Classic design principles By Catherine Smith
Today it is common to talk about houses that are sustainable and healthy for both the residents and the planet, but 20 years ago, when Helen Streefland and Wayne Anderson built their home, tucked at the end of Burrows Ave in Parnell, such thinking was new to New Zealand.
Fortunately, they had found architect Fery Poursoltan, who, with her husband Jorg Schulze had brought these principles here from Germany when they established their practice in the late 1980s.
“We just wanted a healthy home, and were prepared to follow Fery’s philosophies,” says Helen. “I was pregnant with our first child, I wanted something that was timeless. I believe that you choose once and choose well, that everything you touch should be a joy to use.”
Helen jokes that her artist’s sensibilities came up against her accountant husband’s practicalities. “I won’t tell you how much each door handle cost, the solid sinks, the Philippe Starck toilet and taps . . .”
But the house has stood the test of time. The solid masonry and plaster exterior is a classical design, wellproportioned with suggestions of the Mediterranean in the symmetrical facade, mossy tiled roof and curved colonnades, clearly influenced by Fery’s childhood in Iran. The couple insisted on tucking the modest garage to one side of the gravelled front yard, so that arrivals at the end of the curving driveway focus on the ivy-clad house.
Beautifully crafted materials are earthy and have an appealing patina, from the creamy Hinuera stone on steps and patio, the cedar windows and doors inside and out, the buffed concrete floors and steel handrails and door furniture. The couple had actually bought a huge plot of land and subdivided it, selling three neighbouring sites and choosing the best for themselves. Tucked into the hill, it abuts Alberon Reserve, which has become Helen’s private domain. She and a neighbour have gardened the fringes of the park, clearing the stream and planting sub-tropical specimens under the park’s palms, in contrast to the more formal structures of her own garden.
Helen was determined the house would not be stuffy, nothing would be perfect. Proportions are grand — some ceilings are more than 3m high — but the concrete and plastered walls are a relaxed foil to the family’s linen and leather furniture, a mix of modern masters and French antiques and Helen’s striking art. The main
living floor is down a sweep of concrete and steel stairs, lit from above by clerestory windows.
The kitchen, with its grey cupboards, marble-tiled splash back and butler’s pantry certainly anticipated today’s trends. Wayne particularly loves his chilled wine room (an air-con runs permanently); Helen finds it handy for the catering overflow and storing the ham at Christmas. The kitchen and family room open to the covered loggia, which the family use for dining all year round as it is covered and sunny, sheltered from the southerly winds. The second lounge, with its grandly proportioned Hinuera stone fireplace and wall of bookshelves is Helen’s favourite spot for painting, in its own world.
Also on this floor is a giant laundry, and the guest toilet. The heated concrete floors and thick walls create a comfort and ease that could be 200 years old, not 20.
The house has hosted generous parties, most recently pre-balls for the boys, Jacque 16 and Luc 18, as all the rooms connect through the loggia, and crowds can spread on to the terraced lawn.
A gravelled courtyard beside the kitchen is a favourite spot for evening drinks while Wayne works the barbecue. A few steps down is a pool, shaped to look more like a pond, edged with more stone and grass. Ivy and views of the park soften the landscape views. The bottom terrace is home to an impressive citrus orchard and raised beds for vegetables.
The upper, entry level floor, has the boys’ bedrooms, one with french doors to a pretty courtyard with a water feature. Helen and Wayne’s dark grey bedroom is flooded with light from french doors and a Juliet balcony overlooking the park. A master en-suite with a deep tub in front of more marble tiles has more french doors so bathing is a luxurious sun-drenched experience. All the rooms have well-detailed wardrobe and cedar joinery. The fourth bedroom is a three-part suite of rooms that can be divided by sliding cedar walls. Their use has changed over the years: for a while it was Wayne’s office and meeting room when he ran his practice from home (there’s a sink area for coffee- making), it’s been a guest room and right now is the boys’ hangout space and music room. It opens from another front courtyard, so could easily work as studio or work space again.
But Helen and Wayne have bought an old house to do up in Saint Marys Bay. Already Helen is missing the serenity and peace of Burrows Ave, the ease of walking through the park to the La Cigale Markets, the cafes in nearby Parnell and her beloved gardens. This beauty is available for another family to settle in for the long term.