ALL ABOUT LUXURY
Two couples with years of experience in the building and real estate industries teamed up to create a special home, writes DONNA FLEMING
With more than two decades of experience selling upmarket homes, real estate agent Greg Gibson knows luxury when he sees it.
So when he and his wife Judi, who works as his PA and also has a wealth of real estate knowledge, decided to try their hand at property development, there was no question that the resulting house would be anything but the best.
“I’ve marketed a lot of top homes over the years and I know what buyers are after at this level,” says Greg.
He and Judi joined forces with builder Tonni de Geest and his wife Jenny to work on the project. Tonni, who has many years’ experience constructing top quality homes, found the ideal site in Kohimarama.
“It’s elevated, north-facing, and we knew we would get wonderful views,” says Greg.
Architect Julian Guthrie was commissioned to come up with a bespoke residence that made the most of the sloping site and the views, while Anna Morton of Gather Studio lent her interior design expertise. The newly completed home is the epitome of stylish elegance, and is also spacious, warm, light and luxurious.
The exterior of the home is a classy combination of vertical cedar cladding and bagged white brick, with the only two windows facing the street covered by stylish shutters. From the moment you walk in the front door into the impressive double height foyer, it’s clear you’ve arrived somewhere special. The colour palette mixes calming earthy tones with crisp white and dramatic black, and all materials used are first class.
There’s careful attention to detail in every room. In the informal living room, a window has been strategically placed so that when you’re sitting on the sofa, you can look out at the beautifully landscaped garden.
Because the home is spread over three levels, the Gibsons and the de Geests decided to install a lift.
The main level is devoted to the living areas. The informal living, dining and kitchen area opens out via stacking glass doors to a north-facing deck and loggia, and is bright and sunny.
The kitchen features a eyecatching combination of charred oak cabinetry, black appliances, brass tapware, European oak flooring and a central island with a bench top made from honed granite.
The top floor has been designed to make the most of the outlook over the neighbourhood to the ocean and Rangitoto. All four bedrooms have great views, with the two at the western end of the home opening out to a balcony that is a great spot to enjoy a glass of wine.
A generous master bedroom with a big walk-in wardrobe and opulent en suite was high on Judi and Greg’s must-have list, and they are delighted with the outcome.
There is abundant storage throughout the home, including on the lower level, which houses the laundry and the double internal access garage. In a clever move, the back wall of the garage is sliding glass doors out to a patio that doubles as a parking pad – you can drive to it through the garage if extra space for a car is required.
Agent Mark Wilson of UP Realty says, “It is always a privilege to market quality homes, and 11A Hopkins Crescent is an outstanding example of the very latest in designer-detailed, modern family living.”
Sale: Auction July 23
Contact: Mark Wilson, UP Realty, 021 970 006; Mark Atterbury, 021 809 787