Smugglers Cove

KINETA KNIGHT

Step inside a beautiful home living on the edge.

Cliffhanger

Walking the short path from the driveway to the wood and concrete-block house, it is obvious this home has been designed with entertaining in mind. To the left of the front entrance is a grassy area with a private outdoor dining space. A square outdoor table and navy chairs, enough for eight, sit on a large wooden deck and a glass door slides open from the kitchen for easy hosting access.

Designed in 1999 by Wilson and Hill Architects, the three-bedroom home makes the most of the dramatic coastal views, sun, and natural contour of the land. Paragliders soar in the sky above and dozens of birds sing from the trees. Far from the rush of the city, the only other sounds are the wind swooshing through the trees, seagulls crying in the distance, and the lapping of ocean waves below.

From the glass front door, visitors are treated to an uninterrupted view of the sea, thanks to the glass wall opposite. A left turn on the polished wooden floors leads to the open living, dining and kitchen area, while bedrooms are off to the right.

"It's the combination of the view, [the home's] natural wood and concrete floors; its simplicity and no fuss is what I like most about it. It's not a usual suburban house, although you might say it's in the suburbs," Maureen says.

White walls give the house a clean, fresh feel and the many ceiling-to-floor windows allow the sun to pour in, bringing warmth to the house.

During winter, the Kensingtons keep warm with a gas fire, heat pump and underfloor heating.

The first two bedrooms are the only rooms in the house with carpeted floors in a warm charcoal. A sliding glass door in one of the rooms leads to a deck and expansive ocean views make this room seem bigger than it actually is. The other bedroom is larger and has no outdoor access, but the view of the sea more than makes up for it.

Climbing the four stairs to the master bedroom feels like walking up on to a stage. The queen-sized bed looks out through the ceiling-to-floor glass walls over Taylors Mistake and Godley Head.

Winding wooden stairs with glass rails from the hallway lead to arguably the best room in the house. The small study with its wooden floor and frosted-glass desk is furnished with beanbags. It opens on to the upper wooden deck and gives an entire view of the headland. The room is sunny and serene; a perfect place to relax or just get away. "We'd like to expand that room on to the deck for a guest room to fit another six to eight people. At the moment, we just have spare mattresses under the beds for when the kids' friends come over," Maureen says.

Another staircase off the hallway leads to the laundry and a double garage.

Earthy interior furnishings were inspired by Maureen's desire for the house to blend in with the outside environment, and she is always on the lookout for new pieces. Tastefully decorated with Kiwiana-style wall hangings, photographs and Maori carvings, the living area's predominant colour is blood red.

"It's a colour I like because it brings warmth in the winter," Maureen says. "I'd like to plant a pohutakawa tree outside to complement the red concept inside."

It's clear from the layout of the kitchen that the designers had social interaction in mind. The kitchen sink looks out over the living area, so the person washing up can still converse with others in the lounge. For other times when dishes are too much of a chore, a dishwasher is hidden discreetly behind two wooden drawers near the sink.

A powerful telescope in a corner of the spacious lounge is perfect for ship-spotting, star-gazing and watching people on the Godley Head walkway. On the day Avenues visited, it was focused on a ship from Mumbai that the Kensingtons' daughter, Lauren, said had been "parked out there for ages".

Recently, the property was visited by up to 500 people as part of an open garden tour raising money for Sumner School. The section is large, but, fortunately, a combination of native trees, bushes, flax and bark makes it almost maintenance-free.

However, the stand-out garden feature is at the front of the section. A 16 metre-long heated lap pool, with its glass edge cantilevered over the rock face, maximises the drama of the site. The pool was added four years after the house's completion, its natural grey plaster exterior complementing the vertical block chimney on the west side of the home.

Maureen says the creators of the house "did an amazing job designing the garden and pool for night time".

"They put a lot of work into where they've placed lights, which shine up at trees at night and cast interesting shadows and highlight certain plants."

The Kensingtons bought the property 18 months ago, so have enjoyed at least one good summer on the hilltop. Their teenage children, Lauren and Logan, spend a lot of time with friends poolside, or on one of the house's many decks.

Although they do not have direct beach access from their property, Taylors Mistake is a short stroll away and it's a favourite romp of the family's chocolate labrador, Maddie. "She loves it down at the beach, along with every other man and his dog," Maureen says with a laugh.