Writer's retreat a tranquil country hideaway

By VICKI HOLDER

Everybody has a dream, and a fashion magazine editor found hers in the beautiful park-like grounds of a property in Oratia, along the sought-after Cochran Rd.

A short distance from the road, the tree-lined entry arrives at a circular driveway, where a pretty white weatherboard bungalow basks in the sun. Set in the midst of an expansive lawn, the house is secluded from distant neighbours by large stands of exotic trees and native bush.

A path meanders through landscaped gardens linking two levels of lawn. A picnic area is reached by crossing a wooden footbridge over a small pond.

In this idyllic setting, where orchard trees once thrived, the owner planned to escape the city to write novels and, with her husband, raise their family. The dream lasted long enough to totally transform the bungalow, with help from friend and architect Darren Jessop.

Now an exciting new venture has put paid to her vision, the owner is sad to have to let it go and envious of whoever has the satisfaction of adding the deck to the living area, the final touch that will complete the home.

Originally, the house was transported to the site and positioned so the bathroom was bathed in light. But the kitchen, on the south side, remained gloomy. Darren suggested picking the house up and turning it around, or swapping the rooms.

Choosing the less dramatic latter option, the owners gutted both rooms to start anew. An extensive open-plan living-room addition was built onto the sunny northwest corner, with french doors opening to the garden. A 3.3-metre high coved ceiling gives cathedral-like proportions.

Soft to walk on, a floating timber veneer floor is stained aquamarine in the traditional galley-style kitchen, nestled at one end of the living room. Designed by John Herd of The Kitchen and Vanity Shop in Kingsland, the kitchen combines three woods - kauri, rimu and walnut - and features a traditional deep porcelain butler's sink. Pantry ingredients are well ventilated behind cupboards inset with mesh.

A high-spec, multi-room sound system feeds music to every room, through discreet ceiling speakers the size of halogen lights.

Given the space available, the owner had the choice of building two small bathrooms or a big one. She went for the bigger option - now it's the kind of space the whole family can enjoy at once. Darren pushed the room out at the end and side to make space for a claw-foot bath and a large shower. The owner loves to lie in the bath between the two shuttered french doors, watching the rain on the skylight above. The tiled shower in the middle of the room is large enough for adults to walk through it, to tend to the children, without getting wet.

Darren is known for his strong, modern architecture, while the owners' taste veers towards the more traditional, so the house is a happy blend of the two. But Darren's influence is clearly evident in the jarrah trim to the pillar-style frosted-glass cabinets on either side of the pedestal basin.

What had previously been the lounge became the master bedroom. Early morning sun wakes the couple as it creeps through the corner bay window. Conscious of the effect of sunlight on fabrics, the owner installed a floor-level, opening window in her dressing room, which allows low light and fresh air. The children's rooms on the sunny side of the house open through french doors to the space where the deck will be.

The office or a fourth guest bedroom is a few steps from the front porch at the end of the garage. Plans are available for a second lounge, toilet and bedroom. But the piece de resistance in this tranquil rural oasis 35 minutes from town is the rustic little whare where Barry Crump used to write. Complete with beer crates stashed underneath, this national treasure survives at the end of an adjoining driveway.

In her writer's retreat, the owner of this home has created a stylish piece of Ponsonby in the country, the kind of home every city romantic dreams about.