Executive Family Oasis

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As featured in Homestyle Magazine

Family often dictates the size and style of a home, and for Kelvin and Jacinta O'Connell, this was most definitely the case. As the directors of the Signature Homes Southland & Otago branches, the O'Connell's are well versed at designing and building houses, so creating their own personal home was an enjoyable challenge. "We have four boys, so designing a house that was flexible for the entire family was our biggest priority," explains Kelvin. "We wanted the freedom of enjoying space for our family, and the ability to entertain friends and allow the kids to have their own space."This was achieved by creating one enormous living area that combine everyday living and dining spaces with the kitchen, along with a separate lounge for children. "The boys have their own separate living room, and this means they can go and have fun and make plenty of noise when they want to," says Jacinta.

Because the O'Connell's like to entertain frequently, the two living rooms serve a real purpose. "We tend to have a lot of friends over who have children too, so the adults can relax in the main area while the kids play in the children's lounge." The house also enjoys a very comfortable indoor/outdoor flow, and entertaining often takes place in the sun, late in the afternoon or early evening on the deck.

The house was built by Kelvin and his team, with the assistance of a dedicated team of subcontractors, who work on nearly all of the homes he constructs. Stresscrete Southland was one such company, who supply a product that the O'Connell's were keen to use on their home. They supplied pre-cast concrete wall panels, to create a strong exterior, along with pre-stressed concrete interspan rib flooring, and pre-cast concrete stairs inside. The pre-cast concrete panel construction meant the home could be built quickly, and it also ensured the dwelling was exceptionally strong, had heightened thermal mass and low sound transmission.

Chosen to complement the straight lines and smooth plaster construction, aluminium joinery from the Fairview range was selected. Supplied by Thwaites Aluminium, the joinery is strong and watertight. All of the joinery has been powder-coated to popular colour Silver Pearl, and this process of coating comes with a comprehensive10-year guarantee. The front entry door to the O'Connell's home was also supplied by Thwaite's Aluminium, to make a statement at the front of the house. The door was chosen in colour Matt Black, with a Silver Pearl Evolution 90mm concealed fixing frame, and stylish handles to complete the look.

To finish the overall style of the exterior, Kelvin and Jacinta turned to Marshall Industries Limited a company specialising in the supply and installation of New Zealand long run roofing from Colorsteel, and other related roofing products. Despite being made from a classic, strong material that has been around for many years, long run steel creates a modern, stylish look for contemporary homes. Marshall Industries pride themselves on establishing unique styles, which is just one of the reasons Kelvin often recommends their product and workmanship. Most importantly for his own home though, he was interested in using materials of the highest quality, to ensure long-term peace of mind and enjoyment.

The O'Connell's home was not just about practicalities, it was also about style. This is evident outside, with the 1.5 acre property boasting a well thought out landscape design plan. Created and completed by L&W Landscaping, the area immediately around the home was designed to reflect the executive family style of the house itself. The lush green lawn is a result of spray-on hydro seeding, alongside native-inspired plantings illuminated by lights. L&W Landscaping also installed the extensive pavers around the house, to create outdoor entertaining areas that flow effortlessly from the interior living spaces.

When it came to the inside of their home, Kelvin and Jacinta consulted closely with Carol Wood Design. Carol worked with the couple to create an interior to suit their busy lifestyle, while striving to accomplish a designer style. "The house had to be family friendly but still stylish," says Carol."We talked a lot and bounced ideas off one another, and the end result is a modern, contemporary style. I love this house, and the look and feel is great."Many visitors to the home comment on the sense of space and the light colour palette, with different strengths of Jacobsen Colourplus Reflect White providing a simple backdrop to bold items of furniture.

The interior was painted exclusively by Ian Crook Decorating Ltd, and Carol instructed them when it came to the colour and finish required. For the walls inside, Resene Zylone sheen was applied, in a VOC free mix, to create a home environment in colour Triple Reflect White. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which are found in many paints on the market, and paints that are formulated without VOCs are much better for the environment and the inhabitants of a home. The ceilings throughout the house are coated with Resene Spacecoat in a low sheen finish in colour Half Reflect White, and Resene Lustacryl was applied in a Lustacryl semi-gloss to the doors, trims and frames.

One of the O'Connell's favourite aspects of their home is the huge open plan living area. The kitchen forms the centre focal point of this area, and with four boys at home, it is certainly a busy, bustling hub of the house. The kitchen cabinetry was custom made, by local firm Peter Howley Joinery. It was formed to be a stylish and contemporary feature in its own right, with the ability to work effortlessly for the family on a daily basis, as well as provide space and function for large scale entertaining. The cabinetry is made from two materials, with Parbury shrink wrap flush Melamine doors in colour Designer White, and brushed stainless steel skins over a custom wood substrate. This is complemented by a huge slab of Jet Black granite for the counter.

The open living spaces and main lounge (which is double storey with vaulted ceilings) have been styled to perfection, with stunning pieces from Hunter Furniture. Lotus lounge suites feature in the main living areas, one in black leather and the other in white leather. There is also a black Citrus coffee table and a Kartel buffet table.

In the kids' lounge, a Lyon lounge suite and chaise complement the redlines in the wallpaper, in Beachcomber Flame fabric. The bedrooms also feature pieces from Hunter Furniture, with Bukari bedside units. Outside, an exterior room has been created, with an Ultimo dining table and pew seats, alongside a free-fall fountain made from lightweight glass-fibre reinforced concrete.

Also chosen to work carefully with the home's interior are the soft floor coverings, from Invercargill Carpet Court. The O'Connell's decided upon Godfrey Hirst Magnetic carpet, made from hardwearing wool, to create a healthy, natural home environment. In neutral colour Field, the carpet is very practical for the family, because it was chosen in a heavy-duty commercial density, and has good appearance retention even when walked upon regularly. The durable carpet was installed over resilient luxury Court Royal Plus rubber underlay, adding to the warmth underfoot and providing great acoustic benefits inside.

The hard floor coverings also add to the aesthetics of the home. The kitchen and dining areas share the same tiles as the bathrooms, with square Charcoal tiles used on the floor. The bathrooms are fully tiled floor to ceiling, and to replicate the light look of the interior walls; white tiles were selected for the bathroom walls. This means Jacinta never has to worry about the boys splashing water around the bathroom! Staying warm was another priority or the O'Connell's, which lead them to installing a diesel radiator heating system throughout the house.

They find they rarely need to use this, however they do have a soft spot for the secondary source of heating in the home, which is a 1500 Slimline gas fire from Rayner Heating. Made by Jet Master, the open gas fire is the largest available on the market to fit their living room. "It was not a matter of wanting the biggest and best of everything," explains Kelvin, "it was simply the fact that we have such a huge living space, so for both the fire and the kitchen counter, we needed large feature pieces to balance the size of the rooms."

According to Rayner Heating, this is the only residential house in the area with this fire, however in the O'Connell's house, it looks right at home. The entire O'Connell family absolutely love their new home, and they see themselves living here well into the future. "When we reflect back on the design and look around the house now, there is honestly not one thing we would change."