ELLERSLIE ELEGANCE

A small, unassuming weatherboard cottage took on a new life in the expert hands of its owners, who spoke to LEIGH BRAMWELL.

ELLERSLIE

21 Ranier Street

4 3

A2

sk Debbie Stevens what attracted her to the house she and her partner Syd bought in Ellerslie 25 years ago and her answer is unequivocal: “It didn’t attract me at all. I had seen it once for five minutes, but then my partner went to the auction on his own and bought it. He came home and said, ‘I’ve bought a house’.”

The upside was that Debbie did want to move to Ellerslie, and on longer acquaintance with the two bedroom weatherboard house at 21 Ranier Street, she could see its good side. Despite being small and unassuming, it had high ceilings and good bones, and it hadn’t had many owners so despite being close to 100 years old it was perfectly liveable.

Debbie and Syd lived in it for quite a long time before any work was done to it, and it was only when Debbie’s dad passed away and she wanted enough space to have her mother move in that she began looking to extend it. So the little twobedroom cottage became a fourbedroom, three bathroom home with two living areas and a study.

Today it offers multiple spaces for entertaining indoors and out, and a generous footprint for flexible family living. The beautiful fittings and furnishings curated by Debbie, who works in the homewares industry, combine with a relaxed atmosphere to allow for a blend of old and new.

The kitchen and scullery showcase European appliances and marble accents against a contemporary colour scheme which Debbie engineered with careful thought. There’s ample space for the long-lunch dining table and a flow through to a spacious sitting area opening to the deck.

“When we started this most recent renovation we knew we wanted to have a firm colour palette, so I use similar colours on the walls and ceilings and kept the grey colour of the floors all the way through the front of the house. So there is nothing that jars. And we’ve kept the character all the way through so with the 3.5m ceiling height there’s a great sense of space.”

There are four bedrooms, two with ensuites and walk-in wardrobes, and a study which provides a flexible space for working from home.

Outside three separate sitting areas extend the opportunities for al fresco entertaining. Add ample storage inside and out, internal access double garaging, off street parking and a garden shed for all-round convenience.

Debbie’s love affair with Ellerslie isn’t over and she still appreciates the location just a few minutes from Ellerslie Village centre with its cafes, shops and transport hub. But a yearning for a little more land and a big view has driven the search for a new home.

The perfect property has been found – a big block of land mainly in native bush with views across the city to Rangitoto, and a four-year-old house with high ceilings and that all important sense of space.

Sale: Auction, June 8

Contact: Nick Lyus, Ray White, 021 998 004