Standing outside the discreet security gates at the end of Essex Road in Mount Eden, nobody would ever guess what a remarkable home lies beyond.
“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 the property with her husband Tony in 2015.
“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 the Abrahams’ project was by far the most comprehensive and certainly not for the faint-hearted.
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Over 18 months the main house was completely rebuilt for the couple and their three children. In fact, just four of the original walls remain in what is now a sensational 693sqm (including balconies and decking) monument to style and elegance, with every single detail carefully chosen and expertly rendered.
Rachyl says that the old layout saw bedrooms and living areas that didn’t take advantage of sweeping views from the elevated site – as one of just three properties located on the ridge, so she and Tony completely reimagined the home’s floor plan retaining the sky-high ceilings and creating 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.
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, separate scullery and laundry, a workshop, wine cellar and a poolhouse. Photo / Supplied
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 Rachyl and Tony’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.
Rachyl and Tony’s bedroom on the top floor, which they added, faces the mountain.
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
“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.
Meanwhile, the charming 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 Rachyl now has her office upstairs.
“I’m very disciplined about going there each morning and not sneaking back inside the house.”
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
Agent Richard Thode says even he was actually lost for words when he first visited the property.
“It really needs to be seen in person to be believed.”
He 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 ensuites.
“It’s just a really, really cool house and very rare to find.”
- 24 Essex Road in Mount Eden, Auckland, is for sale, deadline closing April 30
