17 Dodson Ave,
Milford
KEY POINTS:
What this house lacks in section size, it makes up for with state-of-the-art features and a slick design maximising the 450sq m piece of land it sits on.
Owners Lynley and Peter Elder issued black and white instructions to architect Simon Pirie of Cook, Sargisson, Pirie Ltd before he came up with the concept for their new house.
"We didn't want to spare anything when it came to the quality of the features and fittings," says Lynley, who, like husband Peter, is decked out in the same monochromatic tones as the entire interior of their sleek, 6-month-old home.
"We wanted a view from the front of the house right through to the pool at the back, four bedrooms, and a sunny, sheltered outdoor entertaining area with great views of the lake."
The house is perfectly positioned at the end of a cul-de-sac two minutes' walk from the Milford shops. It's also less than 100m from the shores of Lake Pupuke, less than 10 minutes' walk to Milford Beach and directly across the road from the Milford Tennis Club. You can even walk along the lake front to Milford School.
Pirie designed a two-level home with living spaces and a lap pool oriented to the northwest to soak up the sun from midday until the early evening.
An extra-high 2.7m stud, floor-to-ceiling doors, windows and expansive glazing, particularly on the northern and western sides of the house, make the whole home feel airy and spacious even though individual rooms are on a friendly scale.
"It works really well for us because we can use one of the bedrooms as an office and the other two as guest rooms. But we also built it with a family in mind," says Peter.
Three of the bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry leading to an outdoor utility area, and a downstairs living area opening out to the 10m x 2m solar-heated swimming pool are all on the ground level.
Upstairs are the master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and en suite and an open plan kitchen, living and dining area. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors slide completely away to open the indoor dining area out to an oversized loggia. Motorised aluminium shutters act as a moveable ceiling to open or close depending on the weather.
"The loggia is such a sun trap we have spent a lot of time out there this winter," says Lynley.
A former interior designer, she has decorated every room of the house in shades of black, white and silver.
Features include plush Source Mondiale charcoal-coloured carpet in the bedrooms and living areas, black and white Italian porcelain tiles in the bathrooms and patio areas, black solid wood bathroom cabinetry, black glass and white high-gloss kitchen cabinetry and a white Italian stone kitchen bar top. Even the pantry storage jars, neatly hidden behind high-gloss white, floor-to-ceiling sliding doors are colour co-ordinated.
"We'd be happy to sell the house fully furnished if necessary," says Lynley.
The house is smart wired with internet access in most rooms, an integrated alarm system and an indoor-outdoor sound system including speakers around the pool and on the upstairs deck.
Both living areas have built-in, high-definition plasma TVs.
It's been an ambitious project but now that it is finished, Lynley says she already starting to feel bored. "My next plan is to buy and renovate apartments with my son Peter, who's a builder."
