Our perfect place
Room of the week
When you sink into the sofa in Russell and Jen Webley’s living room, you’re below water level. That’s not normally desirable in post-quake Christchurch, but a sunken lounge was one of the prerequisites in a house its owners declare to be perfect. In the original 2010 plan, the pond was swimming pool, but, for quake-wary Jen, the thought of drowning in a miniature homemade tsunami put paid to that. Besides, the logistics of covering the pool were complicated and costly.
Russell and Jen say they wouldn’t change one thing about their Fendalton house, which was designed by Darren O’Neil of O’Neil Architecture. ‘‘He’s extremely good at space planning and we love the look of his buildings. We’ve been on the same page for every decision,’’ says Jen.
The couple were both drawn to this section close to Canterbury University. ‘‘It was beautiful, like the Botanic Gardens, with huge flowering cherries and even palm trees,’’ says Russell.
They removed the old house on it and designed two houses to complement each other, keeping the back one for themselves. It’s light and spacious, with a floating staircase connecting the two storeys. At its heart is the kitchen and dining area, which drops down into the sunken lounge, where water laps at the windowsills.
Why did you decide to build a sunken lounge?
We happily locked on to this idea very early on. It started with a classic ‘‘form follows function’’ maxim – we wanted to make the room intimate and be able to accommodate around 10 people for drinks and chat, and we felt that the sunken idea would help us achieve that.
When did you decide to add the water element?
We added the water component right at the outset and, although in the end we abandoned the pool idea, we kept the connection between the lounge and the water, achieving the ‘‘water at elbow height’’ concept with a wraparound pond.
What are the key decor features of this space?
The sofas were custom-built for this room, which is why they’re so snug – they’re covered in a no-fade, synthetic fabric to protect them from the sun which streams in all day. The light is a George Nelson Saucer Bubble Lamp and the painting is by Christchurch artist Julie Williams.
How would you describe your decorating style?
Understated, simple elegance. We’re both sure our home’s look and feel will still be fresh in 20 years.
What’s the bravest thing you did during the build?
Just embarking on such a massive project. We built two homes and won the MBAHouse of the Year and McKenzie & Willis Best Interior awards for the front home, which we sold before building our own. The home is well beyond our expectations, and they were pretty high!
Is there anything you would do differently?
We wouldn’t change a thing: not a plant, not a stone, not anything. It’s perfect. The end result was superb – seating for up to a dozen; a wonderful aspect from the kitchen and dining area across the living room to the pool and the lush garden beyond.
Why do you think your vision was successful?
We put all the elements we could possibly want into the house and garden.