Flying south

WHEN PROSEN GHOSH was a medical student in London drinking with mates at the corner pub, it’s unlikely he imagined that one day he’d end up on the opposite side of the world, supping a craft beer from a brewery he’s involved in… in his own bar…in his own house. Life’s a funny thing.

As a medical consultant at Southland Hospital, it’s hard to believe Dr Ghosh has much time for anything other than his career. But, won over by the unhurried lifestyle, sense of space and warm friendliness of the locals, he decided to put down permanent roots here and build.

When he moved to Invercargill 10 years ago, Prosen bought a character home, little suspecting the frigid winters would turn it into an icebox. “It was beautiful, but it was cold,” he says. Then, when he set his sights on something modern, there wasn’t much on the market. After a visit to a David Reid Homes show home, he changed tack. “I was impressed with the structure and the design,” he says. As a first-time builder, it would be helpful to have someone like franchisee Andrew Wheeler on board. Their teamwork was cemented when they visited a north-facing, 0.4-hectare site in the Ferngrove Way subdivision, and both immediately understood that this was ‘the one’.

With a scholarly and inquiring mind, Prosen was never going to be a hands-off client. “I wanted to play a very active part in the design, not just to hand over my brief and have someone come back with plans.” Each day, alongside his busy role at the hospital, he was absorbing architecture books and websites and making notes.

He loved the gabled homes in Queenstown where he and his partner, Zephyr, frequently escape, and cedar and schist were a must-have in the make-up. Little by little, inspiration from a plethora of sources drew together. When Prosen came up with fanciful ideas, Southland directness saw to it that the plan was workable. Many’s the time Andrew and architectural designer Cory Varcoe had to steer him sideways in a brainstorming session. Such as when he wanted the roofline either side of the main north-south gable to be F of an equal height. The pair explained that it was not possible because one roof needed to account for the ducted central heating system. Instead, they suggested clerestories reaching up into the V of the centre gable to create the pleasing sense of symmetry he so loved.

“For me, the biggest anxiety I had with this project was whether my ideas were going to translate into a house that looks good to me and to others.” He needn’t have worried. The form of the 300-sqm dwelling has great presence, the materials are elegantly balanced and inside, personalised elements ensure a house that already has a sense of history in its make-up.

Perhaps the double front door, set in a wall of schist, is twice as wide to be equal to the welcome that Prosen, Zephyr and their two dogs provide for their many visitors. Inset glass strips allow the couple and their dogs to see who has come to visit.

Once inside, the volume expands exponentially above the open-plan kitchen and living zone. It’s almost spiritual. As an extensive traveller, Prosen wanted to F emulate the feeling of religious monuments with their magnificent soaring ceilings.

BELOW LEFT Massive glazing allows as much sunlight in as possible, and LED track lighting in the ceiling gives a unique spin to the experience at night.

BELOW RIGHT The schist for the wall in the entrance was sourced from Dennison Stone in the Gibbston Valley. Schist was always on the wishlist since the owners enjoy holidaying in the Central Otago district.

Oak panelling overhead and oak floors moderate the grandeur, and inset LED lighting strips lend a touch of theatre in the evenings. “That’s one of the things Andrew and I talked a lot about: that the house should look good in the day and the night.”

The kitchen, dark and streamlined, has acres of bench space to nourish body and soul. Prosen was struggling with the design of this until Andrew gave him about 50 magazines filled with product inspiration. “Flicking through, in one was a kitchen that looks very much like mine,” says Prosen, who deems the scratchresistant ceramic benchtops both stunning and bulletproof. That’s fortunate because the pair give it a good workout. “We love to host dinner parties and to introduce our friends to the cuisines that we have encountered on our travels.”

Delicious aromas flow out to the adjoining entertaining deck, a covered space with a fireplace that can be used year-round. But the social zones don’t stop there. A few steps further on and a cosy, timber-lined room channels happy memories from Prosen’s university days. The space is set up as a bar with American oak ceilings, wall panels and bar front, and wallpapered a rich green. The atmosphere is warm but thankfully the beer is not.

Prosen, who co-owns The Taproom Bar & Restaurant, only drinks craft beer – of course. These days when he says, “A pint of your finest, barkeep”, he knows it’s not far to get home.

There’s serious contentment in being able to partake of and share his own brew in these surrounds. “To me, this house is the culmination of 30 years of training and working in the health service. We are grateful to have it as our sanctuary.”

In the powder-room, which Zephyr had fun decorating, there’s a wallpaper print of tigers in a fantastical forest. Prosen may have travelled far from his birthplace and where he grew up but, in this new property, he plans to honour his heritage and toast the future. F

OPPOSITE

OPPOSITE

Light fantastic

Equal design emphasis was put on how this Southland home looks during the day as at night. Lighting adds the magic. Here’s how:

• Up-lights either side of the front door wash up the textural schist walls, and horizontal glazed panels in the door itself are backlit from the inside to stunning effect.

• Strip lights in the gabled ceiling are a stand-out feature, and their reflection in the high glass windows gives the illusion that they carry on past the threshold into the night sky.

• You can use spots to highlight art but don’t forget other features too. In this home, a 300-bottle wine rack near the dining area becomes a point of interest.

• Backlit mirrors in the en suite appear to float free of the wall and keep the mood subdued for a relaxing ambience.

• Shelving with backlit mirrored glass adds a glam factor to built-in bars.