CONTACT:
Scott McElhinney, Barfoot & Thompson, 027 2108887.
Nobody could accuse Casey Costello of sacrificing form for function -- or function for form. As half of the team that has designed and built three houses (so far) on a subdivision at Pokeno, she pays equal attention to styling and practicality.
This is evidenced by the fact that her favourite thing in the latest house she and husband Rob Verhoef have built, is the garage.
"I know that's weird but it really is an amazing space," she says. "We carpeted it, lined it in ply and blonded it so it could be a really flexible area -- tall enough to park a campervan, and nice enough to set up as a gym or a workspace."
The brand new, barn-style house sits on a 0.85ha site about five minutes' drive from Pokeno village. The rural subdivision came about because Rob, a builder, had always wanted a project he could take from start to finish, with hands-on control over the quality and style of the homes being built there.
"We wanted to build houses that were in keeping with the contour of the land, on big sections so the area wouldn't become over-built," Casey says. "And people were telling us they wanted a more relaxed, practical style of living with spaces that are useful."
This is the third of six houses to be built in the subdivision and at 330sq m it has been built to accommodate multi-generational families.
Entry to the house is from a paved terrace directly into the open plan living area. The kitchen is well set up for both family use and entertaining with an island bench, breakfast bar, stone benchtops and a scullery with a wine fridge.
Casey laughs over the fact that adding a window to the scullery was a last minute decision, and one which always draws positive comments because it captures a lovely view.
The adjoining living area has access via a window wall to a roofed outdoor living area and a pergola with fire pit and built-in seating. The dining area also connects to the outdoors with glass doors.
There are three further bedrooms upstairs including the master, which has an indoor/outdoor aspect with a glass-fenced cedar balcony. Casey loves the balcony as much as she loves the garage and says she's proud of the way it turned out.
She and Rob collaborate on many of the design elements, and Casey keeps up with the play on what's available by talking to retailers and tradespeople, and going to other show homes to check out what materials and ideas are being used.
"I like to keep the basics quite simple and natural and then dress it up," she says.
She has decorated the living areas in warm, neutral colours, using 16mm Smartwood composite on the floors in the kitchen and dining areas, and carpet elsewhere.
"I wanted a comfort factor and of course the technology of carpet these days is amazing," she says. "We've come a long way from the days where if carpet was stain resistant it'd be the kind you got electric shocks from"
The stylish decor is teamed with smart technology, such as a central vacuum system that empties into a space accessed by tapping the kitchen toe-kick, a centralised data network hub, and LED lighting,
Garden lighting has been included -- useful because this house has a large landscaped area. It was bigger than the previous homes so Casey enlisted professional landscapers to help create the outdoor living areas. The planting is mainly hebes, grasses and flaxes, chosen to continue the theme of elegant but relaxed rural living.
