Renowned breast surgeon-turned-developer John Harman and wife Karen Spires are selling their multi-million-dollar bach in Omaha.
Spires, a former top-selling real estate agent, told OneRoof they were downsizing now that their children had grown up and finally flown the nest.
“Our last child has left home, we want more freedom to travel overseas, and we’re not able to get as much use out of the property as we’d like,” she said.
“We’ve loved our life in Omaha, but it’s time for another family to enjoy this wonderful home.”
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They bought the three-bedroom bach at 41 Kokopu Street more than a decade ago for just over $2 million. Spires said they had been looking for some time and didn’t waste any time making an offer after first seeing it.
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“For two years we’d been renting different properties in Omaha to see where we liked,” Spires said. “The agent rang us and said, ‘I think we’ve got the house’. We walked in and stood on what I call the ‘magic spot’, looked at each other and said, ‘This is it’. We made an offer and bought it that night!”
That “magic spot” had been their escape while they were busy building St Marks, a luxury apartment block in Auckland’s Remuera.
Karen Spires and John Harman. The pair made an offer on the beach home just hours after seeing it. Photo / Fiona Goodall
The bach interiors have been stylishly dressed by Charlotte Sumich. Photo / Supplied
“Our favourite spot is the swivel chairs right at the front of the home. We feel the closest to the beach and the outdoors there, because it feels like we’re sitting amongst it rather than above it. We love that ours is a single-storey home because we feel so connected to the outdoors.”
The couple have recently upgraded the home, stripping it back to its concrete slab and creating something new.
Architects Sumich Chaplin took the lead on the project, supported by Charlotte Sumich who managed the interiors. The rafted ceiling above the living spaces and the timber cabinetry in the kitchen connect the home with the outdoors, while floor to ceiling windows and sliders remove the barrier between inside and out. Slatted cedar screens on the exterior of the home allow dappled light to filter inside, while providing protection from the elements and securing privacy from passers-by.
“We love the Sumich Chaplin design ethos because their homes are so solid and permanent,” Spires told OneRoof. “It’s like this house is a work of art. Every corner, every square inch of the place has been thought about. They really went the extra mile to create an irreplaceable property.”
The view is breathtaking, with the bach close to the beach. Photo / Supplied
Ray White Matakana-Omaha owner Heather Walton said the property was a standout bach in the wealthy beach town.
“A lot of homes along Omaha’s waterfront are ready for a renovation,” she said. “With this house, you walk into it and it’s completely stunning. It hasn’t been done as a quick tidy-up; it’s an extensive, magnificent, really special renovation. The owners didn’t renovate the home to sell it; they did it for themselves.
“I’m so shocked I can sell a property of this calibre because most of these properties are tightly held. It’s exciting as an agent to pass on something that’s this stunning to family who can enjoy it without having to do a thing.”
Harman made headlines when he embarked on his ambitious St Marks project. It was his first foray into the world of property development and was spurred by a wrist injury that ended his successful career as a breast and cancer surgeon.
The development, which was built on the site of his St Marks Breast Centre, won the best multi-unit residential property award at the 2019 Property Industry Awards.
- 41 Kokopu Street, in Omaha, is for sale, with a deadline of November 7
