Open to the outdoors
Bifold doors and double- height windows lap up the sun and sea views, writes Graham Hepburn
When Jenny Liao first viewed this clifftop home she was wowed by the views and impressed by the layout. The two- storey, boomerangshaped house is oriented to the north with an outlook that takes in sea views from Whangaparaoa to Rangitoto. It has its back to the road and along with the mature trees on the boundary this creates a sheltered, private home where the focus is on the sun and views.
Built in the 1970s and renovated and extended in the early 2000s, the home also has the separation of spaces that Jenny knew would suit her two sons.
All the downstairs rooms have doors opening out to the lawn and garden, which has mostly lowgrowing shrubs so as not to obscure the view.
On the seaward side of the house on the ground floor, the guest bedroom or rumpus room has views over the resort- like swimming pool area out to sea. The pool is surrounded by a large deck with glass balustrade on the seaward side. Jenny says the ground floor was the boys’ haven and this level has three more bedrooms, one a double room with concertina door down the middle so one half of the room could be used for another bedroom, gym or office. A bathroom and laundry are on the opposite side of the hallway.
Light floods into the downstairs from doubleheight windows over the stairwell.
“I chose not to have blinds on these windows because I liked the natural light coming in,” says Jenny.
While the home has a neutral decor, it is given warmth by the dark- stained wooden floors, doors, shelving and cabinetry.
The main living level has a mix of exposed concrete and solid timber flooring. Bifold windows and doors feature throughout and allow the home to be thrown open to the outdoors
Occupying its own wing, the master suite has views out to sea and its own deck. It has a tiled bathroom — also with sea views — and a large walkin wardrobe. Next to the master bedroom is a study with wooden louvres on the window, a device that is used on other windows and cut- outs in the home to break up the neutral decor.
Down the hallway, frosted glass double doors open into the formal dining and living room with gas fire. Off this space is another deck with wide sea views.
At the northern end of the house, the family room and kitchen open out to three outdoor spaces — an east- facing balcony, a covered seaward- facing deck and a west- facing terrace from where you can take stairs down to the pool. The family room is also heated by a gas fire, and the kitchen has an island bench with gas hob. Bifold doors open the whole kitchen out to the terrace for easy entertaining.
Jenny says she has enjoyed easy access to the beach and the Browns Bay shops, which are only 2km away and a pleasant walk on a nice day. Gumdiggers Trail — part of the North Shore Coastal Trail and Te Araroa national walkway — is a few steps up the road and provides a route to Murrays Bay
While Jenny has loved living in this comfortable and spacious coastal home, with her sons getting older, it is time to downsize.
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