- The 1860s villa in Mount Eden was extensively renovated by Rachyl and Tony Abraham.
- The 693sqm home features large rooms, a sub-tropical garden, pool, and spa.
- Ray White agent Richard Thode praised the home's design, luxury features, and historical character.
Standing outside the discreet security gates at the end of Essex Road, in Auckland's Mount Eden, you'd be hard-pressed to guess what lies beyond.
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“The original villa on this 1444sqm site was built in the 1860s by the Gray family, who named it Ellamore after their estate in Scotland,” says interior designer Rachyl Abraham, who purchased 24 Essex Road with her husband Tony in 2015 for just over $3 million.
“We’d always wanted to live at the end of a cul-de-sac, so it was an ideal location for us.”
Successive owners had made changes, but Abraham’s project was by far the most comprehensive and certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Over 18 months, the couple rebuilt the main house. In fact, just four of the original walls remain in what is now a 693sqm (including balconies and decking) monument to style and elegance, with every single detail carefully chosen and expertly rendered.
Interior designer Rachyl Abraham and her husband Tony purchased the property in 2015 and spent over 18 months rebuilding the home into a sensational 693sqm monument to style and elegance. Photo / Supplied
The home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, garaging and off-street parking, multiple living areas, a separate scullery and laundry, a workshop, a wine cellar and a poolhouse. Photo / Supplied
The huge open-plan kitchen, dining and family zone spills out to wraparound decking. Photo / Supplied
Just four of the original walls of the 1860s villa built by the Gray family remain. Photo / Supplied
Abraham, who runs Tesori Design, told OneRoof that under the old layout, the bedrooms and living areas didn’t take advantage of the views (it is just one of three properties located on the ridge), so the couple retained the sky-high ceilings and created large rooms within it.
On the main floor lies their son’s bedroom, complete with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. The former lounge is now an airy and romantic spare bedroom, and next door is the dark, moody media room.
The separate laundry makes washing a joy with its lovely leafy vista, and the new formal lounge, adjacent to a huge open-plan kitchen, dining and family zone, has seen its fair share of milestone birthdays and pre-ball celebrations, spilling out to wraparound decking overlooking a sub-tropical themed garden, the pool and spa.
A separate full scullery allows the couple's daughters to bake to their hearts’ content, while their son has a workshop downstairs next to the wine cellar. The girls’ bedrooms are also downstairs in what was previously a self-contained flat, and while they both have wardrobes, they share a bathroom, tastefully designed with a pink-toned marble-look wall covering.
“I was so worried that we might not be able to see it, so when the scaffolding and tarpaulins came off, I was relieved and delighted,” she says.
Ray White agent Richard Thode says: “It really needs to be seen in person to be believed.” Photo / Supplied
The home was named Ellamore by the Gray family after their estate in Scotland. Photo / Supplied
The little cottage pool house in the garden – moved across a few metres to allow construction of the double garage - has served as a temporary home during parts of the renovation period, and Abraham now has her office upstairs.
“I’m very disciplined about going there each morning and not sneaking back inside the house.”
The property is for sale with Ray White listing agent Richard Thode, who says he was actually lost for words when he first visited it. “It really needs to be seen in person to be believed.”
The property has an RV of $5.8m but is seeking much more.
Thode thinks that the vendors have truly done justice to its colourful history – creating a perfectly proportioned home with incredible volume and numerous luxuries, including giant walk-in wardrobes and elegant en-suites.
“It’s just a really, really cool house and very rare to find.”
- 24 Essex Road, Mount Eden, Auckland, is for sale, deadline closing April 30
