Times Newspaper 2/07/07 Our Homes Today

The exterior and surrounding landscape of many new homes today often receive as much emphasis as a home's interior. New and renovated properties are now more often planned with a bigger picture in mind - that of ensuring there's a consistent visual flow from the inside to the outside.

As land becomes more valuable and space a rare commodity in the cities, our connection with the environment becomes more tenuous. Consequently designs that reconnect us with nature - whether we're sitting inside or relaxing outside - are becoming increasingly important and the advent of the 'outdoor room' now means that interior design elements and colours are no longer conceived in isolation.

Whether the design of a home is contemporary with clean lines, or one that's quirky and exudes intriguing design features, elements intrinsic to the chosen theme should remain consistent and are the key to a project's overall success.

One woman who conceived the exterior appearance and overall ambience of her home before it was even built was Robyn Iversen. Formerly residing in One Tree Hill and a graduate of the Nanette Cameron School of Interior Design in Pakuranga, Robyn and husband John Crosswell decided to leave the city in 2001 and headed for the wider open spaces of Greenhithe. They worked to a tight budget planning their new family home.

Both had firm ideas of the style of house they wanted, but they were different ideas. Robyn wanted a somewhat industrial feel, while John wanted a more traditional look. Luckily, the finished effect is a happy marriage of the two themes.

As house planning began the first signs of leaking homes were appearing around Auckland so when liaising with architect Peter Eising of Pacific Environments, their concern was to create an affordable, watertight structure. They settled on zincalume (or corrugated iron as it is more humbly known), as the dominant cladding material and a zincalume fence trimmed with timber went up around most of the 1900 sqm site.

Robyn wanted to repeat the effect of the iron in the landscaping and introduce similar elements inside the 260 sqm home. Operating her own business, The Presenters, as a qualified design consultant specialising in colour and property presentation, she knew where she was headed.

She chose most of the colour and finishes while John retained furniture such as antique tables and dressers from their previous home. These favorite pieces with timber worn to a satisfying patina perfectly complement the more hard-edged contributions from Robyn.

The latter include metallic-look vinyl in high traffic and wet areas; aluminum skirting boards (ideal when the kids ride their bikes inside on rainy days); a stainless steel island bar and a stainless steel mesh balustrade to divide the upper level from the spaces below.

With her finger on the pulse of colour trends, Robyn was acutely aware that the majority of designers were opting for neutral palettes, but she was after something dramatic. Choosing three strong accent colours and a metallic grey for continuity certainly made sure of that.

Dulux Golden Rod, a vibrant orange, features in the living room, which is devoted to music and relaxation. A screen rescued from an inorganic collection now proudly displays daughter Jessie's colourful paintings and further bold touches such as an ottoman upholstered in red makes this a very individual space.

For an exciting contrast, most walls in the open plan family room and kitchen are in Dulux Wicked Green. The remaining walls here and in the foyer and hall offer a calming link of metallic grey, created by applying Resene Pearl Lustre over Dulux Accord.

The master bedroom and Jessie's room are painted in Dulux Whipped Violet, inspired by a voile fabric Robyn fell in love with and son Tom's room again features Wicked Green.

The irrepressible orange has been repeated in the rear hallway that links the bedrooms and gives an alternative access to the family room and kitchen. With precious family portraits displayed down both sides, the effect is one of a shimmering walk through the family's history.

The large, six-metre-square space downstairs, which adjoins the equally spacious garage, is commonly called the "whatever" room because its very flexible zone. Its an office, a games room, a movie theatre, or a hobby room. Some of John's friends call it a therapy room, claiming no one could ever be depressed in a room so bright and Robyn is delighted that men, as well as kids, enjoy the bight colour palette.

As much thought has been given to linking the interior scheme with the landscaping, as that of creating an exciting interior. "We wanted to repeat the interior colours in the garden," says Robyn. "We've planted Bird of Paradise because it features the green and orange tones we've used inside. We've also planted agaves, canna lilies and astelias because they too complement the scheme."

Corrugated iron sculptures also provide a link with the fence, cladding and the industrial theme inside. Robyn created some of the sculptures herself, with others works by Lee-Anne Lane of Corrugated Iron Art.

While there's still some work to do outside, the couple feel they've "nearly" completed their semi-rural retreat. But despite needing a few finishing touches, they've created a fun family home, which will suit them for years to come and combines indoor and outdoor living with panache.

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