Nice 'n' easy

By VICKI HOLDER

Like a bold exclamation mark at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, a dramatic and exuberant Herne Bay property invites passers-by to ogle in awe.

With no fence between the boundary and the street, the four-year-old garden sizzles with sculptural excitement and gets maximum exposure.

With a reserve on their doorstep, the owners never felt the need to lavish the children with lawn for play space. Instead, they recruited garden designers Trish Bartleet and Sally Gordon to fill the landscape with living art that frames the house.

Geometric concrete planters are filled with yuccas, cycads and succulents set in concrete rings. Giant, spiky aloes burst through a sea of mass-planted silver and red plants. Ponytail palms float in a kidney-shaped, shag-pile carpet of black mondo grass and rust-coloured carex. Dragon trees rise above a river of stones. Against a lush lawn, a two-tone concrete pathway made of waves of bluestone aggregate and white marble chip leads past the basement garaging to the front door.

A wonderful blend of luxuriousness and restraint, the garden reflects the house's new lease of life. When the owners bought it in 1986, the property was single-storey and brick and tile. Architect Mal Bartleet transformed it for a family of five, bringing it up to date with a white stucco exterior and lots of curves and angles inside. Going up and out while retaining the best of the Art Deco character, Mal's design has provided more space, an improved layout and stunning harbour views from the master suite and balcony upstairs.

Now the family enjoys three well-linked living areas. These include a television room in front, the main sitting room in the middle, and a smaller sitting room with a fireplace beside the revamped kitchen and new dining area. The main sitting room has remained original, still featuring the sash windows and a long, skinny band of vertical stained-glass, which can be seen at the entrance.

Both sides of the living area open to the garden across expansive, curved kwila decks, which are semi-enclosed by chunky white beams.

The dining room extends through two sets of french doors to a courtyard at the back of the house. Apart from steps leading to a small utility area, virtually the whole space is devoted to a swimming pool surrounded by polished concrete. Big, fluffy queen palms give privacy along one border, while yuccas in enormous galvanised planter boxes are safely pinned across the steel blue stucco boundary wall. Square cut-outs in the planters reflect the blue-and-white tile trim around the pool's perimeter.

The same simple graphic effect is created with tiles in the revamped kitchen. Although several years old now, the white Corian benchtop and the glossy, white lacquer cabinetry with chrome handles have stood the test of time. Similarly, the simple combination of white walls and timber floors in the rest of the home ensure it has a timelessness that is unlikely to date.

When stairs were added in the entrance, the layout downstairs was reworked for a better flow. Those coming in from the pool to use the bathroom no longer traipse water through the house, as the back door opens directly into a neat laundry beside a starkly modern new bathroom. A pale green glass water basin perches on a dark-stained timber, bench-style vanity against a wall of small white mosaics.

Children can enjoy garden and pool views from the two double bedrooms downstairs, while there's plenty of room in a third child's bedroom upstairs.

The master bedroom takes up the sunny, north-west corner of the new addition. Sweeping across the bed-end, a curved walnut veneer panel forms handy recessed shelving for books and lamps. The pitched roof adds a spacious feel. Doors open to the balcony, where owners can look down on the pool or gaze across the water to the Waitakere Ranges and the Chelsea sugar factory.

Between a walk-through, fitted dressing room and the bedroom, the en suite features a curved vanity topped with a curved wall of faceted mirrors. Surrounded by vibrant yellow tiles, the bath basks in sunlight that pours through glass brick tiles.

Offering lots of living areas and bedrooms and no wasted space, this compact house makes a great family home and an impressive place to entertain.

Vital Statistics

Address: 18 Salisbury Rd, Herne Bay.

Features: Renovated home in cul-de-sac on northern slopes next to Salisbury Reserve; easy-care garden; four bedrooms; two bathrooms; main bedroom with dressing room; original Art Deco features; central heating plus log fire; solar-heated swimming pool; garaging and carport.

Size: Land area 610 sq m.

Auction: At 2 pm on March 27 at Bayleys Maritime Square auction rooms.

Agent: Geoffrey McRae, Bayleys Real Estate. Ph 309 6020 bus; 375 8492 dir; 021 376 5886 mob.