- A multi-million-dollar bungalow in St Marys Bay, once owned by Neil McLachlan, is up for auction.
- The four-bedroom home has an RV of over $5 million and features Art Deco-inspired design.
- The vendors, moving to Queenstown, praised the home's elegance and McLachlan's transformative work.
A multi-million-dollar bungalow, once owned by international designer and Kiwi TV star Neil McLachlan, is heading to auction later this month.
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The four-bedroom home has an RV of over $5m and, according to the listing agent, is perched on one of the most coveted ridgelines in Auckland's St Marys Bay.
The vendors bought 6 Yarborough Street 15 years ago for just under $3m after five years in Sydney. They had been living in a flamboyant home designed by Greg Natale, another design guru renowned for high-octane colours and style.
They had been disappointed by the “vanilla” homes Auckland had to offer, but then they spotted McLachlan's three-storey house at 6 Yarborough Street, in their former hood of St Marys Bay.
The owners have needed to change little of McLachlan’s lavish design, which has featured in magazines. Photo / Supplied
The leadlight design on the kitchen cupboards was based on a window found in the house. Photo / Supplied
The house immediately satisfied their craving for something interesting. “We just loved it. It ticked my boxes: it was very secure, but it had a vibe to it,” one of the vendors told OneRoof.
“It feels really calm, really elegant. It had a charm to it. We still love it. In fact, I was just saying to someone today, ‘Remind me why we’re moving again?'” The reason is that 6 Yarborough Street is now surplus to requirements, with the couple now spending more time at their home at Millbrook, in Queenstown.
McLachlan had taken what was once a dilapidated, one-storey house and turned it into a multi-level treat filled with Art Deco-inspired features.
The vendors told OneRoof that they loved McLachlan’s design so much that they later commissioned him to do their Millbrook place, which is a riot of sophisticated colours and patterns.
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McLachlan, a regular on TV decorating shows in the 90s and 2000s, including Changing Rooms and Hot Property, spent 18 months bringing the bungalow back to life. He excavated a new ground floor for three bedrooms (one is now an office), a garage, a laundry and a wine room, and popped the roof for a full-floor master suite, which includes a dedicated shoe and luggage room.
The main floor was opened into a single living space comprising the family room, kitchen and dining room. The front doors are from an Edwardian Devonport pub, and the stained-glass window in the downstairs bathroom was rescued from a city law office.
In a feature on the house in NZ House and Garden, McLachlan said the transformation was inspired by San Francisco and the glamour of past eras. That meant wallpapers from around the world, light fixtures from America, marble floors and kitchen benchtops, bold tiles (the master ensuite uses chocolate and purple tiles in a plaid pattern), and decent central heating for Auckland’s winters.
The ground floor wine room is a favourite. Photo Supplied
The house has views of the Harbour Bridge and Westhaven Marina. Photo / Supplied
In their years at the house, the vendors rearranged a bathroom into a shower room, added a Louvertec roof, extended the barbecue and landscaping to the courtyard garden.
“I loved the sense of calm when you step into the house, where he’s incorporated mirrors that bounce the light. I love the marble bench in the kitchen, it’s got its own patina,” said one of the vendors, adding that the full wine cellar with custom shelving is her husband’s favourite corner.
Bayleys listing agent Blair Haddow said the Yarborough Street corner of St Marys Bay was the best part of the suburb. He said that, like Herne Bay, next door, there aren’t enough perfect houses to meet buyers’ demands.
“St Mary’s Bay is a tightly held suburb. There aren’t many sales in a calendar year. [Buyers] are a real mix – downsizers, professional people, families.”
- 6 Yarborough St, St Marys Bay, Auckland, goes to auction on March 25
