Forever After
 When you tumble into something head over heels, you may as well formalise the arrangement. For Fiona Mackenzie, signing the deal on her Freemans Bay property was akin to a marriage. As a real estate agent, she was no innocent when it came to choosing this lifelong “partner”. Set on the fringes of Western Park, the house was built in the 1920s, possibly for the park caretaker. Its design appealed to a deep-seated memory from her childhood.
“It reminded me of one of the roughcast places in Havelock North where I grew up – a little bit farmhouse, a little bit arts and crafts,” she says.
Fiona had been flirting with the idea of owning the house as she ambled past it daily while walking Harry, her fox terrier. Then the “for sale” sign went up. Inside it was a bombsite – a scramble of rooms with an insipid fireplace that threw out meagre warmth. It was dark, with gloomy wallpaper and a loo that, when flushed, released a rush of water that made the whole place rattle and shake. Outside was an impenetrable garden with rickety red brick pavers.
Friends thought its layout too different and said that it could be dangerous living right next to the park. Luckily there was someone who shared Fiona’s singular vision. Her brother-in-law, Andy Coltart, responsible for creating projects such as The Black Barn and Riverside Lodges, flew up from Hawke’s Bay to take a look. “That night, we redesigned the floor plan over a bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label,” says Fiona.
Nevertheless it was only three years later, after settling into an easy partnership with the house, that Fiona felt ready to begin the major renovations Andy had suggested.  The key design feature was a 2m-wide hallway down the middle. “Andy said it would give the house its strength and he was right.”
This generous bisection not only brings a spacious feel and symmetry to the home, it also acts as a channel for views. From the kitchen bench, you can look down its length to a cityscape framed by the arched entrance to the small original front balcony.
For the full story pick up a copy of the February issue, on sale January 23rd.
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