Trends Magazine - Milford House

28 NZ H&G

WHO LIVES THERE?

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At Auckland’s Takapuna beach, Pam Neville finds the answer to a frequently asked question P H O T O G R A P H S: PAT R I C K RE Y N O L D S

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T H E S E PA G E S: The missionbell and the tower, theplaster, the porticos,flagstones, tiles and heavytimber all add to the SpanishMission feel. But the Rowsare not claiming completeauthenticity.

P R E V I O U S PA G E S: Themission bell and the tower,the plaster, the porticos,flagstones, tiles and heavytimber all add to the SpanishMission feel. But the Rowsare not claiming completeauthenticity.

It sits demurely enough behind solidplastered walls but you can’t fail to noticethis big modern house. Size and style make

it stand out but mostly it is its perfectposition that grabs the attention – just farenough past the sandy sweep of Takapunabeach to avoid the madding crowds but soclose that the sea laps the front lawn.

Wandering beyond the beach in search ofan ice cream, driving around looking for apark, rock-walking along the foreshore,swimming or sailing gently northwards –there are tantalising glimpses of the housefrom several angles. It’s perfectly natural(well, we at NZ House & Garden think so)to wonder who lives there.

Once inside those garden walls, throughdoors of thick timber salvaged from the oldMatiatia Wharf at Waiheke Island, the houseis extremely private. The place is designed todiscourage sightseeing.



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The mission bell and the tower, the plaster,the porticos, flagstones, tiles and heavytimber all add to the Spanish Mission feel.But the Rows are not claiming completeauthenticity. The mission bell and thetower, the plaster, the porticos,


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The mission bell and the tower,the plaster, the porticos,

flagstones, tiles and heavytimber all add to the Spanish

Mission feel. But the Rows arenot claiming complete

authenticity. The mission belland the tower, the plaster, theporticos, flagstones, tiles and

heavy timber all add to theSpanish Mission feel. But the

Rows are not claiming completeauthenticity.

But Joan Row can understand peoplewanting to know more about her house. Infact she herself had her eye on it for nearlytwo years before finally buying it.

Dennis Row brought his American wifeand California-born children “home” fouryears ago.

He’d gone to Berkeley University to com-plete a PhD in engineering and ended upstaying for a career in computer software.

“I was there for twenty-seven years andI’d been threatening to come back for thelast twenty of them,” he says.

The Rows landed on the North Shore,where Dennis’ 92-year-old father still lives,and noticed this house being built.

It was completed, sold to new owners andthen – a year later – it came on the marketagain. It seemed made-to-measure for SanFranciscans-turned-Aucklanders.


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It is a large Spanish Mission-style familyhome, not dissimilar to some of the housesalong the California coast, with a waterfrontage, a pool, a giant wine cellar andwork-from-home space for Dennis who isnow in venture capital. The mission bell andthe tower, the plaster, porticos, flagstones,tiles and heavy timber all add to the SpanishMission feel. But the Rows are not claimingcomplete authenticity. Joan wonders ifMediterranean might be a better descriptionwhile Dennis suggests “a bit of old SpanishMission with a bit of Miami Vice”.

Anyway, says Joan, “It’s as close toCalifornian as you can get down here.”

The house is on three levels and coversmore than 500 square metres. The lower level






Rows are not claiming completeauthenticity.

provides office and gymnasium space openingto the pool and a giant wine cellar. Theground floor houses the living, cooking andeating areas and opens to a partially-covered balcony. Upstairs are four bedroomsincluding a master suite that opens to threeseparate balconies.

Craftsmanship is the hallmark of thehouse. Furniture maker Tony Parker, whosecompany Tree Essence is based on WaihekeIsland, designed and made most of the joinery and freestanding cabinetry usingrecycled timber. A kitchen bench of oak hasthe scrapes and scratches of long use (albeitrecently applied), kauri wall racks holdplates and appliances are hidden behind timber doors with distressed paintwork.



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Tony added zinc panels to some of thecabinetry, wrought iron in others and Pacifictouches such as tuatua shells as drawerknobs in bathroom joinery.

The moulded plaster fireplace wasdesigned and made by Gavin Riversmith ofRuby Fireplaces.

Flagstones on the floor are hand cut. Thehand-plastered stairs are inset with tiles. Thewrought iron balustrade is echoed in othermetal decorative features including the ironchandelier over the dining table which camewith the family from California.

The furniture Joan and Dennis broughtfrom their San Francisco country club homefits perfectly – the armoire and theAppalachian hickory dining chairs, thewrought iron bedstead, even the purplechairs “from another era of our lives”.

Outdoors, several courtyard-style spacesfeature shell paths, palms, renga renga

and canna lilies, all within the protectiveplaster walls. The brick paving around the swimming pool leads to grass that stretchesright to the water’s edge.

The 1000 square metre section contains a house large by New Zealand standards butthe feeling is of a family home. The open-plan living space, visually divided by squareplastered pillars reaching to dark timberbeams, is cosy rather than cavernous. Thereis a casual atmosphere, a feeling that you cango bare-foot all year in this house.

The Row family, including Ivy, fifteen,Andrew, twelve, and Trixy the United States-born australian terrier, are as happy as holidaymakers in their permanent beachlifestyle with the city pleasures of Takapunajust along the road.

“It’s like being on vacation all the time,”says Joan.

“You guys have got it all down here.” �






Rows are not claimingcomplete authenticity.


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Trends Magazine - Milford House