Mt Eden villa is perfect package

Nestled at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, this pretty villa's fresh look has lasting appeal. By VICKI HOLDER.

It was love at first sight for Nicky and Andrew van der Peet. After being paraded through numerous properties, the busy professional couple knew they had found a place to call home when they stepped inside this Mt Eden villa.

The house was tired and needed redecorating, but it was well positioned for sun and the backyard was private. Their plan was to give the house a contemporary makeover.

It was not just the appeal of the property that captivated them. Located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac lined with other villas, the street is near work in the city and close to the Southern and North-Western Motorway on-ramps. Specialty shops at Eden Quarter on Valley Rd and Mt Eden village are close by and Queen St, Ponsonby and Newmarket are just minutes away. Auckand Boys Grammar school is around the corner

Not only is the house handy to so much, Nicky and Andrew soon discovered a strong sense of community in the street.

Says Nicky: "Kawaka St is a quiet street where the children play safely on the road. And it's not unknown for adults to grab their in-line skates and bikes and join in. The neighbours are fantastic and we have developed strong friendships during our time here. Most of the residents have been here as long as we have and we have shared many great experiences together."

As they anticipated staying longer term, Nicky and Andrew renovated everything properly - even though it meant working nights as well as weekends.

It took about six months to strip the exterior walls, then repaint. The fretwork above the front porch was reinstated, and a new deck and balustrade added.

Nicky had strong ideas for creating different moods in the rooms. Before making any cosmetic colour changes, the couple stripped the old wallpaper and relined the walls with paper. The 70s carpet in two of the three bedrooms was removed to make way for new wool sisal carpet. In the third bedroom and elsewhere, timber floors were sanded and polished.

The entry hall is warm and welcoming with its lemon walls. The front bedroom, with its tiny bay window extension and Victorian fireplace, has a fresh feel with citrus-toned walls and sunflowers on the curtains.

The master bedroom is light and airy, painted a warm sand colour, and the guest room is a restful haven painted green.

Re-rendered and painted red, the stone fireplace in the living area has become a focal point. The bright blue hearth contrasts with the sandstone walls.

Well past its use-by date, the brown linoleum was removed from the bathroom and replaced with rimu tongue-and-groove flooring. A Villeroy & Bosch toilet and basin sit beside the resurfaced claw-foot bath. In the laundry, a stable door offers security and good ventilation

Nicky planned the garden to resemble a clearing in the native bush, secluded from neighbours behind a canopy of puka, cabbage trees, kowhai and ake ake underplanted with ferns and grasses.

Now as Nicky and Andrew sit on their deck gazing towards the rustic shed at the end of the section, they can be heartened there is nothing they have left untouched as they prepare to leave this perfect property.