In January 2015, John and Pania Wright were getting a bit desperate. They’d sold their home and couldn’t find another to buy, but the school year was just around the corner and they wanted their kids to be settled. So they resorted to a rental.
“We found this beautiful old home and when I walked through it. I said, ‘This is the kind of home I’d love to buy one day’,” recalls Pania. “The agent said, ‘Actually, I think the owner wants to sell. I’ll do some investigating’.”
The Wrights moved into the rental in the last week of January – and two weeks later they’d bought it.
That property is 108 Selwyn Avenue, Mission Bay, Auckland City.
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The home has been lovingly restored, blending stylish contemporary living with the home’s original features. Photo / Supplied
From the street it’s a beautiful villa built in the 1930s. Beyond the front door, it’s a lovingly restored family home that blends comfortable yet stylish contemporary living with the home’s original features.
“When we moved in, the house was really disjointed with lots of little rooms and hallways,” Pania says.
“I love big open spaces and lots of light and flow, so we just started putting holes into the walls and opening everything up. It’s been a labour of love since that first week of unpacking boxes.”
The transformation was made easier because John runs a building company which specialises in villas, bungalows, and period homes.
108 Selwyn Avenue in Mission Bay is five minutes walk to Kohimarama School. Photo / Supplied
“I’ve worked on a lot of old homes so the opportunity to restore one for ourselves was awesome,” John says.
“Period homes have so much soul and character, and when you think about how they were built with no machinery or tools like we have these days, I’d love to have been a fly on the wall and watch them create magic.”
High ceilings, high skirtings, French oak flooring, and the original fireplace effortlessly blend with multiple living spaces, a designer kitchen, and effortless indoor/outdoor flow to the pool outside.
The villa has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Photo / Supplied
“It’s so easy to live here,” Pania says. “I can be in the kitchen cooking dinner and still be able to watch the kids playing in the pool outside.
“When friends come over we can have a glass of rosé and light the fire while the kids hang out in their own TV area out the back.
“Kohimarama School is literally five minutes’ walk away, and we’re so close to the beach and cafés in the area. It’s just delightful living here.”
The vendors say they poured their heart and soul into the house but it's time to move on. Photo / Supplied
Barfoot & Thompson agent Paul Neshausen, who is marketing the property, says the opportunity to buy a home like this in Mission Bay doesn’t come up often.
“Villas really only exist on Selwyn Avenue around the Bays, and they’re rarely available,” he says.
“The beauty of this home is that it feels like it was built yesterday. It works perfectly for modern, contemporary living but it hasn’t lost the history, romance, beauty, and timelessness of a villa.”
From the street, 108 Selwyn Avenue is a beautiful villa built in the 1930s. Photo / Supplied
So why are they moving on?
“That’s a really hard question,” laughs John. “Every time we walk out the door the neighbours tell us that we can’t.
“We have poured so much heart and soul into this home but it’s time to start another adventure. It’s time for another family to call her home.”
108 Selwyn Avenue in Mission Bay, Auckland will be sold at auction on December 8.
