A new chapter
In the heart of Merivale, this sympathetically restored home is a treasured piece of history combined with stunning new elements to complement its English architectural heritage.
WORDS Shelley Sweeney PHOTOGRAPHY Dave Richards and Sarah Rowlands STYLIST Copper + Pink
This lovingly restored residence was designed in 1907 by prolific Canterbury architecture firm Collins and Harman, whose English historical designs were heavily influential in the development of early Christchurch. The firm’s iconic designs include such local treasures as The Dux de Lux, The Curator’s House, The Press Building (which was sadly destroyed in the Christchurch earthquakes), The Sign of the Takahe and many grand Canterbury homes from the late 19th to the early 20th century.
WARM CHARACTER The entranceway displays an eclectic combination of Tudor motifs and Arts and Crafts elements.
It’s fitting then that the current homeowners are lovers of historical properties. When this impressive home came on the market several years ago in “as is where is” condition, the couple, who had already built a home nearby, weren’t daunted by the prospect of a restoration project. They were looking for a larger character home and immediately fell in love with the scale and period features of the property.
For architects such as Collins and Harman, the demand for historical English architectural styles was an expression of nostalgia for clients, who still felt strong cultural ties with Britain. In the late 1800s, areas such as Papanui, Merivale, Fendalton and Riccarton developed as the city began to thrive. Homes that Collins and Harman designed display eclectic combinations of Tudor motifs and Arts and Crafts elements. This home is typical of their turn of the century style with a two-storeyed grouping of balanced gables, bay and oriel windows, balconies and porches.
The couple had no doubts that this grand 480 square metre home on its 1545 square metre section was the one for them. “We saw the house listed in the morning, and by lunchtime, we had been through for a viewing and put in an offer to take it off the market.”
While they were prepared for a project, the home needed more work than it first appeared. What was expected to be just a one-year renovation took over two years to complete, with an extra year of expenses to go with it.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC The retrofitted double glazing from ComfortGlaze provides the benefit of modern warmth without compromising on character. The Resene Rockcote cladding from TK Plastering is a subtle contemporary look that matches the style of the home.
Fortunately for the homeowners, the rear extension, added in 2005, had structurally sound foundations. It included the large open plan kitchen, dining and living space with a laundry and bathroom. The addition was large enough to house them, their young son, two dogs, and one cat for the entire two years.
The couple was inspired by a period villa they had viewed some seven years earlier that had been sympathetically transformed by Emma Morris from Eterno Design. They approached Emma to see how she might bring similar new elements into their historical property.
Emma, having an old villa herself, loves to work on them and says, “It was amazing to work with the homeowners who also project managed things. They had lots of ideas and it was a fun process narrowing down the options.”
Emma encouraged the couple to keep some period features, such as ceiling roses in the main living and games room. The homeowners retrofitted double glazing to the original windows and kept the stained-glass windows. These beautiful glass art features in the front door and throughout windows in the home are an Art Nouveau signature from Collins and Harman, preserved in as new condition.
STUNNING MATERIALS Natural limestone in Portsea Grey from CDK Stone is complemented with bathroom ware from Oakley’s Plumbing Supplies.
Emma and her team designed the bathrooms, wardrobes, mirrors and lighting. The particular highlight for Emma was the transformation of the master suite. The original upstairs bathroom had been previously divided into three separate narrow rooms. Emma says, “It was challenging bringing it together. We replaced the raked ceilings with a new lowered ceiling that was one height, removed the small windows and added recessed LED lighting.”
The homeowners wanted travertine in the master ensuite, so this was used to luxurious effect from floor to ceiling, in combination with large scale Italian porcelain stoneware. “It’s a spectacular ensuite,” says Emma. “Even the shampoo recess has been seamlessly crafted in travertine. There is elegant framing and continuity between every surface.”
One design problem that needed a creative solution was the homeowners’ brief for a downstairs powder room. This needed to be added without taking anything away from the symmetrical proportions of the home. After some thought, the homeowners came up with an inspired solution to put the powder room under the stairs. With a few minor tweaks to the space, including moving the plumbing, Emma and her team were able to create a sumptuous powder room.
The considered use of LED lighting more than makes up for the lack of natural light in the cocoon-like space which mirrors the master-ensuite with the use of travertine and this time a polished version of the large-scale porcelain stoneware. These Uniquestone tiles were hand-picked for the homeowners by James Thomson at Brymac Tiles on their first visit to the showroom. A special touch was the countertop made from original timber claimed from within the home.
SUMPTUOUS COMFORT The Flooring Centre supplied the luxurious carpets used throughout the living spaces and bedrooms.
The couple had taken the costs of re-levelling the foundations into account, but re-roofing the home had the most significant impact on the budget. When the original Marseilles roof tiles were removed, their weight had impacted the structure of the walls, which then needed to be strengthened and straightened.
When talking about the extent of the work needed, the homeowners say, “We had to take the home back to its framing and rebuild it. It’s an entirely new house.”
The original cladding was a yellowish pebble-dash that the homeowners wanted to replace with a smoother, fresher look that would still match the period of the home. They worked closely with Resene Rockcote to achieve the desired effect and Emma helped to select the perfect Resene shade of grey for the plaster and white for the accents on the gables, balconies, and porch.
THE ART OF STONE The seamless powder room countertop from Alsop Joinery complements the Uniquestone tiles exclusively imported from Italy by Brymac Tiles.
The generously proportioned front lawn was also a consideration in the overall approach to the renovated property. “We wanted the front of the house to reflect the home, and decided to put down Smart Grass instead of actual grass, knowing that it would allow us to have an all-year round stunning front of house that would always make an impression and that the dogs couldn’t dig up,” say the homeowners.
WARM AMBIANCE This streamlined Escea gas fire from Simply Heat sits comfortably in the fireplace and is one of three gas fires in the home.
This lovingly restored home is treasured by its owners who went through a lot to get here but wouldn’t change a thing in their abode, which was a Regional Gold Winner for the Bunnings Renovation over $1 million at the 2021 Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards.
“We’re happy that we saved this house,” say the homeowners. “It’s a piece of history that will be here for at least another hundred years.”
Focal Points
Best money spent
We love the warm water radiator heating, powered by a diesel boiler from Central Heating New Zealand. The constant warmth is soft and ambient, and we were able to powder coat the radiators in the games room to blend in with the darker walls.
Favourite room
The bathrooms! The decadent effect of the floor to ceiling natural stone and tiles. The large format Uniquestone porcelain stoneware from Brymac Tiles and the Travertine from CDK Stone work so well together. In the main bathroom the Portsea Grey natural limestone is soft to touch and we love the imperfection of the natural stone.
Biggest luxury
All the lighting – sourced from Accent Lighting and Halo. The three crystal petal pendants in the entrance way make an immediate impact when you enter the house. The ceilings had to be reinforced to take the weight of the large crystal facets in the master bedroom and formal lounge but it was well worth it!
Best design detail
We’re really happy with the downstairs powder room that was repurposed from a cupboard under the stairs into a beautiful bathroom.
Proudest aspect
That we’ve saved such a beautiful heritage house for another hundred years and beyond.
INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT
INTERIOR ARCHITECT
Eterno Design
021 246 5753
eternodesign.co.nz
STONE, TRAVERTINE AND MARBLE
CDK Stone
0800 803 932
cdkstone.co.nz
ENGINEERING
Kirk Roberts Consulting
03 379 8600
kirkroberts.co.nz
POWDER ROOM AND MASTER ENSUITE TILES
Brymac Tiles
03 366 8187
brymactiles.co.nz
ROCKCOTE RESENE PLASTER CLADDING
TK Plastering
027 840 0033
tkplastering.co.nz
ESCEA GAS FIRES
Simply Heat
03 365 3685
simplyheat.co.nz
FLOORING
The Flooring Centre
03 348 0639
theflooringcentre.co.nz
BATHROOM SUPPLIES
Oakleys Plumbing Supplies
03 379 4750
oakleysplumbing.co.nz
EXTERNAL AND HALLWAY LIGHTING
Accent Lighting
03 379 0600
accentlighting.co.nz
FEATURE LIGHTING
Halo
0800 425 669
haloest.nz
FRONT LAWN
Smart Grass
0800 88 73 69
smartgrass.co.nz
HOUSE RE-LEVELLING
House Levellers
027 432 6210
houselevellers.co.nz
RETROFITTED DOUBLE GLAZING
Comfortglaze
03 420 2664
comfortglaze.co.nz
CENTRAL HEATING
Central Heating New Zealand
0800 357 1233
centralheating.co.nz
ROOFING
Residential Roofing
027 553 3025
residentialroofing.co.nz
BATHROOM AND WARDROBE JOINERY
Alsop Joinery
03 348 4666
alsopjoinery.co.nz
