The Nolans love character houses and have always lived in Remuera and Epsom with the exception of their previous home - a large, modern house in Farm Cove where they lived for eight years while their two sons attended nearby St Kentigern's College.
Three years ago, when the younger son had finished his schooling, the Nolans were ready to move back to their old stomping ground and were delighted when this distinctive house came on the market.
After emigrating to New Zealand in the 1920s, the Canadian-born architect designed more than 100 buildings including Chancery Chambers, the Lister Building and several substantial private homes.
Like his other designs, the Nolans' house has drawn inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement with features including leadlight windows, beamed ceilings, slate roofing and shingle cladding.
This touch of Old England and the versatility of the home's many spaces appealed to Lesley who, at that stage, wanted a house with enough separate living spaces for her sons to relax in with their friends.
Being within easy commuting distance to the city and within walking distance to an excellent cluster of shops at the top of nearby Upland Rd was also important to Lesley, whose work three days a week is a quick stroll up the road.
Since moving in, the Nolans have not needed to do anything to the house, which had undergone a renovation in the 1980s that mainly entailed pushing out the back of the house to accommodate a kitchen and family room.
Six years ago the bathrooms were modernised and a gas-heated swimming pool, double garage and loft were added - segueing seamlessly with the original house and not compromising its integrity.
To the right of the hallway when you enter the house, the canary-coloured formal front lounge looks out through elegant leadlight windows beyond Lucerne Rd to Remuera's green northern slopes.
Double-panelled doors open from this room to a delightful formal dining room made all the more welcoming by the same sunny coloured tones and an entire wall of built-in book shelves. Glass doors open out to a private, ivy-walled courtyard that captures the morning sun, before it moves across the rest of the home.
Four bedrooms in the carpeted upstairs level include the master with en suite and an unusually large walk-in wardrobe.
An enormous north-facing double bedroom with an entire wall devoted to cupboards and its own sun room/study trumps the ample storage throughout the house.
The house may be large but its spaces, including the downstairs snug, have an intimacy that make it feel like a real family home.
Now that their sons are older, the Nolans are travelling and staying at their beach house more so are ready to downsize.
