Space Age

A new Freemans Bay home with futuristic styling proves that not only good things, but even big things can sometimes come in small packages.

Words Melinda Williams / Photographs Simon Devitt

Remember Dr Who’s Tardis, the jolly blue police-box time machine that was impossibly bigger inside than it was out? There’s something of the Doctor’s spacecraft about this Freeman’s Bay house, and it’s not just the futuristic façade.

From the outside, it’s hard to imagine how the narrow, awkwardly angled site, sandwiched between two typical Ponsonby villas and bookended by a road at each end, could contain a pool, a garden, a courtyard, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living areas and a full bar. But thanks to clever use of mirrors and windows, hidden- away storage that would do the Tardis proud, and a design that takes advantage of the slope of the site, all this has fitted into just 462 square metres in a surprisingly spacious way.

“Basically, what I wanted was something where the kids and I could have our own spaces,” says owner Angela Hull. “It had to have a pool, of course, and it had to be easy living – I didn’t want to have to worry about maintenance. And it had to look good.”

Hull had seen the work architect Daniel Marshall had done for friends of hers, and on that basis sat down with him to discuss the site. “We just got on really well,” she shrugs. “It wasn’t an easy job, because it’s a large house on a small site, and it’s an angled site too, which made it even more difficult. But Daniel did an amazing job.”

To start with, the original house, which Marshall describes as a “falling-down, brick and tile bungalow-cross-disaster,” had to be removed completely. The new plan aimed to take advantage of the leafy park, city and suburban views from both ends of the site, separate spaces for the adults’ and children’s entertaining, and provide a backdrop for Hull’s beloved art collection.

Although some might feel uncomforable about the siting of the dining room at the very front of the house, up above street level and boldly put on view to passers-by, Marshall says it was exactly what they wanted to do. “Well, some people like being on display!” he laughs. “But it’s not too public. It faces a park, and there are blinds that you can put down. And the house is a series of spaces that move from the public to the private and back to the public again. Dining is often a public experience, so this was our response to the verandah area of the old house, where people used to sit and look out at the neighbourhood. That’s also why we had the transparency in the front fence and gate.”

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The ‘transparency’ he refers to involved alternating black cedar batons to give glimpses into the property, rather than a forbidding solid fence. The batons are repeated again in the cladding on the top level, to bring in the weatherboard feel of the surrounding houses, and in the four-metre tall front door. “We wanted a full height door but all the people who make doors told us we couldn’t have one,” admits Marshall. “So we just had a normal door, and went with concealing all the bits and pieces so it looks like it’s full height, and used a big, long Haliday and Bailey handle.”

A pebbled pond surrounds the entrance to the front door, with 1970s-style concrete lilypad stepping-stones leading the way across. “Water is a recurring element – there’s this at the entrance, and then when you move through the living area, it opens up to the pool,” says Marshall. At the top of the entry stairs, there’s a moment of disorientation, as the space opens up to an axis of the kitchen, dining and living areas, with a dozen angles on the space reflected in two extended mirrored walls. “This mirrored area is like a service core in the centre of the dining and living spaces,” Marshall explains. “In the central, mirrored core, there’s the bar, the bathroom and the stairs hidden inside.” One of the walls folds back to reveal a fully-stocked bar and hidden sound system, while the other reflects the view from the wide front window, looking out across a tree-filled reserve. “We decided on the mirrors later on in the piece,” he continues. “People sitting at the table all get a good view – there’s no bum seat at the table!”

With simple white walls, black granite countertops, pale Tasmanian oak flooring, white dining chairs at a glass table and black couches, the living area provides a clean, monochromatic space that emphasizes the colourful abstracts of Hull’s art collection. “I do quite like to keep things monochromatic,” Marshall admits. I think architecture is kind of like creating a theatre. We provide a backdrop for the people, for the drama.” The monochromatic theme continues through to an astonishing living-level bathroom that is completely tiled in black Pirelli rubber tiles, adding another space-age element to the house. “We were going for the idea of a pod,” says Marshall. “It is quite a party bathroom – it’s pretty bling in terms of the rubber and the black glass.

But if it’s a room with no windows, you might as well make the most of it, right?” From the living room, it becomes apparent why the site presented a challenge – about two-fifths of the way in, it turns eastward on about a 40-degree angle. “The angle was the really difficult thing about the site,” Marshall says. “But we realized that if we had a courtyard, we could use that to turn it on. In fact, this area is one of the things I’m most pleased with. We’ve kept all of it really simple, although there’s a lot going on down below.”

The north-facing pool area, with a granite-tiled courtyard at the far end, looks out towards the city. From the living room, only the treetops and gabled roofs are visible, thanks to the low wall running around the area. “We tried to frame out the close neighbours, while still keeping the views in the middle distance,” says Marshall. Tall neighbouring trees crowd over the courtyard, dropping shiny green olives and casting reflections on the pool.

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A glass door leads straight in from the pool area to the stairwell to the lower level of the house. “The stairs are paved, so you can come in from the pool, throw your towels in the laundry and jump into the shower,” Marshall explains. Downstairs, the two children’s rooms and a second living space open up through french doors to a grassed play area. “Everyone wins when you get that separation between the kids’ area and adults’ area,” he continues. “This is all a moderately subterranean area. It must be a bit like living like hobbits!”

The upstairs bedroom area caused a few more headaches than the downstairs one. Months of negotiations with Auckland City Council had to be endured before they could come to an agreement on the height and size restrictions for the property.

Eventually a compromise was reached that Marshall refers to as the ‘lunar lander’ – a slopesided bedroom and bathroom unit that perches on top of the box of the main house. The zinc roof was designed and made by roofing experts Calder Stewart, and is “beautifully put-together,” says Marshall. “We didn’t have much room up there so we fitted as much into the space as we could. We used the space behind the bedhead as the walkin wardrobe.” The bathroom has a full-size shower and a small, deep Japanese-style bath, tiled in pale blue.

This summer has already seen the family enjoying plenty of outdoor living around the pool – and hosting more than a couple of social events. “Yeah – I’m getting a bit of a reputation for building party houses,” Marshall laughs. “But it’s just about thinking about how people are going to use the space and how they’re going to want to live in it and enjoy it.”