Both architect and landscape architect, Harry Turbott was renowned for designing homes that were in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
He died in 2016 leaving a legacy of some of West Auckland's most outstanding buildings, including the Arataki Visitor Centre in the Waitakere Ranges. Whether large or small, they were always notable for their intimacy and warm humanity.
Jan Moore's home, hidden among a large tract of beautiful native bush in Oratia, is a charming example of the way Turbott created light-filled spaces that relate to the outdoors. It offers vistas through and over the tree canopy in every direction. Jan bought her home 25 years ago.
"At the time, I was looking for something quiet, warm and sunny. The idea of having a mezzanine bedroom appealed. My children's only request was: 'do not buy a box'."
This home, built in the 1970s, blends into the bush across a series of sunny decks on several levels. Its warm, playful interiors have a light, see-through feeling.
Vistas through the structure of well-connected living areas create the notion of standing in a native bush clearing.
Turbott could almost have designed it from the inside out and draped a handsome rustic sarked macrocarpa ceiling over the top, punctured by large skylights.
Jan got her mezzanine in the main bedroom which floats in space upstairs, reaching out to a north-facing deck where you can catch distant views to Waikumete Hill.
When you stand against the low wall upstairs, you look down into the lounge with its soaring cathedral ceiling.
Until Jan met John 15 years ago, she lived here on her own. "When it came to deciding on where we would live, this was the obvious choice. The whole area just works so well for us."
Stairs rising behind the dining room are visible through elegant, open built-in timber shelving.
And while the dining room is open to the lounge, the lack of internal doors ensures that, in winter, heat from an efficient log burner is shared throughout all other areas.
When lit, it warms the double brick layer of walls around a corner alcove, transferring heat to the rest of the house and lasting all night long. The main bedroom above is especially cosy.
Grandchildren love clambering on a ladder going up a wall of the lounge. The adventurous can climb on to the mezzanine or a find a secret spot in a concealed recess above the lounge to hide in.
Two more conventional bedrooms include a large, multi-purpose downstairs area opening directly through glass sliders off the drive. John uses it as a home office but it has also been a guest room.
"Decks for Africa" step down into the bush in front. A door from the lounge leads to a circular courtyard formed by demolition bricks. Jan and John escape the summer sun in this shady spot embraced by bush.
Jan had a landscape designer replant a section behind the house with easy-care low grasses and clivias among flat rocks. Complementary shades and textures create a pleasing backdrop through a window of the lounge.
Testimony to the skill of an expert, every aspect of this home was carefully planned, from the practical sun-drenched kitchen with spacious walk-in pantry to the rimu and tiled bathrooms. Jan and John clearly love this timeless architectural gem.
