Classic beauty endures
Properties like this classic villa in Papanui Rd, with all its spacious, balanced proportions, were just born beautiful and stayed that way. The classical lines that made them such an attractive proposition when they were first built are the same lines and spaces that make them so desirable as a contemporary home, but with benefits.
Those benefits can be found in the wide entrance, deep square bay windows and the high ceiling studs that were made to measure for the five glittering, traditionally styled chandeliers throughout the home.
In keeping with the style of the home, the off-street parking, which can accommodate four vehicles at the front, comprises white stone with perimeter planting of buxus offset by standard bay trees.
The portico has an art-decostyle tiled floor, while the deeppanelled front door is painted jet black and framed by wide windows.
The original native timber flooring sweeps from the entrance and down the long hallway, into the large family living, dining area and through to the kitchen.
At first sight, this is an impressive home and closer inspection reinforces this with the attention to detail and real eye for interior design that is so evident throughout.
While the exterior is a soft grey, and neutrals have been employed to good effect in other parts of the house, the clever use of rich burnt orange, Turkish red, and the drama of black and white in some of the rooms have created a real depth of style.
Saying it offers four double bedrooms, two living areas, a separate toilet and a family bathroom doesn’t quite describe how flexible this home is.
The present configuration of the home shows how perfect it is for an upmarket cafe or restaurant, or any business requiring a good expanse of stylish space that includes huge living areas opening through several sets of french doors on to a wide, private, sheltered, northfacing deck and a stone courtyard.
The kitchen, at the far end of this space, is backed up by a large scullery of commercial proportions, which, in turn, opens to a second private outdoor area that is accessed by a second entrance off Tomes Rd.
The guest toilet, with its original copper cistern, and the laundry, behind double doors, both feature the classic black-andwhite diamond-patterned flooring, while its chequerboard equivalent covers the vast expanse of the bathroom that contains a traditional clawfoot bath, shower and original pedestal basin with a large amount of space to spare.
Original iron arched fireplaces feature in two of the bedrooms, with their original substantial wooden surrounds and mantelpieces, while the combination of a discreetly placed heat pump and a heart-warmingly efficient woodburner take care of heating in the living, dining and kitchen area.
Seamless outdoor living makes this a home that can be enjoyed year round, with light and sun streaming through the northfacing french doors and large windows and a deck and grounds that not only offer outdoor dining, but provide perfect spaces for entertaining large groups.
This property’s position would be hard to beat. It is perfectly placed for some of the city’s most desirable schools and is close to the retail, restaurant and service facilities offered by nearby Merivale, Papanui and the specialist shops of Norman’s Rd.