SCHOOL ZONES:
Victoria Avenue Primary, double Grammar zone.
CONTACT:
Cathy Roselli, ph 021 750 454.
Friends and family thought Rozy and Jeremy Williamson were being unrealistic with plans to buy their first home in Remuera.
But Rozy was determined to live in a suburb she knew and liked.
And after nine months of looking, they struck gold when they found this architect-designed cedar townhouse for sale by negotiation -- after losing out in auctions time and again on other houses.
"We had made a list of things we had to have in our home and it ticked every box," says Rozy. "It had a proper linen cupboard, storage under the stairs, a fireplace, internal-access garage, the living and bedroom spaces on separate floors, and a guest toilet downstairs so the upstairs can be a complete shambles and no one's the wiser."
Rozy says it was also important to her to have some separation between the kitchen/dining space and the lounge.
"A lot of homes that have been renovated have one open-plan living space and there's just so much noise with everybody in there and kids whizzing around," she says. "I can be out here with my friends and Jeremy can be in the lounge watching the game and it's not a problem."
Although the home had everything the couple wanted, it did need a "facelift" when they bought it four years ago.
Painted mint green at the time, Rozy says the two-storey house, which was built in 1982, had "quite a Piha bach feel".
She and Jeremy began by painting the interior a crisp white and painting out the exposed beams and some of the wooden joinery to give the home a fresh, modern feel. They replaced the curtains and put down new carpet and laminate flooring, and installed new lights.
After the kitchen and bathroom were modernised, they turned their attention to the exterior, painting the home in a classic black-and-white colour scheme and replacing a ponga log and river stone garden with lawn.
That lawn has come in handy with the arrival of daughter Harriet, who now toddles around happily outside.
Set below the quiet street, the home enjoys privacy, colour and birdlife, thanks to the abundant and varied trees.
"It's a lovely spot here," says Rozy. "I can sit outside while Harriet's playing with the sun streaming down and you are surrounded by trees."
Though the home has been modernised, it still has a charming feel, with its multiple roof planes and shingled roof.
"It's small but perfectly formed," says Rozy. "There's good flow throughout the home but there's also separation if you want it."
And there's no mistaking the front door, which is painted bright red to stand out against the exterior's monochrome colour scheme. The lounge, to the left of the entrance, has an open fire and sits elevated from the dining area with a cut-out wall separating the two.
Cut-outs and cleverly placed windows have been employed throughout the home to provide views and bring in light.
"The peek-a-boo windows and the views you get are the mark of a good architect," says Rozy, of the design by Cook Hitchcock & Sargisson.
The dining space and lounge have large sliding doors opening to a north-facing deck that steps down to a paved area and the lawn.
Adjoining the dining space, the kitchen has smart white cabinetry, looks out over the lawn and leads through to a laundry. Centrally positioned and with plenty of bench space, the kitchen has come into its own when the couple are entertaining a lot of guests, such as the time when they had their engagement party here. And the insistence on having the bedrooms away from the living spaces proved to be a wise move when guests at the party decided to carry on into the night after Rozy and Jeremy retired for the evening.
Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a tiled bathroom with a glass shower. On a mezzanine floor, the guest bedroom has a shuttered window overlooking the lounge. This room also has an office set up at the opposite end. The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe, and, like the other bedrooms, receives abundant light and feels likes it is sitting in the treetops.
The couple are moving "around the corner" to a larger home that can accommodate what they hope will be a growing family.
Rozy says, "I needed to buy something new so I could let go, because this house has been such a big part of our lives."
