Schamroth House, 25 Kauri Glen Rd, Northcote

25+27 Kauri Glen Rd, Northcote: Built for Helen Schamroth. But not a Megson (Photo ref Lance Clark)

Take note: this is not a Megson house.

So why am I posting it here?

Because the agent selling it back in April originally thought it was (and removed the claim when we proved it wasn't), but you can see why he thought Megson might be involved -- perhaps at an early stage, before things were finalised and the layout became increasingly confused.

After all, Megson had built several homes in Glenfield. The plan shows it to be (partially) two-zoned*. Like Megson's 1968 Roy Good House, the studio space suggested it was a house for an artist -- author and craft artist Helen Schamroth** and her family -- and there is a superficial resemblance between the two houses. As I said when I first explored it, there are some Megson features, of a fashion, but clumsily done. And subsequent additions and renovations have made the similarity less rather than more.

Turns out that the place (which appears to still be on the market) was wholly designed and drawn by the Walker Co-Partnership (see drawing below), perhaps with Megsonian notions in mind, however poorly executed.

* *Two-zoned house: A family home giving room and space to both parents and teenage children, with separate "parent's realm" and another realm -- either for children or for guests—which meet around kitchen and family areas.

** Helen Schamroth ONZM, a celebrated art, craft and design writer and textile artist, and author of several books including the award-winning book '100 New Zealand Craft Artists.’

1968 Roy Good House, Oratia: Very definitely a Megson (Photo by Jackie Meiring)

It just shows you that in selling, or purchasing, one needs to take care in attributing the work to any architect, especially one as precise and assured as Megson, even when provenance is proved -- and sometimes the home has been so drastically altered it bears so little resemblance to the original architect's design it would be wrong to credit them.

That said, a buyer did get in touch with a colleague well versed in Megson's work, intending to restore what they'd assumed at that stage to be a Megson design, and rather than create a pastiche of something from the early 1970s they asked for information about the colour palette and materials that would have been specified originally.

Once the error was pointed out, however, their interest diminished. 

But it did strike me that it might be easier doing improvements to a place like this that's close but imperfect, than it would be to an original Megson house, like the whitened sepulchre at Arney Cres, that's been ""modernised" so successfully there's barely any Megson left. 

So, naturally, I took upon myself the exercise to best amend the house as simply as possible to better meet what the Master might have done. You can see how (relatively) easy it might be for example to more definitely establish the two-zoned home  ...

Megson's middle Mrkusich townhouse on the market

 

The middle unit of what were known as the Mrkusich towhnhouses is for sale, and we have another chance to explore its interior.

Just 68square metres -- and while the agents' fish-eye lenses do make spaces appear larger than they are, it's entirely Megson's skill that allows that to happen in reality. The whole place is permeable, front to back; negative detailing (a Megson trade mark) allows walls to read as screens rather than enclosures; space opens up on corners, removing the sense of enclosure; view shafts regularly open up the space, even from the kitchen...

And the one-bedroom place sits high enough above the road to give almost complete privacy.

The unit was last on the market ten years ago, when it looked like this. Fortunately the simple beauty inside still remains. Compare the 2016 sitting area with today's:

Since it's mostly unchanged from then, I'll just repeat what I said then about the unit and its mostly-original interior:

This is one of those very small places that genius makes appear large ... simple things like viewshafts front to back, borrowed scenery, full-height French doors, exposed rafters, subtle changes in level and height, cunningly-placed storage, all-day sun through the lantern over the central dining space, overlapping and nested spaces etc. All very thoughtfully done, and very effective indeed at turning a small jewel into what feels like a large-souled space.

Megson used to talk about a house being something you would sometimes want to wrap around yourself like a cloak, and other times just disappear. This small place fits the bill.

Previous architect-owners Elspeth and Jimmy Gray explain that

"Claude Megson was very good at small spaces and centreing them around courtyards; following your daily rituals of getting up in the morning and going to bed at night.

"This house has been planned around those rituals, with a morning courtyard to the rear facing east and the deck in front where you can drink wine in the sun in the evening."

With one bedroom, it was smaller than any home they’d envisaged owning. But they liked the way spaces interconnect.

"Everywhere we look at green space. So much light pours in. Even on a grey day, it’s light.

“It’s a small house but it creates interesting spaces. Living small has become a lot more interesting.”

And here's how agent Melissa Taylor describes it:

Designed by acclaimed New Zealand architect Claude Megson and built in 1969, this extraordinary one-bedroom townhouse is a rare example of his progressive approach to architecture, where intricate spaces, natural light and the surrounding landscape come together with remarkable effect.

Elevated in a no-exit street in the heart of Remuera's northern slopes, the home has an unmistakable architectural identity. Exposed concrete block and rough-sawn timber ceilings create an industrial aesthetic that is both bold and beautifully restrained.

At its heart, a dramatic double-height light well rises through the home, flooding the interior with natural light. Open-plan living and dining, warmed by timber floors, flow to a large terrace creating an inviting extension of the living space. The galley kitchen opens to a sun-filled courtyard and easy-care garden. Every element reflects Megson's clever use of space and connection between indoors and out.

Complete with a single carport, this is an exceptional city retreat for buyers who appreciate authentic architecture and distinctive design.

NB: If you’re keen to experience it properly, in the flesh,, there are Open Homes this Saturday and Sunday avo. Auction is on 4 November.

The townhouses in the 1980s, after forgoing some maintenance

Pics from Bayley's. Mrkusich Townhouses Plan and Elevations from Claude Megson Collection. CM89 Architecture Archive. University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services, via Remuera Heritage.