SCHOOL ZONES:
Matakana Primary, Mahurangi College.
CONTACT:
Shailenne Parkes and Duncan Napier, Bayleys. Ph Shailenne 021 117 9142 or Duncan 027 283 8021.
AUCTION:
December 3.
An enterprising couple with an eye for contemporary style have given this chocolate-box villa a modern starring role.
When Richard and Kelly Karam bought this property in February, this early 20th-century, renovated Victorian villa had been dressed to elegant effect in a heritage palette of ochre and burgundy. Set in the lee of a hill with a small river running through the property, the house was the stuff of postcards from its picket fence to its wooden lace and kauri floor.
Its structural integrity came courtesy of the previous owners who had moved the house on to this site around 2000. Richard and Kelly, who moved here with their preschooler, Hugo, decided to take a significant big step back from the picket fence close to the house and embrace a much larger picture. Their interpretation has taken on the scale of a big production with more than half of the amphitheatre-like land around the house taking on the ambience of a stage set.
The framework is the rear stand of native bush -- towering totara and kahikatea. On the opposite side, a 5-year-old grove of olive trees is showing fruitful potential.
In from the wings, the morning sun beams into the living room and the two front bedrooms. By lunchtime it has swung round beyond the veranda into the kitchen and, by late afternoon, is sneaking into the third bedroom. Just as pleasing is the way the hill diffuses any prevailing westerly winds.
For this couple, who left villa life in suburban Auckland with long-term plans for this property just minutes from Matakana Village, this architectural nostalgia has given them the scope and the licence to showcase their own style.
They did so by demolishing the picket fence and clearing a wider expanse of land, before trucking in 50 to 80 loads of soil, by Richard's estimation.
Next came trucks laden with 300 hydrangeas and 50 pin oaks and liquidambar trees to create a larger, textural framework to the house.
Richard describes the grounds as resembling a park. "We wanted to make it all bigger, more open and expansive."
For the interiors, they called on advice from noted local artist Mike Petre, who helped them put together a palette based on cooler, rather than yellow-based, tones of white.
"We went with white because it's clean and fresh and it is a very easy environment for us to live in."
Richard and Kelly had the original golden kauri floors sanded back and whitewashed, choosing to retain the floor's natural, quirky imperfections, including the natural gaps between the planks.
Image 1 of 7: This postcard-perfect property's fine points have been highlighted inside and out
They repainted the kitchen that had been renovated in 2006 ahead of long-term plans to extend the space. Of what they've changed in this property Richard says, "We made sure we did to a very high standard."
Outside, they turned a Skyline garage into a 60sq m studio with new board and batten cladding and macrocarpa flooring. It was to be Kelly's floristry studio but think it could easily become B&B accommodation.
The studio's deep white porch is the visual link with the house; its black exterior the connection with the 120sq m barn-games room that is big enough to house four cars.
For Richard and Kelly, a new retail business opportunity means they need to be closer to Auckland city. Their time here has been a project with large-scale rewards that has added another layer to their experiences of villa living.
