BIG, BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
If you live in a glass house, like this one here in Takapuna, just lie back and enjoy the views, writes GABRIELLE NOOIJEN.
TAKAPUNA
22 O’Neills Avenue
4 5 2
Award winning architect Simon Carnachan conceived Michelle and John’s instantly recognisable home at 22 O’Neills Avenue built in 1985 on the shore between Takapuna and Milford.
It aptly earned the moniker ‘The Glasshouse.’ Ahead of its time then, it is as much an example of modernity now as it was at its inception.
A comprehensive 20-month refurbishment has retained the home’s fundamental architectural and structural elements and elevated the interior to form an exquisitely appointed home firmly in the present day.
Encased in reinforced concrete construction, 27 metres of floor-to-ceiling windows engage the views to Rangitoto and the Hauraki Gulf.
“The interior has been built with flair and the best of materials and craftsmanship – the marble staircases and the original kitchen was the very first PoggenPohl kitchen to be custom built in Germany. Additionally, all three levels are serviced by a commercial hydraulic-system lift,” Michelle says, listing the home’s most innovative attributes.
The home has been in Michelle’s family for some 20 years. “First owned and truly treasured by my mother before my guardianship some two years ago,” Michelle says.
A sentiment echoed by the couple and evident in the precision and expense of their almost two-year renovation.
‘‘We loved and deeply valued the strength of position, architectural form and construction that the property held. The exterior design was iconic for its era and yet ageless,” says Michelle.
“Technology has also changed dramatically over the last 35 years, we believed the interior deserved to be brought into this decade with contemporary finishes and all the modern systems and technologies we are able to enjoy today.
“It’s essentially a brand-new house on the inside.”
Among the additions, the pair introduced a new customdesigned and built kitchen, butler’s pantry and kitchenette/ bar, again by PoggenPohl, new floors throughout including large format tiles imported from Italy, and entirely new bathrooms.
Three of the four bedrooms deliver the home’s panoramic outlook. Three living areas, five bathrooms, an indoor heated pool, sauna room, French doors opening onto a north facing deck, and a private gate accessing the rocks and beach contribute to the home’s exemplary layout.
The well-established, subtropical landscaping envelops the home, though Michelle adds, “The external maintenance is minimal, making it the ideal lock up and leave.” The lower level is entirely self-sufficient but easily accessed. “It is flooded with light and features the large open-plan pool room, indoor pool, sauna room, kitchenette, and the fourth bedroom completely open to the downstairs space or made private via sliding glass panels. It has been the perfect space for extended family and guests,” says Michelle.
Ollie Wall of Wall Real Estate adds, “Every room in the house is designed to make the most of what is possibly the best view in Auckland, and therefore the world. It unapologetically stands up in all its luxurious glory and capitalises on the epic position as much as possible.” Sale: Price by negotiation Contact: Graham Wall, Wall Real Estate, 021 951 368; Ollie Wall, 021 520 514