arcticle uno nicol

7/30/2019 Arcticle UNO Nicol

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I HAVE A MATE, LETS CALL HIM ANDY (WELL CAUSE THATS HIS NAME ANYWAY), WHO

LIVES IN A TINY ONE-BEDROOM BACH NEAR THE PLACE WHERE OTUMOETAI MEETS

THE SEA. I OFTEN SIT ON HIS DECK SIPPING WINE AND WHILE GAZING ADMIRINGLY AT

THE IMPRESSIVE HOUSE ACROSS THE ROAD I SUGGEST HEY WHY DONT YOU GO LIVE

OVER THERE? Story & Photography: ROLAND BART EBBING

AH, YES, Ive been meaning to, he muses wryly in reply, perhaps one day Ill get around to it, after all it

does look quite nice really doesnt it?

Its occupants, Steve and Delwyn Nicol, think so too and on meeting them in their breath-taking abode you

get the feeling they are intent on staying put for quite some time to come. (Ah well, tough luck aye Andy.)

If I had to define this house in one word it would be fusion. With the design brief the Nicols wanted

a place both timeless and modern that would function as a home as well as a work base all the while

reflecting the environment that sur rounds it of both industry and ocean. It was several m eetings with

their archit ect Jorgen Frandsen from Ambienti on the roof of the one storied bach that pr ovided the

inspiration to create a beach house that also reflected the industr ial nature of t he nearby shipping por t.


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...THE OPEN PLAN, YET INTIMATE LIVING AREAS WITH PIN E PLY LINED CEILINGS,

MAIN TAIN THE BEACH BATCH ATMOSPHERE, A FEATURE WHICH EXTENDS OUTSIDE TO

THE WIDE OVERHANGING EVES BLENDING EXTERIOR AND IN TERIOR DESIGN ELEMENTS.


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Its not hard to see Frandsens northern European influence coming through with strong, simple, yet highly

functional design thr oughout.

With views sweeping over the harbour to t he formidable presence of Mauau, the open plan, yet

intimate living areas with pine ply lined ceilings, maintain the beach batch atmosphere, a feature which

extends outside to the wide overhanging eves blending exterior and interior design elements. Offsetting

this, t he raw exposed steel work surround ing the expansive glazed areas is again im pressive in i ts robust

functionality and lends a semi-industrial quality to the home, without being hard and unforgiving.

Inside, the clean flat interior walls are uninterrupted by skirti ng or architrave with just a subtle negative

detailing surrounding doorframes - modern and sleek.

Delwyn played the role of interior designer choosing a gallery-like soft white thr oughout to

accommodate the m any stunning artworks that are showcased in their home, some of which are her

own creations. The kitchen continues this theme and is both fresh and non-interrupting - important in

an open plan li ving environment.

COSY AND NICE

While planning their dream hom e the Nicols too lived in a tiny bach, the one that used to occupy the same

site. It was an experience that taught t hem when its just the two of you, you dont necessarily need as

much living space as you may think and, in fact, that cosy can be kinda nice. So while designing the

layout for their perfect home they kept th is in mind . After all it is essentially still only a two bedroom home

they modestly declare of their 330 square metre dwelling and thats not even including the 78 square

metres of second storey deck area. Well Steve does have a spacious office for hi s plum bing business

THE RAW EXPOSED STEEL WORK SURROUNDING THE EXPANSIVE GLAZED AREAS IS

AGAIN IMPRESSIVE IN ITS ROBUST FUNCTIONALITY AND LENDS A SEMI-INDUSTRIAL

QUALITY TO THE HOME, WITHOUT BEING HARD AN D UN FORGIVING.

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and Delwyn her studio for painting and sewing. I guess both these rooms could potentially be considered

bedrooms too. To be honest I t hink they just want to make sure the kids dont consider moving back home

again. And after all there are two bathrooms and four toilets. (Did I mention Steve was a plumber?) That

said, the open plan main living areas, though spacious, are indeed still surprisingly intimate. With the

offspring all grown up the Nicols want to enjoy living together, sharing each others company, not rattle

around in opposit e wings of a manor and never meet.

The garaging too takes up a fair wack of the space allocation with a double on the left, (for her) and an

oversized garage cum workshop for Steve to operate his plum bing business on the right . The floor level in

this area is dropped to provide additional stud height, not just to accommodate the present requirements

of Steves van with roof rack fully laden with ladders and drain pipes but also to potentially house a boat

or a m obile hom e when Steves plum bing days are finally over.

Twin garaging of course means two road entrances which took a bi t of extra effort to get approval for,

but with the front entrance in the middle, does lend a nice symm etry and extravagance to the place - which

brings me back to the beginning. If there was one feature the Nicols wanted for their new home it was

a grand entrance. And from my experience the first impressions are quite impressive indeed. Flanked by

driveways a lush grass strip leads you from the kerbside up to m eet the central spine of the house that

rises above you in an alm ost cathedral like manner. Sand like Hinuera stone li nes her garage and softens

the vertical stack bonded block work construction.

The oversized front door pivots open to reveal the conti nuation of Hinuera stone along the left wall

drawing you within. Before you in angle steel and laminated pine is a stairway to heaven drawing you

up to the light of the open plan second level. The juxtapositi on of stone, steel and pine provide a visual

smorgasbord that I believe undoubtedly generates the effect the Nicols were after.


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THE NICOLS WANT TO ENJOY LIVIN G TOGETHER, SHARIN G EACH OTHERS COMPAN Y,

NOT RATTLE AROUND IN OPPOSITE WINGS OF A MANOR TO NEVER MEET.


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Its obvious the Nicols love living t here. Delwyns favourite

tim e is when the morning sun pours in through the panoramic

harbour facing windows of t he main living room and you can

look straight out over the sparkling ocean waters to the Mount.

Its like youre permanently on holiday, she says.

Soaking in all this place has to offer is like savouring the

complexity of a full-bodied wine. Strong yet delicate, rich yet

humble. A good year, and I dare say, one that will age well

with time. And one well worth pausing for a moment to

appreciate, aye Andy?

arcticle uno nicol

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