A theatrical renovation has turned a plain Jane into a fully fledged star. VICKI HOLDER raises the curtain.
Not your average pretty Freemans Bay villa - this one has balls! Enormous plaster balls, to be precise, which balance on solid plinths as part of a low fence across the street frontage.
Caressed by big leafy Spoon lilies, they demand attention and dwarf the front entry.
This is just a taste of the delights to come. The full drama unfolds in a scheme which plays on classical symmetry.
The owner, Graham Mumford, is an architectural plasterer whose bold sculptural works have made him well-known in the design arena. When Graham bought the house five years ago, his friends were horrified that he had succumbed to such a "plain Jane." Calling on his flair for creating visual impact with plastering and rendering, and with the help of architect Graeme Burgess of Burgess & Treep, he soon transformed the property into something spectacular.
The difference between this and any other villa renovation becomes more obvious the further you go from the entry. Four upstairs bedrooms on either side of the central hallway were given a tidy facelift. Floors were stripped and polished, walls and ceilings were paint and halogen lighting fitted.
When you enter the two rear bedrooms to discover french doors opening to balconies which were added to the rear of the house, you begin to realise the extent to which this makeover diverts from traditional villa style.
Overlooking a magical garden below, the mirror-image balconies offer sunny grandstand positions from which to appreciate a stunning setting.
The original villa door inset with coloured glass panels, centrally located at the end of the hallway, is the only part of the old bathroom that remains upstairs. Beneath its pitched, glazed roof and white tiled floors and walls, it is a sunny little temple. Two people can fit beneath the double shower heads at either end of the shower recess.
As you descend the stairs towards the living area below, your eye veers towards a parade of bifold doors and beyond to a large, rectangular fishpond outside. A honey-toned, concrete-tiled terrace steps down gradually to the garden, dominated by the pond in the middle, edged in a parapet of ivy which flows into a border of river stones.
Two large flat disks squat on small plaster balls set on plinths that form the entry to the lower part of the garden. At the far end, four plaster columns shrouded in the branches of a peach tree and gentle bangalow palm fronds give height to the garden and emphasise the sense of drama. At night, the sensation is even more pronounced as lighting concealed behind plants heightens daytime's theatrical dimension. Heavily planted with lush tropical palms, this garden oasis delivers an almost surreal appearance.
Looking across the pond and up the steps, the house looks much more substantial than it does from the street. There's a pleasing symmetry to the arrangement of windows and doors beneath a porch supported by blue tiled mosaic pillars.
Inside, the large open-plan living area is striking with its matt black tiled floor. The kitchen on one side of the stairs features plywood cabinetry and a freestanding island bench with a granite top, finished in burnished steel giving an industrial look???. A quirky arched mantelpiece above the fireplace is a talking point in the sitting space opposite. The house also has gas heating.
There's handy shelving and enough space for the television and stereo underneath the stairs.
There's still more space further back. A utility area and laundry lead to a toilet and a second bathroom, which is in need of a simple update.
In this large and comfortable home, Graeme Mumford has created a theatrical living environment, where indoor and outdoor spaces merge with a strong contemporary edge.
Vital Statistics:
Address: 32 Anglesea St, Freemans Bay
Features: Four bedrooms, two-plus bathrooms, balconies, industrial-style kitchen, new appliances, open-plan living, landscaped garden with fishpond
Size: Land 364 sq m
Price: $570,000
Agent: Jamie Thomas, Ray White Real Estate, Ponsonby. Ph 376 2186 bus; 483 4306 ah; 025 793 881
A theatrical renovation has turned a plain Jane into a fully fledged star. VICKI HOLDER raises the curtain.
Not your average pretty Freemans Bay villa - this one has balls! Enormous plaster balls, to be precise, which balance on solid plinths as part of a low fence across the street frontage.
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