12 minute read
ALL ABOUT THE FLOW
from SEffdz
Text Debbie Harrison Photography Helen Bankers
An Auckland family’s contemporary home, with its judicious use of doors, features a number of ultracool design features
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STATEMENT STAIRCASE
American white oak was used on the open tread stairs and the blade wall is Caramelo honed travertine from Designsource.
Meet & greet Jodi (show home interior designer) and Martin Wiltshire (managing director), Lola, 16, Goldie, 13, Indie, 11, and Chief the Labrador cross and Foxy the Bengal kitten.
KITCHEN Inspired by commercial cooking spaces they’d admired overseas, the Wiltshires chose Absolute Black granite benchtops and Orvieto matte tiles from Tonic Tile Lounge for the splashback. American white oak and black stained American white oak was used for the cabinetry. The hanging shelves were custombuilt by Fluid Interiors.
The saying goes, “A builder’s home is never finished”. Well, tell that to Martin and Jodi Wiltshire, owners of a David Reid franchise, whose new home is not only finished but spectacular to boot.
It helped that they had a strong brief when they started their build in early 2020. Having built homes for hundreds of people during their 18 years in business, they’d been able to refine exactly what it was they wanted for their family home in Westmere, Auckland.
“Just like any family, our main requirement was a house that was warm, dry and safe. We wanted a home that allowed us to come together as a family for meals and socialising, but also provided quiet spaces for studying, working and relaxing,” says Jodi.
“We want to live here for a long time so we future-proofed it by building for five adults, including an upstairs living area connected to our bedroom that we can retreat to when it feels like there are a million girls in the house. We’re not unusual in having a family of five as well as the four-legged members, but in our experience, there is a lack of well-designed houses that cater for larger families.”
The result is a modern home with four bedrooms, three living areas, 3.5 bathrooms and an impressive amount of outdoor living for a home that’s smack-bang in the middle of a popular suburb.
The build
“We’d been living in Westmere for years and love the community and neighbourhood. When the 960sqm site came on the market, we snapped it up – sites of that size are rare here and we knew it would be the perfect section for us to build a home and pool to accommodate us all.”
Because of their experience building for clients, as well as for themselves (this is their third new build, along with renovations), this project was extremely well thought out before they even broke dirt. The family lived in the existing house for nearly two years to get a good understanding of the site in terms of sun position at different times of the day, the varying levels of the property, the surrounding bush and neighbouring trees.
But even for a pair accustomed to building, they hit a few problems.
“The build was expected to take 12 months but Covid struck and
New Zealand had its month-long level 4 lockdown, and then another three-week level 3 lockdown. Despite that, we still managed to move in one year and one month from the start of the build, which was testament to our systems, builders and staff,” says Jodi.
When it came to designing the look of their home, Jodi and Martin knew curb-side appeal had to be a key consideration. “We were adamant that we didn’t want to build something that, from the road, looked like a large house plonked on a site. We wanted it to ease into its surroundings and the slope of the site allowed us to do that, along with the natural bush that surrounds it. People comment that from the road it looks smaller than it is, and when they come through the house it’s like the Tardis – it just keeps going,” she laughs.
The layout
When designing the layout, it was all about creating a flow that included natural light and open spaces that would work for their family. The main bedroom and adjoining lounge are upstairs, away from the action, with a bush view – the perfect place for Jodi to read her Kindle in peace. The kids love their downstairs lounge, which opens up onto the back deck, spa, trampoline and grass area.
“I’m not a fan of lots of closed-off spaces so in this house the rooms flow through from one to another – in most cases, without doors. This works well here because
Style tip If you’re preparing food in the evening, under-cabinet lighting increases the quality of light. Overhead lighting casts shadows, which isn’t ideal when chopping food.
SCULLERY The steel doors are made from custom-made powder-coated steel by Fluid Interiors and the tiles are San Pietro matte MC tiles from Tonic Tile Lounge. LOUNGE Jodi and youngest daughter Indie recline on a custom-made sofa by St Clements. The spring pendant light is by Tom Dixon.
the house is over three different levels, which acts as a natural divider. For example, there are no internal doors from our upstairs bedroom right until you walk through the downstairs lounge/living and arrive at Goldie and Indie’s bedrooms,” Jodi explains.
However, it’s this section that caused the biggest challenge of the build. “Marty and I joke about it now, but we have a large glass wall in the corridor that connects the living area to Goldie and Indie’s bedrooms. Due to the sheer size of it, it required a crane to lift it into place. It was a nerve-wracking time for us and the builder, as the chance of something getting damaged was high. So it was a huge relief, after many hours, that the job was complete – except Marty, the perfectionist, found a little fault in the glass that I could barely see and we had to go through the whole process again.”
Statement design
As well as the glass wall, there are a few other key design statements in the home, such as the staircase. The entrance to the house is a good size, but as you walk through to the kitchen and living area it narrows so the Wiltshires chose to go for open stairs and muted gold balusters to make it feel larger, as well as creating a design statement.
The kitchen, with its modern clean lines and steelframed glass scullery, was inspired by commercial spaces the couple had seen, such as hotels they’ve stayed in or bars and restaurants they’ve visited. The greenery in the custom-made shelving above the breakfast bar soften the lines of the American oak cabinetry and granite benchtop.
Another feature that impresses visitors is the undercover outdoor area, which takes its cue from the sunken conversation pits that were popular in the 1970s. Jodi and Martin really wanted a fire-pit area for hanging out with friends so, taking changeable Auckland weather into account, they designed a more closed-in version that could be used year-round. Hidden in the cabinetry is a wine fridge, built-in bins and storage for wine glasses, towels and rugs.
The style
Jodi’s always had an interest in interiors and has renovated homes over the years, as well as doing the interiors for their show homes. She describes the decor style of this home
JODI WILTSHIRE
MADE FOR ENTERTAINING The undercover outdoor area can be used year-round. The cabinetry hides a wine fridge, built-in bins and storage for wine glasses, rugs and towels.
as being “contemporary, calm and tonal – to help me feel relaxed throughout the chaos that is our family.”
What’s initially striking about the interior is the mix of natural materials used, including concrete, stone, glass and wood – bringing nature in was important to Jodi.
“I love the natural feel of stone and wood and wanted to incorporate those materials throughout our home. The trick was to try and soften these relatively ‘hard’ looking materials by using soft furnishings and gentle colours. I chose a warm travertine to minimise the visual toughness of the concrete, glass and black joinery,” she explains.
Every piece of furniture in the house has been well considered. A much-loved dining table was sanded back and stained for the new home and favourite finds, like a rug they found while travelling in Turkey, were used but much of the furniture was bought especially for the home. Some – like the make-up vanity and the living room couches – were custom-made.
“We lived in what we called ‘our little Nana’s house’ for a couple of years before the build. The kids managed to trash most of the furniture we had when they were younger, so we waited until the house was done and bought the furniture to fit,” says Jodi.
Jodi couldn’t wait to hang the stunning 2m-high art piece above the stairwell – a house-warming gift from her best friend Maya Vidulich (a photographer in Sydney), it’s a lovely connection to her friend who she hasn’t seen for more than a year due to border closures.
Outdoor living
When Jodi is asked what they considered when designing the outdoor area and pool, her answer is simple and emphatic: “Noise! Kids are so loud! We chose a stone wall to alleviate that noise, which we softened with planting palms, baby bamboo and mother-in-law’s tongue to counteract the hard lines of tiles, stone and joinery. The kids get a lot of use out of our pool and outdoor area, and we love it for entertaining guests.”
The planters and furniture, clean lines and travertine work well with the Palm Springs style of the house exterior. They chose ‘Santorini’ for the colour of the pool – an easy choice for the couple who married in Santorini.
Future plans
Jodi and Martin are delighted at how their vision has translated into a home perfect for their family.
“We love our home and will be in it until we become empty nesters, whenever that will be. A friend joked the other day, “Why would you build a house like this? Your kids will never leave!”
SHOP THEIR STYLE
Part of the secret to this cool, contemporary home’s success is careful selection of natural materials with a modern twist
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1 iO long and drum pendants by Mat Macmillan, from $305 to $994 each, from Maker Design Studio. 2 Hensley dining table, $1599, from Freedom. 3 San Pietro matte 600 x 1200 tiles, $179sqm, from Tonic Tile Lounge. 4 Fino crystal red wine glass, $19.99, from Nood. 5 BiancaLite 30cm egg planter pot, $139.99, from Kings Plant Barn. 6 Momba 3-seater white sofa, $1599, from Freedom. 7 Kiwi Garden solar bulb string light 10 LED, $15, from The Warehouse. 8 Durishawar rug 2600mm x 1950mm, $2689, from Bohzali. 9 Hans Wegner replica elbow chair, $295, from Cintesi. 10 Milais lilac marble basin, $895, from Artedomus. What compromises did you make in building this home? Obviously, everyone has a budget, whatever that may be. I compromised on things I knew made hardly any diff erence visually or practically. For example, we needed eight mirrors for the house – mirrors are so overpriced. I found a beautiful one at Coco Republic and sourced some well-priced similar style mirrors from Freedom. Any splurges? The oversized glass panel in the corridor through to the girls’ rooms and our Tom Dixon pendant light. High-end homeware or bargain buys? I love my lighting and am happy to go high-end when it means supporting New Zealand designers such as Mat Macmillan and Douglas & Bec. Best advice for spending money on a home? Don’t think everything you buy has to be expensive – do your research and question quotes. What’s one thing you would change if you could? It sounds funny but the external laundry door swings in and not out. Most memorable experience you’ve had in your home? We have hosted a few gatherings but the best way we christened our house was throwing our daughter Lola a surprise 16th birthday party. Sixty or so people – adults and teenagers – managed to seamlessly gather together in our new home.
Jodi’s top fi ve building tips
+ Use a reputable building company that has experience. If you’re organised and go with a reputable company, it will and should be a positive experience. + Don’t be too conservative in your decision-making because you’re worried about getting it wrong. Ask friends on the same wavelength if you’re unsure. + Know your site well (sunlight, traff ic, neighbours etc) before you design. + Be organised – when you’re
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Mid level
Floor plan
KEY 1 Guest bedroom 2 Guest lounge 3 Bathroom 4 Deck 5 Spa pool 6 Garage 7 Laundry 8 Toilet 9 Entry 10 Outdoor living 11 Scullery 12 Kitchen 13 Dining 14 Living 15 Gallery 16 Wardrobe 17 Bedroom 18 Wet room 19 Pool 20 Ensuite 21 Dressing room 22 Main bedroom
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Lower level
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Top level
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Palette
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1 Porter’s Himalayan Salt 2 Porter’s Irish Linen 3 Orvieto matte tiles from Tonic Tile Lounge 4 American white oak kitchen cabinetry asked to make a million decisions toward the end of the build, already knowing what you want (like handles, paint colours, soft furnishings) takes the pressure off you. + If you’re considering adding a pool, do it. The girls and their friends are constantly in ours.
Budget
$1.9m for the overall build.
Shopping
Coco Republic cocorepublic.co.nz Indie Home indiehomecollective.com Douglas & Bec douglasandbec.com Citta cittadesign.com Freedom freedomfurniture.co.nz St Clements stclements.co.nz
Suppliers
David Reid Homes North Shore davidreidhomes.co.nz Pro Build probuilddevelopments.co.nz Fluid Interiors Custom-made cabinetry and steel, fluidinteriors.co.nz Artedomus artedomus.co.nz Placemakers placemakers.co.nz Porter’s Paint porterspaints.com Waterware Sinks, taps, toilets and bath, waterware.co.nz Vantage vantage.co.nz Tonic Tile Lounge tonictiles.co.nz
