Honouring the old while designing for today – an architect’s own home and his clever solutions.

An impeccable pedigree saw this house easily adjusted to modern living

Every architect dreams of some day living in a home they have designed themselves. But there is also satisfaction to be found in bringing new life to an old house blessed with great bones. Ten years ago when Auckland architect Tim McCoy of McCoy and Heine Architects came across an airy Epsom home, dating back to 1936 and with only two previous owners who had done little to alter its original features, his imagination was captured.

“I was drawn to the place when I saw it from the street; it’s a lovely, handsome old house,” says Tim. “But it wasn’t until I saw how the beautiful backyard was completely cut off from it that I knew how I would change it.”

Today we tend to take indoor/outdoor flow for granted, but this house had no connection at all between the leafy garden and its rear rooms. Tim’s vision was to open it up, while preserving the character of a home designed by iconic early 20th century architects Gummer and Ford.

With a generous stretch of windows, a north facing sunroom and a graceful staircase leading up to the bedrooms, the front part of the house had stood the test of time from a design perspective. What it mainly needed was some love. So the kauri floors were restored, the horsehair plaster was pulled

off the walls and everything relined and insulated, (revealing a copy of the NZ Herald from 25 August 1936 possibly placed by the original builders). A brown brick fireplace was retiled and a few walls knocked out to make the kitchen bigger. But generally, the flow and feel of the front portion of the house remains the same.

It is at the back where Tim has made his mark, creating a large living area that opens out to the garden and swimming pool. Both he and wife Helen, a lawyer, come from large families – between them they have 20 siblings – and this space has since become a focal point for family occasions.

“In summer it is such a lovely spot to be,” says Tim. “Helen had one very big Christmas here for her family and it accommodated 40 people really well.”

The south-facing back room is also bright and light, with skylights and cedar on the ceiling. One half houses a large dining table originally designed by Tim for the boardroom of Helen’s old law firm and now ideal for those large gatherings. But on fine days

friends and family tend to be drawn out into the garden and into the shade of an old maple tree.

This outdoor area is as well maintained as the interior, thanks to Helen’s 94-year-old father Maurice Rice. “He lives in a retirement apartment in Remuera but he’s always had gardens and has been looking after this one since we moved in,” says Tim. “He’s slowed down a bit recently but he’s still very much involved and comes around once a day. We do the heavy lifting while he keeps it looking tidy. He’s been an integral part of this house for us and I think keeping the garden ticking over has helped keep him agile.”

The house was the perfect size and configuration when the couple moved in with their then teenage children Carlos and Maria. It has also provided plenty of wall space for the couple’s collection of art,

which ranges from Aboriginal pieces to works by local artists.

To provide a neutral backdrop for those paintings most of the walls are painted in Resene Rice Cake, which is Tim’s go-to white as it has an undertone of warmth. “Truth be told I think Helen would like a little more colour,” he admits. “She’s a lot more vivacious in that respect.”

Mostly though the couple are in sync, sharing a similar love of contemporary style and good design, and Helen was happy to give her husband free rein with the renovation.

The priority has always been that this should be a place for family and it seems at its best when filled with lots of people. However, Carlos has left home now and Maria is at university, so the space is starting to feel a bit more than they need.

“In reality we only occupy a third of it and there’s not much point in that,” says Tim. “There’s probably a move coming and I would like to do a place myself. But we’re very happy here and I think we’ve got an unwritten pact that we won’t move for as long as Maurice wants to keep coming to do the garden.”

THIS PAGE The morning sun pours into the dining area beside the kitchen of Tim and Helen McCoy’s Epsom, Auckland home so this is where the family tends to gravitate for breakfast; the round table is from Citta and the PH Artichoke pendant light is a replica from Homage.

THESE PAGES A house that was once closed off from its garden now has seamless indoor/outdoor flow, with just one fixed steel post in the middle of the sliding doors; colours in the living area are mostly soft greys: “You’ve got the warmth of the ceiling, the marble fireplace and the stainless steel. But the real show happens outside and the neutral palette draws the eye to the garden,” says Tim.

THESE PAGES (clockwise from above) “This front living area is the winter part of the house. It has an intimate family feel and is more contained and inwardly focused towards the fireplace and television,” says Tim; he bought the Barcelona chairs 25 years ago from ECC with money he inherited and says they are design classics that he can take with him wherever he moves; the light is a George Nelson Saucer Bubble pendant. Tim and Helen in the modern extension where they do most of their summer living. The kitchen, designed by Tim, has Australian blackbutt timber cabinets with granite and stainless steel benches and occupies a space that was once three tiny rooms.

THIS PAGE (from top) Original leadlight windows and a wide doorway make for an impressive entranceway: “You tend to take it for granted as you walk in and out but it’s actually a very beautiful feature of the house,” says Tim. The original fireplace was “1930s-bad” so was retiled in Carrara marble from Artedomus.

THIS PAGE A once dark south-facing spare bedroom has been transformed by raising the ceiling and installing skylights; now it often accommodates members of Tim and Helen’s large extended family.

THESE PAGES The large leafy back garden was always a big drawcard and the maple tree is the star: “It’s really important for our outdoor dining as it gives us this lovely dappled light and protection from the sun,” says Tim; the hedges are regularly clipped into shape by Helen’s father Maurice: “I think gets as much enjoyment out of the garden as we do.”

THIS PAGE (from top) The front of the house looks much as it did when it was first built in the 1930s and Tim thinks if architects Gummer and Ford were able to drive past today they would recognise their work. Helen and her father Maurice enjoying some time together in the garden.