NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Property

A winning work of modern art in Parnell

By Penny Lewis
NZ Herald·
16 Mar, 2012 04:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

1 Judges Bay Rd, Parnell, Auckland. Photo / Ted Baghurst.

1 Judges Bay Rd, Parnell, Auckland. Photo / Ted Baghurst.

1 JUDGES BAY RD PARNELL
4
6
4
SIZE: Land 1300sq m, house approx 473sq m.
PRICE INDICATION: $7.5 million.
INSPECT: By appointment only.
ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/471702
SCHOOL ZONES: Parnell District School, Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls' Grammar.
CONTACT: Diana Buczkowski and Peter West, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 520 6221 or 021 408 303 (Diana) or 021 939 222 (Peter).
FEATURES: Renowned house designed by architect David Mitchell. Recipient of NZIA national award. Concrete construction, with self-contained accommodation and expansive gardens, pool and spa. Private and secure.

The 1980s meant mixed fortunes for architecture in Auckland. On the downside, historic buildings were demolished in the dead of night and glass towers became de rigueur in the city centre.

On the upside were iconic buildings, such as this house, designed in 1984 by David Mitchell for art patrons and philanthropists, Alan and Jenny Gibbs. The Gibbs House won a New Zealand Institute of Architects national award in 1986 and is recognised as one of the most architecturally significant buildings of its era. It has appeared in numerous books and magazines.

David Mitchell says the Gibbs, who had moved here from Titirangi, didn't want timber on show, preferring "an International-style house which fitted their growing art collection". He adds: "There were children to accommodate and the normal functional things, but they wanted the house to be a piece of art in itself".

The layout of the house has the main living areas and bedrooms in a northern two-storey section, linked by a conservatory to two-level, self-contained accommodation with its own access.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The architect says the house "is not spectacular from the street. We tried to make it quiet to approach and a surprise to enter. They were confident clients - it was a big risk for clients and architect - to design a house not like the others around it."

Today, Mitchell says he feels "fine about the house - it's good, to be frank". He notes in particular its "big, lofty living room with the silver ceiling and the way the light reflects around the room".

Present owners Michael and Jane have been here for 11 years. They had moved north from Wellington for work and were looking for a home in Parnell that was like the conventional house they'd called home in the capital.

Their plans changed when they were brought here. "We had a look at it and fell in love with it," Michael recalls.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The owners immediately before them had made cosmetic changes, so Michael and Jane commissioned Mitchell to design a new kitchen (this time, with timber), and replace original sideboards and other storage that had been removed. The solid concrete house was also repainted, in an updated palette specified by Mitchell, and the bathrooms redone.

What hasn't changed is the appeal of the home's duality, 28 years after it was built. The solidity of its construction - filled concrete block walls, slate-topped concrete floors and marble and stone finishes - is contrasted with a lightness of touch and generous sense of space, with invisible steel frames supporting significant spans. Outside, on the terrace, a highly visible steel beam "supports" a void.

"It's been over-engineered, deliberately," says Michael, with a smile. Upstairs, a shallow reflection pool casts shadows across the marine-grade stainless steel mini-corrugate ceiling.

But, despite this home's enduring role as art, it functions as a place to live comfortably. Michael and Jane enjoy breakfast on the terrace and can spend evenings in a cosy second living space near the kitchen. Michael's study, off the main living area, looks out to a view of the sea.

Discover more

Property

Herald Homes of the year: Classic touches to a thoroughly modern makeover

25 Dec 04:30 PM

Upstairs, the master bedroom, with a spacious en suite, also looks out to the view. There is a further bedroom upstairs in this part of the house, which opens onto a balcony and the reflection pool. Downstairs is another bedroom. These bedrooms, along with the accommodation in the southern section, worked well when two lots of adult children and their partners came to stay, as well as two young grandsons.

The linking conservatory dining room is great for dinner parties or winter breakfasts, with French doors that open to an expanse of lawn and an English-style garden. Other parts of the large garden include subtropical plants, mature puriri and pohutukawa. There is a swimming pool and spa to enjoy, plus a gym and a sauna.

After more than a decade here, Michael and Jane are opting to downsize, making this importance piece of Auckland's architectural culture available to new owners.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Property

Property

Kiwi nurse sells his ‘last resort’ bach after dropping price to $78,000

Property

Couple saves riverside mansion that was ‘left to rot’

Property

Dream house that hasn’t been built yet sells for over $11m


Sponsored

Tired of missing out on getting to global summits to help grow your business?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Property

Kiwi nurse sells his ‘last resort’ bach after dropping price to $78,000
Property

Kiwi nurse sells his ‘last resort’ bach after dropping price to $78,000

West Coast property attracted plenty of interest despite its quirks.

17 Jul 07:55 PM
Couple saves riverside mansion that was ‘left to rot’
Property

Couple saves riverside mansion that was ‘left to rot’

17 Jul 07:45 PM
Dream house that hasn’t been built yet sells for over $11m
Property

Dream house that hasn’t been built yet sells for over $11m

17 Jul 07:35 PM


Tired of missing out on getting to global summits to help grow your business?
Sponsored

Tired of missing out on getting to global summits to help grow your business?

14 Jul 04:48 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP