Garden of freedom
Oak tree and collection of white roses lure couple looking for room to move,
|
With three boys all under age five, doctors Annick and Chris Hood were looking for a generous home six years ago. Anaesthetist Annick and renal physician Chris found this Shore Rd property was certainly large, but it was the garden that led Annick to decide it was “the one”.
“There’s a lovely old oak tree at the front, and classic white roses at the rear, and I’m British, so that made me feel right at home,” she says. Chris, who’s also British, agreed.
Set behind electronic security gates, the bungalow, designed in the 1920s by architect Basil Hooper as a single-storey house for his own family, has been carefully added to over the years and now boasts a spacious top floor.
Cocooned from the road outside, which Annick says is busy only for an hour or so during rush time, it’s a peaceful hideaway with many outdoor “rooms”.
“We eat at the front, by the pool for certain parts of summer,” says Annick. “Then we move to the rear al fresco space at other times; it just depends on where the sun is.”
She quite likes a dip in the pool, but says that the boys, Lucas 11, Zac, 9 and Adam, 7, are its biggest fans.
“They spend practically every waking hour outside school splashing there during summer. And they even manage quite a bit of winter swimming, too — wearing wetsuits.”
Inside, the house has worked well for the family, with multiple living spaces on the ground floor.
The combined kitchen, dining and family room opens to the private rear garden, and Annick and Chris had the kitchen updated recently.
“The previous owner had chosen purple drawer fronts for the central island and after a while, we decided we’d prefer them to be white,” she says.
There are two further living spaces on the ground floor: one is north-facing, opening to the pool, and the other has been the Hoods’ adult lounge, with high ceilings and a gas fire.
“When I say ‘adult’, I mean most of the time,” Annick says. “Boys do have a way of taking over.”
The spare bedroom is also downstairs, with an adjacent bathroom. So is the enormous master suite, with bedroom, giant walk-through wardrobe, and elegant en suite.
On the second floor are three bedrooms with extensive views across the suburb and beyond to the harbour. There is also an office.
The stunning marble bathroom up here is new. “It was suggested that we skip installing a bath, but I think every house should have one,” says Annick.
Overall, the property presents in perfect order with almost all of the paintwork — indoors and out — updated. There are re-polished floors downstairs and new carpet throughout.
Victoria Ave school is just a short walk away, and the fact that the property is zoned for doublegrammar is another attraction.
“We love the walkway to Orakei Basin, via Palmers and Farro, and since we’ve had our dog, Milo, we’ve discovered much more of the neighbourhood,” says Annick.
She adds that it’s handy living between supermarkets in Remuera and Mission Bay.
“I go to the one that fits in best with whichever sports the boys are doing on a particular day,” she says.
The Hoods are moving elsewhere, but hopefully still within this ‘hood’. “We’ve all loved it here,” says Annick.