, which share a luxurious family bathroom. It has a standalone bath and skylights, which Kadri says are popular in Estonia. The master suite has a walk-in wardrobe and an en suite with sophisticated Italian black marble tiles. Arvi points out the tapware and lighting with pride.
The Crosslands worked with interior specialists Design Front for each of the four houses in Willcott Mews, which range in size from about 230sq m to 248sq m, on freehold titles from 385sq to 400sq m, including shares of the driveway.
