The living is easy

By VICKI HOLDER

An architect-designed home makes for relaxed country living, south of the city. Vicki Holder rests awhile.

Idyllic vignettes abound at Highgate, a 10-year-old country home in Karaka, south of Auckland. Clad in black creosote-treated cedar weatherboards with white wooden joinery and a shingle roof, it is filled with the typical warmth and appeal of the New England style.

Generous dormer windows, set symmetrically at regular intervals across the roof on either side of the main entry, add weight to that notion. And well-established grounds planted with more than 40 different tree species including plane, Alaskan spruce, olive, pohutukawa, bay and holly hedges paint the finishing flourishes to this becoming picture.

Indeed, the current owners who commissioned architect Felicity Wallace to design their home, are both art directors with an eye for detail.

Between them, they have created a home that is testimony to their artistic flair. It is a home that steals your heart, yet is robust and unpretentious; tailor-made for the relaxed country lifestyle. It's definitely not a city home, merely transported to a pretty country setting.

Stretched out across the lawn, much of the house is just one room deep. To link all the rooms and to make the most of the northerly light, a long gallery/conservatory runs the length of the house, the windows of which frame vistas of the rolling countryside from both floor levels. French doors and dormer windows open from this high-traffic space where the flooring is polished concrete inlaid with a pattern of timber.

An American oak kitchen lies centrally at the back of the house, next to the double garage and a big laundry/boot storage room. Low-key, with appliances and the larder well-concealed behind the cabinetry, the kitchen features attractive granite bench tops and a hob inset in a cosy recess.

The dining room next door sparkles with old-worlde charm, with a cushioned window seat and an iron wood-burning range in the hearth. Next door, a double-height space is used as an office, and captures the morning sun which warms the whole dining area.

A children's room and the formal sitting room with its log fire, sit alongside one another at the other end of the house. There's no rumpus room inside but a 60 sq m mezzanine floor in the barn, which was designed as a hay loft, doubles as an excellent older children's play area.

The owner insists that country folk tend to use the working entries - nevertheless, the formal entry provides a welcome gesture in the middle of the house. Viewed across an in-ground swimming pool through a pergola whose design reflects that of the house, it leads to a foyer and an interesting stairwell, a layered arrangement of white timbered beams.

As a horse breeder, the owner built the barn with two roomy loose boxes and space for farm vehicles, a short distance from the house. However, mice began nibbling at the leather on the saddles and equestrian accessories so the equipment was bought inside and now hangs on the stairwell beams - thus enhancing the gentle rural imagery within the contemporary interior design.

Four bedrooms upstairs include a long guest wing that extends at right angles to the rest of the house. A portion of the ceiling is a skylight so sunlight floods through the area, providing a warm spot for cats to sleep or for drying clothes.

Three bedrooms share the family bathroom which makes wonderful use of new and old timber to give lots of character. The flooring is parquet and a pretty old basin, deep enough to bathe a baby, is housed in an old English pine table.

The restful blue master bedroom looks down through a louvered window into the sunny office. It claims exclusive rights to a separate bathroom that also includes character fittings and a basin set into old pine.

While the house is appealing, the rolling property at Highgate is in good order for those who intend to make the most of the land. It comprises good quality pasture that has been limed and fertilised within the past six months. Shelter hedges have been trimmed and water tanks and the septic tank have been regularly cleaned and serviced.

Located 13km west of central Papakura and a 35-minute drive from central Auckland, Highgate is close to Te Hihi which has a primary school and service station. The Te Hihi Equestrian Centre offers an all-weather arena for dressage and jumping training. Many sports including cricket, rugby and tennis are catered for at the nearby Karaka Reserve, and the Bloodstock Sale Centre adjoins the motorway at Papakura.

Vital Statistics

Address: Highgate, Windmill Lane, off Kidd Road, Karaka.

Features: 10-year-old home designed by architect Felicity Wallace, four bedrooms, two bathrooms plus a separate toilet in the laundry, living room, dining room with wood-burning range, lounge, entrance hall, studio, internal access double garage, barn with two loose boxes and third garaging bay, swimming pool, two 23,000 litre (check 5000 g) water tanks for household use and bore shared with a neighbour for stock.

Size: House 375 sq m; land 4.2ha with an adjoining property of 4ha on the eastern boundary also for sale.

Sale: Offers over $850,000

Agent: Cherry Cooper, Barfoot & Thompson, Papakura. Ph 298 8029 bus; 232 0000 ah; 021 955 141 mob.