Houzz Tour: A Long Distance Renovation From Singapore to Auckland
Expats collaborate with a New Zealand design team to bring their hometown Arts and Crafts villa back to life
For the 17 years that Emily Long and Bruce O’Leary were living in London and Singapore, they always planned that eventually they would return to New Zealand and make Auckland their hometown. On one rushed trip back, they bought a down-at-the-heels villa in the leafy suburb of Remuera, figuring they might return to make it their family home in a year or two.
Seven years later, they finally set a return date, and commissioned Auckland-based Suburban Solutions to renovate the former house. The result is a stylish family home that makes the most of the beautiful old Arts and Crafts details.
Seven years later, they finally set a return date, and commissioned Auckland-based Suburban Solutions to renovate the former house. The result is a stylish family home that makes the most of the beautiful old Arts and Crafts details.
While Barnard designed the refurbishment, the builders called interior designer, Nadia Sakey, of The House Doctor to manage the myriad design and decorating details with Long – long distance. Long says that she quickly realised that she had underestimated the scope of the project, but was delighted at how well the three worked together. Sakey became central to the project management, Skyping regularly with Long on every decision.
Her first job was to create the exterior colour scheme, using her favourite custom-mixed paints from Aalto Colour, she then added her talents to the interior schemes too.
Her first job was to create the exterior colour scheme, using her favourite custom-mixed paints from Aalto Colour, she then added her talents to the interior schemes too.
Barnard altered the footprint of the villa only at the back, adding a small dining room extension and pool cabana. The proportions and scale of the front of the house – a traditional three bay window and a later square bay joined by a wrap around verandah – were unaltered. Only a few of the original banisters, verandah posts and corbels were still intact, and Avison and his team had some tricky finishing to do when the re-piled house was raised almost 100 millimetres. They smoothed out the level change with a new top step, replaced the banisters, skirting baseboards, and tidied up the paving.
A classic landscape scheme by Darren McKenzie of Paysage created the right blend of a traditional front yard with more contemporary back living.
A classic landscape scheme by Darren McKenzie of Paysage created the right blend of a traditional front yard with more contemporary back living.
With a usual villa arrangement of rooms opening off the central hallway, and a gloriously intact leadlight front door, Barnard’s internal remodelling focussed on brightening up the centre of the house. He pushed out the stairwell, punching a skylight above, and added glass French doors to the formal and informal living spaces so that they were flooded with natural sunlight.
Tradesmen from ACG Handrail Installations created the modern take on Arts and Crafts detailing. The hallway fretwork, which would have marked the transition from public to private spaces in old homes, was restored and simplified, as were skirting boards and architraves.
Sakey designed the carpet runner, while the furniture was brought back by Long and O’Leary from Singapore.
Tradesmen from ACG Handrail Installations created the modern take on Arts and Crafts detailing. The hallway fretwork, which would have marked the transition from public to private spaces in old homes, was restored and simplified, as were skirting boards and architraves.
Sakey designed the carpet runner, while the furniture was brought back by Long and O’Leary from Singapore.
Floors were in too poor a condition to retain, so they were replaced in all the ground floor reception rooms with a custom-stained oak from Freedom Flooring. Sakey’s brief had been to link exterior to interior, with a progression of neutral colours from light to dark (all mixes based on ‘Aalto Strata’, through to ‘Crater’ in various strengths). She encouraged Long to go deep and dramatic in the formal sitting room. It took eight or nine blends before just the right inky blue was achieved, but both the client and designer were delighted at the final impact.
This room still had most of the original ornate pressed tin ceilings. Avison had a mould taken of a damaged corner, so ceiling specialist and master craftsman Ken Butler from Plastercraft 2000 could replicate it (and a number of other cornices around the house).
As well as the cosmetic changes, the house was also thoroughly overhauled, with most of the walls relined, insulation and a new heating system installed and joinery upgraded. Sakey persuaded Long and O’Leary to restore as many of the original chandeliers and wall sconces as they could. The fixtures were re-brassed by Chelsea Lighting and new ombre milk glass globes made by the craftsmen at Monmouth Glass Studio.
As well as the cosmetic changes, the house was also thoroughly overhauled, with most of the walls relined, insulation and a new heating system installed and joinery upgraded. Sakey persuaded Long and O’Leary to restore as many of the original chandeliers and wall sconces as they could. The fixtures were re-brassed by Chelsea Lighting and new ombre milk glass globes made by the craftsmen at Monmouth Glass Studio.
Barnard’s design reworked the back of the house to create a welcoming open-plan kitchen and family room. He added only a small wing for the dining room, but opened out the spaces with walls of French doors. Avison’s perfectionist team restored old posts and replaced the verandah with a bull-nose replica, lined and lit for a smarter version of the rather tatty old one. They even reworked the windows of the master bedroom (above) for better proportions, and to match the battening in the gable end of the extension.
As they worked out a detailed brief with Sakey, entertaining and family life were central to Long and O’Leary. Sakey worked with kitchen maker Wayne Church of Neo Design to specify the materials and fixtures. She says Church was invaluable bringing the design to fruition and advising on some of the technical options available.
Long says this room – especially the island bar – is one of her favourite parts of the house.
Kitchen pendants: Monmouth Glass Studio
Long says this room – especially the island bar – is one of her favourite parts of the house.
Kitchen pendants: Monmouth Glass Studio
The carrara marble on the bench tops and splashbacks were a luxury, but was intended to get more beautiful with use, she explains. In the summer, with the doors flung open, the happy owners said that the house is even better than they anticipated.
Sakey says that while she had the skills to develop the kitchen brief – Shaker-style, with a mix of marble, stainless steel and tile – she recommended leaving the exact technical details to the experts. The floor plan was rearranged to clean up a jumble of rooms, making space for a full butler’s pantry behind the main kitchen.
Sakey specified subway tiles and vintage-look cup handles as a modern interpretation of old-school kitchen finishes.
The new dining room appears much larger than the floor plan would suggest because of its French doors and vaulted barn ceiling. High windows bring in light and cross-ventilation, while ensuring privacy from the neighbours.
Long and Sakey exchanged photos of the family’s Singapore furnishings so that the scheme could come together when the container was unpacked. Although, Long laughs that they needed to do some culling as their new home had nowhere near the room of their huge old ‘black and white’ house.
Sakey hand assembled the light fitting, brought back from overseas, while Jake Henderson from Firefly Light and Design created the lighting plan and supplied the other fixtures in the house.
Long and Sakey exchanged photos of the family’s Singapore furnishings so that the scheme could come together when the container was unpacked. Although, Long laughs that they needed to do some culling as their new home had nowhere near the room of their huge old ‘black and white’ house.
Sakey hand assembled the light fitting, brought back from overseas, while Jake Henderson from Firefly Light and Design created the lighting plan and supplied the other fixtures in the house.
The new laundry was designed to have space for drying racks, and a door to a small drying verandah on the back porch was installed.
For the main family bathroom on the ground floor, Long was keen to keep the original fittings. Sakey had the traditional-look vanity and clawfoot bath restored, and created a detailed floor tile pattern to mimic those in older style houses.
The genius move was to create an entire wet area at the bath and shower end of the room. With slope, proper wet-proofing and a drain (against the wall), this meant water safely drains away. This bathroom is also the guest powder room, so the front section stays dry.
Tiles: Tile Space; fittings: Plumbline
Tiles: Tile Space; fittings: Plumbline
The children’s bedrooms at the front of the house were freshened with sophisticated paint schemes and white shutters.
Upstairs in the master bedroom’s ensuite, Sakey could play with a more modern palette. Because O’Leary is over 183 centimetres tall, it took considerable work for the designer and builder to make the bathroom, carved from an existing closet. The skylight was made to double up as both ventilation and head-room.
Fittings: Plumbline
Fittings: Plumbline
The original kidney-shaped swimming pool had to go, replaced by a modern design with carefully terraced landscaping. Long says that Barnard’s suggestion of a pool house cabana was inspired – it solved the problem of one too few bedrooms for guests in the main house, and created a wonderful entertaining space for the family.
The mini-house is a popular place for the kid’s games, but with a bathroom and small kitchenette, it’s terrific back up for swimmers to shower off, or to supply pool-side drinks.
The former un-lovely side yard was turned into an enviable pizza oven by Flare.
Terracing and lawns, as well as discreet placement of fences, means that the backyard is a terrific play space for not only the humans, but also for the family’s labrador, Kiwi.
“We are really happy with our house, everything turned out brilliantly and we ended up with a much better finished product than we anticipated. Barnard, Avison and Sakey had great ideas, enthusiasm and expertise and worked really well together to make the project a success”, says Long.
“We are really happy with our house, everything turned out brilliantly and we ended up with a much better finished product than we anticipated. Barnard, Avison and Sakey had great ideas, enthusiasm and expertise and worked really well together to make the project a success”, says Long.
TELL US
What do you like best of the blend of old and new in this renovation? Let us know in the Comments section below.
What do you like best of the blend of old and new in this renovation? Let us know in the Comments section below.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Emily Long, Bruce O’Leary and children Jasper, 11 and Sophie, 9
Location: Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Year built: Renovation completed in mid-2015
Size: Approximately 400 square metres; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living areas, plus pool cabana
Design and build: Suburban Solutions
Interior design: The House Doctor
O’Leary had bought the house at very short notice, after missing out at a couple of previous auctions. Beautifully proportioned, the place was left in its 80’s scheme of terracotta tiles and busy floor plan.
Over the years, the couple had collected ideas for the look they’d eventually like for their house. By the time they were finally ready to kick off renovations in mid-2014, planning for their return in 2015, Long had narrowed down her inspiration for the renovation to give to Mitch Avison and his then partner Paul Barnard (Barnard now owns Executive Pools) of Suburban Solutions. They also added Ian Penniall from Harbour City Plans Ltd to the team to complete the preparation of council permits.