Classic style on Ashley

Words: Kim Newth

In spite of a busy Ashley Street location, this month’s profiled home is a haven of peace and quiet. Tucked away on a rear section, this rare find has the feel of a quiet country retreat yet has all the advantages of a conveniently central location.

Homeowners Ally and Bryan Fussell have never needed much convincing that Ashley Street is a good place to live: in fact, Ally grew up in a villa that is in front of their current home. Her dad, Jack Pulley, was a builder; Ally has happy memories of family life on Ashley Street and of her school days at Rangiora Borough, then Rangiora High School.

In the late 1970s, she moved to another Ashley Street address and lived there for 30 years.

“When Dad died, we then bought the old family villa. There were originally two glass houses at the rear of the house, which we worked to start with. Then we decided we wanted to build there. So Bryan and I knocked the glass houses down.

“The section still wasn’t big enough to subdivide so we approached a neighbour out the back to buy some land from him.”

Once they had secured the section, the next challenge was working out how to deal with the main sewer line running through the middle of it. In order to accommodate that, the home had to be built in two wings with a courtyard in between. This is now a beautiful part of this home, with a stylish water feature built into the courtyard area.

One wing contains the kitchen, dining and open plan living area, along with a toilet and double garage. The other two-storey wing has a downstairs office and master bedroom/lounge with wheelchair access, while upstairs are three more bedrooms including another master bedroom with walk in wardrobe and ensuite. Two of the upstairs bedrooms have access to a generous balcony with views over the garden.

A spacious front entry hall, finished in striped wallpaper and featuring tasteful Charles Parsons drapes, connects the two wings. Bryan painted and papered the home.

This distinctively designed block and Linea board home was built over a period of five months in 2006. “We had a fantastic builder – Roly Eder. He was really organized and great to work with.”

Ally and Bryan’s favourite place is the open plan lounge, where they can sit and look out into the garden. This has been developed and enlarged over time, with more land acquired from another neighbour. “I started with a supplied garden design, but I’ve made a lot of my own decisions. I’m a traditionalist at heart so there are plenty of roses.”

Beyond the lounge, leading into the garden, is a covered outdoor entertainment area with a louvretech roof and side sunscreen blinds to create a hospitable space for all seasons.

‘Ally’s Garden’ was recently transformed into the perfect setting for her daughter’s wedding, with garden beds incorporated into the marquee spaces. A gorgeous walk-through floral archway was another memorable highlight.

The downstairs master bedroom flows into a textured garden area where arrangements of riverstones are a lovely feature.

Inside the home, Ally’s magic touch – familiar to many through her role at Donmer Guthrie Bowron – is obvious through her use of a neutral internal colour scheme, combined with colour accents to add flair in living areas. She has also deliberately included some traditional design elements. “In the kitchen, it was Granny’s old coal range that inspired me. I remember her cooking scones there – she lived close by, on the corner of Ashley Street. I wanted a mantelpiece like she had above the double oven.” A kitchen veggie garden, which used to be a feature of many old homes, has also been planted so as to be easily accessible.

There are a few keepsakes tucked away, like an old Tilley lamp once used on family white-baiting expeditions down to the river, and Ally also selected wooden planking for the kitchen and dining floors.

Characterful personal touches include Ally’s Laurel and Hardy art figures. “When I first saw them, I liked the look of them. They’re really cool and I knew I had to have them!”

Ally and Bryan love their home and its location. There’s very little they would change if they were to decide to build again.