15 minute read
BLANK CANVAS
Blank
canvas
Advertisement
An artist plus a builder equals a perfect creative partnership to construct this cosmopolitan-meets-rural retreat from scratch
ROLL WITH IT Rae and Nick Prentis’ house is oriented to capture the morning sun on one deck and afternoon sun on the other. The aluminium table is on castors and can be wheeled outside for the summer months, then moved inside for winter entertaining.
Meet & greet Rae (artist) and Nick Prentis (builder) and their dogs, Dougal, Huckleberry and Beauregard.
When people wax lyrical about their dream home, what they usually mean is a house that ticks all the practical boxes for every member of their family. But with no one to please except themselves, empty nesters Rae and Nick Prentis were able to create a home that brought their fantasies to life.
Perched on a hill in rural Kaukapakapa, northwest of Auckland, the home is equal parts introvert’s retreat and extrovert’s party palace – there’s privacy and pastoral peace aplenty, but also a wealth of entertaining spaces, which are thoroughly utilised by Rae’s family, who virtually live on their doorstep. “My parents bought nearly 16 hectares and subdivided some of it – our section is part of it and my siblings have other parts, ” Rae explains. “We all live here, like some sort of hippie commune. It’s nice to have my folks close, but we are independent as well. ”
A shack was built to begin with, giving the couple the opportunity to live on the land and cement their vision, so by the time they started building the ‘big house’ four years ago, they knew exactly where and how to take advantage of the magnificent location.
Room with a view
Architect Mark Butler of MD Design was brought in to put their ideas on paper, nailing the brief with an H-shaped home that combines generous living spaces, sheltered outdoor zones and decadent creature comforts.
A wealth of windows was high on the wish list, to take advantage of the bucolic location. “We wanted a lot of glass to make the most of the view and the rural setting. It’s not the kind of house you ’d build in town because the whole front of it is glass, ” says Rae. The enormous windows also welcome in sunlight to warm the concrete floors, which in conjunction with hydronic heating, keeps the home toasty all year round.
SITTING ROOM The vintage sofa and chairs were re-covered by an upholsterer friend in green velvet and grouped with a replica Noguchi coffee table and antique bar cabinet. The large black artwork was made by Rae to suit the space. The rug is from irugs.co.nz.
Rae’s design tips
+ Use Pinterest One of the hardest things about building and decorating is making decisions about what you want. I found Pinterest useful for this. I created a board for each room, then pinned things I liked. When I looked back there was always a common theme and that helped with the decision-making process. + Trust yourself Don’t make decisions based on what’s trendy or what others like or have done. Choose things you love and you will find that your style will emerge. + Rescue old furniture If you can look past the state of the old upholstery and imagine what something will look like restored, you will find a gold mine. We are lucky to have a family friend who’s a fantastic upholsterer. + Commission art Lots of New Zealand artists are happy to paint on commission. You can order something that not only fits your colour scheme but also the space you have available. + Have fun Don’t get stuck with your current furniture and homewares layout. Have fun, move things around, try new ways of displaying your knick-knacks and furniture. You can always move it back again if it doesn’t work, but it’s refreshing to have a change.
RAE PRENTIS
HOME GALLERY The black cedar cabinetry and polished granite countertops in the kitchen were a must-have (opposite). The scarab print is from Miss Lolo and is displayed in the hallway. An incurable collector, Rae enjoys scouring Trade Me for interesting objects such as cigarette cards and bird skulls, which she displays under glass cloches. The fireplace in the lounge is more for ambience than heat, with hydronic heating under the concrete floors keeping the entire house cosy.
HEART’S DESIRE (top) Rae’s granddaughter Pia is a frequent visitor and has her own bedroom featuring an Ikea bed, a Chinese cabinet and Vernon Ward retro prints. The Mocka cot awaits grandchild number two. Two must-haves for Rae was a room-sized, walk-in dressing room (above) and an ensuite bathroom with outdoor bath (opposite). The bedhead in the main bedroom is upholstered in the same fabric as the living room sofa.
Made from scratch
The greatest gift going into a new build or renovation is experience, and with Nick’s decades in the building industry to draw on, the couple were able to launch into the project with a sense of confidence and calm. Though Rae says they had their stresses – no build is totally drama-free – they often had cause to reflect on their good fortune in knowing the building process inside out. “It can be so stressful, but we kind of knew what to expect, ” says Rae. “We knew a lot of our tradies as well, which made the process so much easier. ”
Tackling the build themselves (bar a bit of help from friends, family and specialist trades), in between their full-time jobs, meant the project took a full year from beginning to end. “I was dying to move in, ” says Rae. “We actually moved in before the kitchen was finished. I couldn’t wait any longer. ”
Adults only
As all their chicks have flown the coop, Nick and Rae were able to design a home just for themselves, ticking off everything on their must-have list. “We wanted something that was quite grown-up and our own thing, ” Rae explains. The initial build included well-earned luxuries like Rae’s longed-for, room-sized walk-in wardrobe, and an enviable ensuite bathroom, complete with outdoor bath.
Strategic planting gives privacy for a relaxing soak on the deck. “For the first six months, while the plants grew, if someone came up the front, you had to make a quick dash to the bedroom otherwise you ’d get caught. Now that the planting has grown, it gives you a bit of camouflage, ” says Rae.
Next on the to-build list were the outbuildings – a cosy
RAE PRENTIS
RAE PRENTIS ARTISTIC PURSUITS Rae’s studio has plenty of space for her art, which pop against the white-painted walls and floors. LAUNDRY This functional area is made fabulous thanks to the dreamy floral wallpaper from Hovis.
‘ shed’ for Nick, complete with bar and pool table, and a studio for Rae. The latter was a lockdown project, constructed by Nick and fitted out to be a space for Rae to paint, catch up on paperwork, or relax with sleepy dogs and a good book.
Treasure hunt
Neutral tones – white walls throughout the house, with black bathrooms and kitchen – allow Rae’s quirky furnishings and offbeat collectables to pop. “That’s basically all the colour in the house. My style is quite eclectic and I wanted my ‘things’ to do the talking, ” says Rae. An incurable collector, Rae adores scouring Trade Me for vintage furniture and discovering eccentric objects – everything from cigarette cards to bird skulls, which she displays under glass cloches.
A career as a flight attendant gave her the opportunity to add an extra layer of charm to the home, from stone basins brought home from Bali, to rolls of velvet sourced from the Shanghai fabric markets and used to cover sofas and a bedhead.
Art of display
Acres of gallery-style white space is de rigueur for an artist’s house – and the one thing the Prentis’ place is lacking. “One thing I didn’t realise with all the glass is that I would lose a bit of wall space, ” says Rae. But still, there’s no shortage of fascinating art on display, a combination of retro art prints and, of course, Rae’s own contemporary abstract works, which she sells on Instagram @raeprentis _ art. Often inspired by the surrounding landscape or her own flower-filled garden, they combine wild and chaotic shapes with soothing hues, bringing a punch of life and colour to the neutral-toned rooms.
Though the home is complete, right down to the charming decor details, Nick and Rae are firm believers in the adage ‘ a change is as good as holiday ’ , and always have a little building project or a garden overhaul on the agenda. Inside the house, rooms are reconfigured from season to season, and frequently on a whim. “One of our favourite things to do is have a couple of glasses of wine, put some music on and move furniture, ” says Rae. “Nothing is really static in our house, it’s always changing. ” And that’s just the way they like it.
1
4
Rich greens and golds meet earthy prints to create an artistic oasis
2
5 3
6
7 7
8
9
1 Lara orange and purple distressed rug, $215, from Miss Amara. 2 Gold metal feather mirror, $249, from Interior Warehouse. 3 Earthy natural stone bathroom basin, $550, from StoneBase. 4 French Country large bell food cover, $75, from Ballantynes. 5 Fuji bar stool, $189, from Home Sweet Whare. 6 Callista armchair, around $380, from Artiss. 7 Seamus cushion, $149, from Shut the Front Door. 8 Painted trees lumbar cushion, $199, from Thread Design. 9 Noguchi replica coffee table, $480, from Derlook. What area did you save on? Our labour was free so we knew we could save money by completing many things ourselves. Where did you splurge? Concreting our very large, semi-steep rural driveway (approximately 650sqm), Best lessons learned? Get to know your tradies and feed them. Never underestimate the goodwill gained from a cup of coffee in the morning and a beer and some pizza in the afternoon. What would you never do again? Paint the interior ourselves. Painting skirtings, window surrounds and window frames is harder than it looks. Get a professional for these. Any disasters? No. We had the benefit of Nick’s extensive building experience. We both have a strong work ethic and we really enjoyed the whole process of building our home. What’s one thing you’d change about your home if you could? The large windows and doors in our house mean we get lots of sun and views. However, I never knew how much damage the sun can do to your furnishings. I am not sure if I would trade the sun and views, though. What was the most memorable experience in the home? Unpacking our purchases prior to moving in. I had been collecting items to decorate the house and it was just so exciting moving them into the space. It was a fantastic moment when my green couch came home from the upholsterers and went inside our home.
Budget
Roughly $500,000.
Finishes
Paint Dulux Okarito; Dulux Black in the main bedroom and the studio exterior. Exterior and kitchen island cladding Cedar stained with Resene Wood-X and exterior wood oil in Foundry. Bathroom Wall tiles from Tile Depot, tiledepot.co.nz Laundry wallpaper from Hovia, hovia.com
NEST MOVE
When a couple of empty nesters decided to downsize, it was a chance to design and build exactly what they wanted
Photography Swell Productions
MEET & GREET Kim (database administrator) and Neil Ford (programme manager for a large engineering company) and cavoodle Otten Ford.
1 THE DESIGN
After Kim and Neil Ford’s three children left home –one lives in London and two are flatting, the couple agreed it was time to downsize. They had a strong vision of what they wanted and engaged architect Michael Cooper to design a house purpose-built to their specs on the Hobsonville site they bought. It had to be open plan, have high ceilings, a covered patio and underfloor heating to warm up the concrete flooring, as well as an industrial-style staircase in their 238sqm home, 55sqm of which has rental potential possibly for their elderly parents, children, or as an income source. They also wanted somewhere they could “have their music blaring, doors open, drink lots of wine and have lots of family round” .
2 THE MATERIALS
The Fords like industrial materials and wanted to incorporate some of those into the house. “We loved the straight line of Stria Cladding by James Hardie, ” says Kim.
“It’s basically boxes on top of boxes. It’s also very durable and we could paint it dark. A lot of cladding products don’t allow you to paint it black, but you can with Stria Cladding and it looks really modern. ”
KIM FORD
The black exterior works well with the concrete floors, industrial-looking staircase and is a perfect foil for the brick work used both inside and out.
3 THE INTERIOR
Having an open-plan living space was important to Kim and they were committed to some industrial elements without going brutalist. “It allows me to cook and chat to our family and friends at the same time. ”
The Fords splurged on heating under their polished concrete floors, as well as the steel and concrete staircase, ceiling-to-floor tiled bathrooms and interior brickwork. “My favourite time of the day is in the evening when we have the downlights on the bricks, which form lots of patterns on the walls, and we have candles going and a glass of wine. “I’m really proud when people say, ‘Wow, it feels so homely ’ . ”
4 THE OUTDOORS
The bush outlook was part of the initial draw for Kim and Neil, as was having a covered outdoor area. “Our last build didn’t have a covered patio, so we knew this time round we wanted something we could sit under to shelter from the weather and the sun. ” They created an outdoor area of two parts – a dining space and a section completely given over to relaxation. “We often put a screen up to make it a bit cosier and provide privacy from the next-door neighbours. ” They intend living here for another three years before they decide if they sell and downsize further into an apartment. For now though, they ’re happy to stay put.
MODERN LOVE The Fords love the industrial look and the strippedback, minimalist style was achieved with concrete floors, Stria Cladding painted black, a concrete and steel staircase, and the exposed brick used both inside and out. But comfort wasn’t sacrificed for this design statement. “I’m really proud when people say, ‘Wow, it feels so homely’ , ” says Kim.
5
6
Upper level
2
3
4
8
9 12
10 11 1
5
6
7
13 5
FINISHES
RESENE ELEMENT
STRIA™ CLADDING Made to withstand our unpredictable climate, this ultra-sleek premium cladding is made from premium fibre cement, so it’s low maintenance and can be painted any colour.
Ground level
17
16 14
15 8
KEY
1 Main bedroom 2 Walk-in wardrobe 3 Ensuite 4 Void 5 Bedroom 6 Bathroom 7 Office 8 Deck 9 Rental lounge/dining 10 Rental kitchen 11 Powder room 12 Scullery 13 Kitchen 14 Dining 15 Lounge 16 Laundry 17 Garage
HONESTY BOX
What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? It always costs more than you think. Remember to be patient as good things will come eventually. There’s no point getting stressed when things aren’t going to plan. What are a couple of tips you’d give to anyone planning to build? Always do your research, go and look at homes that have been built by the builder you’re considering, keep your finger on the pulse, keep them honest and ask your builder heaps of questions. What’s the one thing you’d change about your home if you could? Maybe, put in an internal fire door.
BUDGET
How much did the build cost? $1,166,000. How did you keep track of costs during the build? Spreadsheets were a great help. How did your budget forecast compare to your actual spend? We went about $60,000 over and our landscaping was $10,000.
CONTACTS
Builder Sentinel Homes, sentinelhomes.co.nz Concrete floor Concrete Grind & Polish, concretegrindandpolish.co.nz James Hardie jameshardie.co.nz Landscaping Ashdown Landscapes, 022 024 2297 Merchant store Thomson’s ITM thomsonsitm.co.nz Staircase Stairworks, stairworks.co.nz Trees The Urban Jungle, theurbanjungle.co.nz Underfloor heating Gas Serve, gasserve.co.nz
Hang ups Bold wallpaper is having a moment right now. Check out the wallpaper lowdown on page 80. Parakeet Chinoiserie, $369 per roll, from Resene ColorShops.
R E N O V A T I O N
72
Hidden potential An ’80s home didn’t impress at first.
88
Prep talk Jen Jones’ guide to renovating issues.
