For architect Paul Brown and partner Allana Owen, buying a commercial building in a largely undiscovered part of Auckland’s Freemans Bay was a spontaneous decision, but one they’ve never regretted.
“Paul was having lunch with a client one day,” recounts Owen. “The client told him about a commercial building that was for sale and reckoned it would be a good investment. We had just built a house in Ponsonby so buying another property, especially a commercial one, just wasn’t on the cards. But one thing led to another, and Paul came home with this commercial building.
“At the time I thought he was crazy. But it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.”
You’d be forgiven for walking straight past 2 Cascade Street and underestimating what lies behind its front door. From the outside, it looks and feels like an old apartment building that’s been planted on this largely commercial street for as long as the old margarine factory across the road has. In fact, the four-storey building is home to one couple, not four apartments, and was built in 2013.
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The exterior of the four-storey building doesn't advertise the surprises inside. Photo / Supplied
Brown and Owen wanted to create a home that felt like it had been there forever, maximised space, and would proudly house the myriad treasures they had collected over many years.
“Each floor has a different stud height which was designed depending on what doors, some of them from the 18th century which I had restored, were going to be used. Paul built certain spaces to fit certain pieces of furniture too. We designed our home around our most prized belongings,” Owen said.
Brown and Owen have championed bright colours. Photo / Supplied
The five-bedroom home, which has a 2017 CV of $2.35 million, is now on the market for sale by way of tender, closing March 4.
Some interior walls feature exposed brick which makes the walls look like they’ve been taken right back to the original. Exposed rafters, wooden joinery, and hand-beaten timber floors add to the feeling of heritage.
The view from the rooftop is world-class. Photo / Supplied
“People ask us how long the building has been here for or what it used to be before we ‘renovated’, so when we say that we actually built it ourselves they’re very surprised,” Owen said.
Ray White agent Angela Saunders said buyers would be hard-pressed to find another home like this in Auckland.
The bedrooms are big and bold. Photos / Supplied
“It has a huge amount of character for such a new property,” she told OneRoof. “It’s the kind of building you’d expect to find in France. Everything inside is really rich and textured with so much warmth and personality – it’s not your standard ‘white walls and not much in it’. It’s a home that has really been thought about and cherished.”
She added: "Both the home and the commercial building next door are up for sale, so this could be a great opportunity for someone to buy a home with a real point of difference. The opportunities are endless,” Saunders notes.
