SCHOOL ZONES:
Milford School, Takapuna Intermediate, Westlake Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools.
CONTACT:
Mark Fitzgerald, Harcourts, 021 357 080.
In some parts of Auckland, the 1980s were not kind to architecture. But the house that Laurie Chilcott bought with his late wife, Barbara, in 1984 is one of the best examples of architect Terry Hitchcock's work.
His 1967 practice with Marshall Cook, Peter Sargisson, then later Simon Pirie, created a legacy of a classic New Zealand vernacular, continued today by the young guns: interesting roof shapes, cedar siding, doors and windows that blur the lines between inside and out, light flowing from unexpected directions.
The house, on the ridge of Tiri Rd, is set back from the street on a series of layered lawns and landscaping. Built in 1980, it still has many original features: Morris and James clay tiles, distinctive Hitchcock window styles, level changes that allow rooms to borrow light from each other, finely worked timber tongue and groove ceilings.
Barbara had a sophisticated artist's eye, and it wasn't long before the couple had made alterations to the house to improve its flow and light.
The most significant was to push out a sunroom from the original dark billiards room.
The white tiled area, added in 1987, is a light-filled circulation space that connects the interior with the garden, enticing visitors from the family room upstairs via a sunroom to the formal lounge.
The sunroom has wide windowseats that encourage lingering at the picture window to savour the view across the leafy gardens to the sea at the bottom of the street, while the sitting rooms upstairs and down have cosy gas fireplaces.
"It's a great space for a crowd," says Laurie. "People can just mill about from upstairs, around the dining room and back outdoors."
The great space will get its final workout when 80 or 90 friends and family descend on the house for Laurie's 80th birthday in March, the house's last fling before he moves into a lock-up and leave apartment.
Barbara died three years ago, but her touches are everywhere -- bold feature colours, the magnificent art and collectible glass, the warm and welcoming kitchen, colourful sculptures in the garden.
The couple commissioned landscape architect Ted Smythe to rework the front yard and the back garden around the pool.
The front now boasts Smythe's signature pebble and stone ground and he cleverly thrust a breakfast deck by the back door, where the sunny morning spot seems to hover about the trees, and provides the first of the sea glimpses.
Image 1 of 11: Terry Hitchcock's design signature flourishes here and is found at every turn
In the rear garden, paved courtyards flow around the natural dark-tinted pool. There are gazebos, sheltered eating spots, and doors opening from the two ground floor bedrooms (one is Laurie's office) and living spaces.
Barbara also commissioned interior designer Robyn Carnachan, the late wife of architect Simon Carnachan, a contemporary of Hitchcock's, to rework the kitchen.
The classical white joinery is a great foil for the family's collection, while a wee breakfast area is a friendly gathering spot overlooking the garden.
Upstairs, the couple extended the house over the double garage to create a huge master suite in 1998.
The original double room, complete with walk-in closet, has framed views of the sea across rooftops, but the new suite has expansive views, is sheltered by the mature trees and has a luxurious master bath.
There's a tiny deck tucked up here, too, along with a generous sun/sitting room that Barbara used as her art studio.
Laurie says on a still night he can hear the waves crashing on the beach.
The final tweak of Hitchcock's design was a remodel of the ground floor bathroom: a full tub was added, and a striking shower pushed into the garden. Its glass roof floods sunlight on to a wall of blue and green mosaic tiles, as pretty as any luxury spa.
Laurie says the house has been great for their grown family and grandchildren.
The pool, complete with its tinkling water fountain (a mermaid the couple brought back from one of their many travels), is one of his favourite parts, and the couple always loved the way the house flowed from indoors to out, the views from Coromandel to Tiritiri Matangi.
But it is time for Laurie to move on, to restart his travelling and leave this versatile family home to the next generation of families.
