The roaring 20s were a decade "when the parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser....".
F Scott Fitzgerald summed up the excesses of an era that launched mass popular culture and the modern liberal world in which we live.
In the arts and architecture a new inventiveness unleashed radical new styles. Business boomed as the age of consumerism had begun. The wealthy craved the chance to display their modernity by incorporating the changes in stylish new homes.
Visitors are swept back to that era when they drive through the big wrought iron gates of a property on St Heliers' Golden Ridge. Built in 1922 for the well-known Auckland family, the Naismiths of New Zealand Dry Cleaners fame, this elegant home serves up a nostalgic taste of what life was like back then, for the privileged few.
Having changed ownership only four times, the house has altered little since it was built. All the character features including an impressive array of built-in oak cabinetry and leadlight windows are still intact. The few discordant changes that were made during the years to reflect fleeting trends were recently removed. In modernising the house for current lifestyle, they sourced products and skilled tradespeople to replicate original detailing.
The most recent addition, a double garage, not only improves the building's proportions, but increases living space for entertaining. So as not to detract from the soft, aged appearance of the house, second-hand Marseille tiles were procured for the roof.
Just a few steps down from the kitchen and a small traditional bathroom, the garage opens across the back through bifold doors to the rear garden - teenagers can party in the garage without disturbing adults in the rest of the house.
One can vividly imagine the decadent garden parties that might have taken place on the sweep of lawn that rolls up to the house. And if walls could talk, what spicy snippets would we glean from the original dark oak-paneled vestibule and sitting nook, still in mint condition.
Coats were draped in the adjoining closet as guests moved to the warmth of the fire, now fed by gas, through the beveled glass doors in the large formal lounge. Dinner was served as plates were passed from the kitchen through a sliding door in an oak servery cabinet to the cosy dining room next door.
Once, there was a wall between the dining room and lounge. New beveled glass doors were inserted to connect the two spaces. You'd swear the new doors, expertly crafted to match originals on the opposite wall, had always been there.
Now, you can sit in the formal lounge and look through the dining room and family room to the views. Or, you can close off each area by closing the doors. Sunlight strikes glass prisms in the exquisite leadlighting, casting rainbows around the room.
Rich timber details were not just confined to formal areas to impress the guests. They continue in the private realm and even in the kitchen. An original sideboard and servery recessed in a kitchen alcove is complemented by matching woodwork in the rest of the kitchen.
During a recent renovation, an English tradesman restored the ornate plastered ceiling. Decorative cornices and traditional pendant lights emphasise the high ceilings.
Rimu floors extend from the kitchen into the adjoining sitting and dining area, as far as the french doors which open to a deck.
This sunny, north-facing, indoor/outdoor area has become the new focus of family life. Overlooking a kidney-shaped swimming pool, spa pool and paved patio that abuts a neat lawn and pretty garden, this secluded oasis savours expansive views of the Hauraki Gulf, the harbour and Rangitoto Island.
While living is downstairs, bedrooms are above. From this aspect, you gain views to Devonport and North Head. An oak-paneled stairway rises up to a landing that has timber paneling to dado height and a tasteful English wallpaper above. Half way up the stairs, a tall leadlight feature window curves around a space designed to display an ample floral arrangement.
There are two double bedrooms and two single with a large family bathroom and an en suite off the master bedroom. Plans by Architect Brian Cullen are available to remodel the upstairs area.
Preserved and meticulously upgraded, this character home lets you indulge in the past with the convenience of uncompromising contemporary living.
Vital Statistics
Address: 201 St Heliers Bay Rd, St Heliers
Features: Well-preserved, character-filled 1920s home with formal and informal living, separate formal dining, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, secluded outdoor living with pool and spa, irrigation system and garden lighting
Size: Land 976 sq m
Tender: Closes March 9; price indicator $1.15 to $1.25 million
Agent: Lesley Carter, Barfoot & Thompson, Mission Bay. Ph 528 0775 bus; 534 8147 ah; 021 736 405 mob.
A nostalgic mix
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