Arunesh and Jotika Naidu have definite ideas when it comes to interior design. They’re not huge fans of bright colours; their preference is for crisp, clean whites and calming neutral tones.
So when they went to view a house in Hoteo Ave, Papatoetoe, south Auckland, five years ago, it was a little off-putting to see that a mixture of colours had been generously used throughout the home.
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“There was burgundy, red, green ... it was not our taste,” recalls Arunesh.
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But there was so much else about the house that the first-time buyers loved that they decided they could overlook the vibrant colour scheme.
And one of the first things they did after buying it and moving in nearly five years ago, was to purchase a large amount of white paint and hire professional painters to transform it.
“It made such a big difference,” says Arunesh. “It looks like a new house.”
Re-carpeting throughout with a classic dark grey carpet also gave the house a fresh look, making it feel far more contemporary.
Built in the 1990s, the two-storey English-style home has lots of character thanks to features such as the triangular windows in several rooms. The Naidus also liked the double-height entrance and were impressed by the generous living room, which has a bay window as well as ranch sliders to the outdoors.
The dining room has one of the standout features of the house — a conservatory-style wall of glass looking out to the garden. While Arunesh and Jotika bought new blinds and curtains for many of the other rooms, they decided not to put coverings over these windows.
“We really like them and we didn’t want to hide them,” says Arunesh.
In the adjoining kitchen, they kept the original tiled floors as well as the cabinets.
A laundry is in the internal-access double garage. And the hallway is spacious enough for extra cupboards and storage.
Also on the ground floor is a renovated bathroom and third bedroom, which has been great for visitors.
Upstairs are two bedrooms for the Naidus and their son Daneel, and an open space they use as an office. Arunesh says this could be converted to a bedroom, a second living room or playroom,
A door leads out from this area to a balcony, which can also be accessed from the master bedroom.
The Naidus say they have been spoilt having such a huge bedroom, with a spacious walk-in wardrobe. The bathroom next door is also large — “the size of many single bedrooms,” notes Arunesh — and has been transformed from rundown to super-stylish.
They also added two heat pumps in the living room and master bedroom and made the outdoors areas more low-maintenance.
“We did the landscaping ourselves,” says Arunesh, who surprised himself with his passion for gardening. There are now lots of easy-care planter boxes, including one with vegetables.
It takes them only a couple of minutes to walk to the Papatoetoe shops. It is just a couple of minutes’ drive to the Southern Motorway and handy for the Southwestern Motorway and Auckland airport.
Arunesh and Jotika are now moving to be closer to family.
“It has been a wonderful family home,” says Arunesh.
2/57 HOTEO AVE, PAPATOETOE, AUCKLAND
