- Alison Bevin built a Havelock North home designed by her brother, Nick Bevin, and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson.
- The two-bedroom house features unique materials like zinc and cedar, winning a New Zealand Institute of Architecture award in 2007.
- Bevin is selling the home, valued at mid-$3m, after commissioning another design from her brother.
When a newly divorced Kiwi found herself without a home, she turned to family for help.
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Alison Bevin told OneRoof that she had returned to New Zealand from a stint overseas and wanted to build a house in Havelock North.
She immediately tapped her brother, Nick Bevin, of Bevin + Slessor Architects, and gave him free rein on the design, as long as he drew inspiration from design legends Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson.
“I was coming out of a rather long divorce. But I decided, as a start to my new life as a single woman, I was going to build a home,” she said.
The home uses a mix of building materials, including concrete block, precast concrete panels, various timbers and zinc joinery. Photo / Supplied
“I said to him [Nick], ‘You can explore unusual materials, and if you wish, you can design an award-winning home for you – not for me’. And that was about it,” she said.
“I’m very much, ‘this is how I want to feel in my home, this is how I want to be, and I’d like to do a modern home, modernist, but explore different materials’. And off he went. You just have to go with the flow.”
The result was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a self-contained one-bedroom apartment at 38A Muritai Crescent, in Havelock North.
The cladding is a unique combination of zinc, western red cedar weatherboards, precast concrete panels and concrete block.
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The large kitchen island, which her brother refers to as Ali’s altar, is also made from polished concrete, while solid wood floorboards adorn the floors.
Bevin said her brother had created a timeless design, which won him a New Zealand Institute of Architecture award in 2007. The house also featured in various publications, including 100 Dream Houses from Downunder.
“Everybody who walks in goes, ‘Wow, this is amazing’, because it’s modern, but it’s 20 years old, and you know, it doesn’t look it.”
She added: “I’ve never wanted to change anything in that house.”
The kitchen has a large concrete benchtop dubbed “Ali’s Altar” by the architect. Photo / Supplied
She admired her brother’s work so much that she asked him to design another home for her in Havelock North, which was his last commission before retiring.
That home was completed last year, which is why she’s decided to sell 38A Muritai Crescent.
“It’s going to be a bit bittersweet. It’s just sort of one of those once it’s gone it’s gone.”
She said she held on to 38A Muritai Crescent for years, even while living overseas, because of its sentimental value.
“It was the start. It was my independence. I made my own decisions, and I spent my own money the way I wanted to spend it.”
Mint Realty listing agent Nic Goodman said the house was genuinely her favourite.
“It’s just been so brilliantly designed. You are looking out at the garden as soon as you open the front door. Every person who has walked through has gone, ‘Wow, that’s super cool’.”
Goodman said most of the interest so far had been from people who appreciated great architecture and were looking to downsize from farming or lifestyle properties.
She said she was inviting interest at around mid-$3 million.
- 38A Muritai Crescent, Havelock North, Hastings, is for sale, deadline closing April 23
