- A Coromandel couple is selling their transformed "reverse bach" in central Auckland, originally a flat.
- They hired architect Ben Lloyd to create an open-plan New York-style loft, winning a design award.
- The two-bedroom apartment, with an RV of $700,000, is expected to sell for much more.
A Coromandel couple are selling their "reverse bach" in central Auckland after transforming what was once a cheap and cheerful flat into an architectural masterpiece.
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When Flemming Rasmussen and Tina Pedersen sold their Auckland business and moved to the Coromandel eight years ago, they hadn’t anticipated missing the big smoke as much as they did.
Rasmussen, who was recently elected as a Thames Coromandel District councillor, told OneRoof that 7G/22 Emily Place was their city escape.
The apartment is a clever mix of period and modern features including a sleek IMO kitchen.
The exposed concrete and original brick walls have been cleverly included in the new design. Photo / Supplied
"It's a 'reverse bach', for when we need a bit of culture, or need to feel that there's still a pulse as opposed to everything being on island time. We love the Coromandel, but it's nice to get back to the big city, too."
The couple bought their Auckland bolt-hole in 2021, and quickly set about transforming it. They stripped the apartment back to its frames and uncovered hidden treasures such as the original brick walls.
They commissioned architect Ben Lloyd, of Lloyd Hartley Studio, to turn the empty shell into an open-plan New York-style loft apartment.
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They sacrificed one of the three bedrooms in the original floor plan to create a larger living space.
Lloyd told OneRoof he remembered the Emily Place apartment building back when he was a student in the early 2000s. "When I was at university, I had a whole lot of friends at university who were flatting there," he said.
"But over the last couple of decades, they've slowly been snapped up as people have actually started to appreciate inner city living and the benefits of having a good-sized apartment in the middle of town.”
Lloyd's work won a design award in 2023 and is a clever mix of both period and modern features, including a sleek IMO Kitchen.
The couple engaged Ben Lloyd, of Lloyd Hartley Studio, to bring their apartment to life. Photo / Supplied
Rasmussen and Pedersen loved what he did and asked the firm to design their new-build home in Coromandel. That project has been their focus and is why they are selling Emily Place.
Bayleys agent Ben Stephens describes the two-bedroom, 102sqm apartment as "architectural poetry".
"Recognised by the New Zealand Institute of Architects for its exceptional design, this is a rare opportunity to own one of Auckland’s most celebrated inner-city residences where architecture, craftsmanship and lifestyle exist in perfect harmony," he writes in his listing.
The apartment has an RV of $700,000, but Rasmussen and Pedersen expect to get much more. A similar-sized, but unrenovated property in the same building fetched $843,000 earlier this year.
The eight-storey heritage building at 22 Emily Place is a monument to Auckland's industrial history. Paykel's, a predecessor of Fisher & Paykel, built it in the late 1920s as its commercial warehouse, and it was one of the first Auckland buildings to use reinforced concrete.
- 7G/22 Emily Place, in Auckland Central, is going to auction on August 5
