SCHOOL ZONES:
Remuera primary, intermediate, Selwyn College.
CONTACT:
Lisa-Maree Wallen, UP Realty, 021 666 741.
AUCTION:
April 12 at noon on site.
*Plus off-street
Fashion stylist and would-be interior designer Clifton Piper has learned a good lesson during the renovation of his 1940s brick and tile house in Remuera: be true to what you love.
"When I first did the house seven years ago, I thought I should do what other people will like. You know, all white, safe," he says.
"But what I love is colour, so I realised I should just do what I love and be happy here. My environment is so important to me."
Given his work, making people on television look warm and approachable, it stands to reason that Clifton could do the same for a house.
It's clearly a natural instinct, as he swears that when he found this classic of the period, it was hidden under a clutter of bad 1970s carpets and fixtures and a muddle of rooms that most viewers had passed on.
But the house gave him plenty to work with, located as it was behind a high fence on the Remuera edge of Ladies Mile, north-facing and surrounded by mature trees that frame views of volcanic cones. He doesn't like to waste time either.
"I bought the house, and three days after I'd settled, we'd booked the demolition and the house was down to its sticks. We put in massive structural steel so that we could open out the seperate kitchen, dining living, open up the wall to the stairwell," he says.
"I wanted a project that excited me but didn't want to play with the floor plan too much."
That's something of an understatement as even at the private end of the house he slid walls about, poaching space from what is now the guest bedroom to enlarge the kitchen and create good double closets in that and the master bedroom, juggling the hall closet and bathroom to get a good laundry cupboard and a generous shower.
And then he added colours - smokey blues and greens against dark stained wood floors.
While he kept all the original window joinery, highlighted now with a mix of white shutters or sweeps of linen curtains, Clifton replaced deep ceiling mouldings with modern square stopping to make the rooms seem airier, even taller.
A fireplace heater was removed, the mantle cleaned up and the wood fire restored.
Clifton worked with kitchen designers Bella Cassita to fit out the expanded kitchen space with a wall of storage, open shelves and an island.
Extra deep counters in a mix of stainless steel and quartz, paired with subway tiles and deep open shelves lift the all-white space out of the ordinary.
The refit of the bathroom was also done with Bella Cassita's help, with two deep sculptural sinks replacing an ordinary vanity (storage is behind a wall of mirrors) and concrete-look tiles extending up the walls and into the shower.
The two bedrooms are big enough for armchairs and, with doors to the newly resurfaced deck and views of the trees, are serene retreats.
Clifton also converted the ground floor area next to the double garage into an apartment for his mum as it had its own entrance.
He dug away to convert the old laundry into a kitchenette, installed a bathroom with the same quality fittings as the main one, and refinished the rest of the space into a good double bedroom and sitting room for a sunny and warm accomodation.
