LIVING GALLERY
Family home owned by King’s College art teacher turned into one big canvas, writes SANDRA GOODWIN
David Parr hasn’t just taught art, he’s used the inside of his family home as a canvas for a decadently rich effect. Kings College art teacher David and wife Jane bought this stucco Remuera home 27 years ago, transforming its interior into a colourful sensory bonanza. Says Jane: “It was almost entirely original, complete with meat safe and without colour when we bought it, but it was what we could afford at the time. “I think we turned an ordinary house with some nice features into a bit of a fantasy.” David even painted the ceilings with skilful
”I got a big mirror and smashed it and took the seven years back luck.”
interpretations of clouds, and effects such as marbling. They understand the home — in which they’ve raised two children, both now adults — was built in the 1920 sand extended in the 1950s. Visitor entry is elegant through a front wrought-iron gate and along a path serenaded by pleached trees. The sizeable covered porch entrance way has become their Moroccan-inspired outdoor room, an all-weather alfresco. It’s an entertaining alternative to the courtyard nearby, which is connected to the house by a pergola dripping with yellow Banksia roses. A big dining room with some of the home’s original polished wood floors and views southeast is resplendent in red, including its painted ceiling with marbling effect around the painted plaster ceiling dome. David says: “I like sitting here reading because I find it a very calming place under its big domed ceiling at the centre of the house.” The roomy lounge next door has a terracotta tone extending to its painted ceiling, its woodburning fireplace tiled in a mosaic of mirrored shards. David says: “I got a big mirror and smashed it and took the seven years back luck.” The kitchen, which they upgraded after moving in, teams floors painted jade with tutu pink walls, a built-in table and fine views. Up the colourfully painted hallway is the roomy master bedroom with en suite with bath, French doors to outside and gentle hues. Jane says: “I love waking up here to the clouds painted on the ceiling.” Two more bedrooms off the hall were painted and repainted to suit children Emily and D’arcy’s changing tastes as they grew, although parental wisdom overruled D’arcy’s request for black. One’s now in tones of green while the other sports paintwork in pink and blue and they’re serviced by a bathroom in white and pink. Downstairs, a semi-selfcontained setup of a bedroom extending into living space with a bathroom was vied for during teenage years. It’s fronted by double garaging with off-street
parking out front. David’s skills and Jane’s eye for styling have created a home layered in character. The fully fenced 687sq m site offers space for a trampoline or pool, and the gardens are beautifully manicured, adding colour and interest and a somewhat European ambiance. They’re two minutes from a cluster of Remuera cafes and shops, handy to the motorway and College Rifles’ multi-sport facilities and gym. Jane walks rescue dog Charlie nearby at Waiatarua Reserve. After lots of hard work and renovations, including reroofing, the Parrs are downsizing. Agent Carita Fenning of Ray White says: “This is a home with a heart in a beautiful garden, handy to everything.” Auction: November 28 Contact: Carita Fenning, Ray White, 021 758 402