SCHOOL ZONES:
Westmere School, Ponsonby Intermediate and Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
Robyn Ellson, Ray White, 021 800 891.
When Robyn McKenzie and Elwyn Pugsley went house-hunting 18 years ago for their first home together, they say Westmere's Coxs Bay "felt like the 'burbs", compared to Elwyn's place in Ponsonby. But the couple, who own a creative agency, were drawn to a return veranda villa on the corner of Livingstone St and Kingsley St, which had just been renovated by the previous owner.
The house had everything Robyn and Elwyn wanted -- style, space and sun.
"We liked the scale of it," Elwyn recalls. "The big rooms and the spaces. It also had its integrity and old-style quality and it hadn't been mucked around with. It was awesome having Coxs Bay park just down the road," says Robyn.
When the couple moved in, there weren't the same amenities the neighbourhood enjoys now. The local Countdown supermarket was still the site of the old Sleepyhead factory, and there was no Farro store, nor cafes such as Richmond Road or Bread & Butter. "And West Lynn was completely different, too," says Robyn.
But they could tell the house was in really good condition.
"The man who owned it before us was an electrician," says Elwyn. "So the kitchen has 16 power points." The previous owner had also spent a lot of time and effort stripping back paint on internal doors so that the beautiful native timber was revealed again.
The only thing Robyn and Elwyn chose to change was refining the paint scheme inside, swapping cream for white.
They also planted natives extensively in the garden, to supplement the two pohutukawa already there. "Now it's lovely and private and feels a bit like a park," Robyn says.
Image 1 of 5: This spacious villa still has its old-style character, writes Penny Lewis
Inside the front door, the spacious master bedroom is to the right, with a bay window.
There's a large, built-in wardrobe in this room -- just as there are built-in wardrobes in the other two bedrooms, which are both doubles.
Original character features abound, but there are also stylish introduced fittings, such as the elegant art deco pendant lamp in the hallway that Robyn and Elwyn bought on Ponsonby Rd.
The generous bathroom has a spa bath and a separate, glass-walled shower.
Across the hall is a living room, with a beautiful kauri fireplace surround and original hearth tiles.
A door leads out to the veranda and its sash windows face west, looking out towards Kingsley St. "We use this room a lot in winter," says Robyn.
At the end of the hall, the main living space is light and airy. There's a living area to the left, where burmese cat siblings Bodhi and Gracie love to soak up the sun. The dining area is to the right, alongside the timber and stainless steel kitchen, which has views over to Herne Bay.
Stairs lead down to an internal-access double garage. There's also a "man-cave" workshop with a "tradesman's toilet" (as Robyn likes to call it). A separate laundry leads out to a paved courtyard, which flows on to a level lawn.
Back upstairs at Bodhi and Gracie's hangout, steps from the open-plan living area lead up to a large deck, which occupies the space above the garage. It's a great vantage point to see the Sky Tower fireworks on New Year's Eve.
This house has suited the couple perfectly, but it would also suit a family.
