Good House – Claude Megson

NZ House and Garden magazine just featured this 1969 Megson house on their website.  The commentary starts provocatively:

    “Today’s building code would never stretch to accommodate the ideas of renowned architect Claude Megson. Some might say that’s a blessing but others would argue it is genius lost.”

I would be one of those others.

That’s not to say Claude’s ideas always worked out precisely as he hoped – one of his clients once told me that “Claude always floated about six inched off the ground” – but as the son of a builder he was always grounded in what could be done, and it allowed him to understand what should be done.

Designed in 1969 for an artist and his landscaping wife, this house at Waiatarua in West Auckland is on just  0.4 hectares of land overlooking the city.

     “Heart rimu ceilings and floors make the home warm and hospitable. The exterior is clad in vertical board-and-batten cedar and there’s a long-run steel roof. It ticked all the boxes for family living, with a separate cubby hole for the couple’s three children to play in and a world outside the windows to explore.
    “Tucked into a lush landscape, the home enjoys supreme privacy, with no need for fences between the neighbouring properties. The kids roamed the bush as if it was one big park, their only complaint that there was no dairy handy.”

 
Read the whole article by Claire McCall here.
[Cross-posted at the Claude Megson Blog. Photos by Patrick Reynolds]

152 Cemetary Rd, Maunu, Whangarei

I was inspired over the weekend by a visit to this small Megson unit in Remuera I posted the other day. Claude used to talk about the “big-souled” feeling that architecture should inspire. This small unit certainly delivered – its 95 square metres feel immense, as does one’s spirit when sitting in its light-filled spaces.

It’s being sold by its owners now their circumstances have changed. They’d love to move to a larger Megson, they say, now they’ve outgrown their little beauty.

As it happens, a larger Megson house is also on the market … up at Whangarei. A reader visited over the weekend and sent me the news, along with this short report:

“I just went to the open home for the Megson designed home at 152 Cemetary Road, Maunu, Whangarei, MIND BLOWING! Very very original and totally delightful. I want it.”

No wonder. It’s another delight.

From the Allens Realty’s site, from whence you can get details and Open Home times:

An Internationally known - Claude Megson Design - A Residence that Symbolises Individuality.
If you want to rebel against the 'status quo' and satisfy your drive for distinction, you need to inspect this property and appreciate the opportunity this fascinating home has to offer.
Almost the country equivalent of a modern day Don Quixote and nestled privately amongst native bush this unique 3 level 374m² Megson designed home features 2 lounges, 2 snugs, 2 dining rooms, 3 fireplaces and a large courtyard and swimming pool.
To be sold as a going concern with approximately 120 mature avocado trees in full production, including a large implement shed and orchard equipment. There is a stable and horse truck complex plus 2 small grazing paddocks.
A highly individual property that is everything but ordinary.

You can read all the sale details here.

(Cross-posted to the Claude Megson Blog)

3/64 Hapua St, Remuera

A Megson townhouse is on the market - one that came on the market a year or so back, was 'renovated' unsympathetically, fortunately onlny on a small scale, by a graduate architect who had no idea what she was looking at, and is now back on the market and able to be rehabilitated.

Sale details are here. Agent's blurb reads:

Remuera - Writers, Artists, Architects.

3/64 Hapua St

Open Homes: Sat 31 Jan 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Sun 01 Feb 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm

Auction at L4, 50 Kitchener St, City on 25/02/2009 at 11:00am
Unless sold prior

Architect Claude Megson created this sublime artistic retreat in the 1960s. Fitting like a glove into the Remuera hillside just below Arney Crescent, it's within easy walking distance of Parnell & Newmarket. Despite a compact floorplan, you'll be amazed how light & airy it feels. You'll discover several private spots perfect for reading & relaxing. Although every house-hunting single or couple should see this, the next owner is more likely to be someone who appreciates the architectural significance of a Megson.

Cross-posted at NOT PC.