Auckland homeowners are getting their mid-century groove on

For three decades in West London’s energetic film, interior design and restaurant industries, Megan and Ron Redel have plenty of crazy, colorful stories to tell – as well as an aesthetic appetite for comfort with a hint of the mid-century groove.

When the couple returned to Auckland in 2010, their ideal was to buy a “romantic kiwi mansion”. They opened the back and ran it as Airbnb. “It had the nicest kitchen, but when we were there I realized it was just like everyone else’s villa,” says Megan. The woman who worked with English interior designer and celebrity Nicky Haslam longed for something different.

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Next they tried a 1990s cedar townhouse designed by architect Pip Cheshire. “It was a little oasis full of light and surrounded by trees,” says Megan. It was enough for a while. Megan – the original owner of Megan’s, a popular Chelsea restaurant and café, now a chain of restaurants across London – traveled to the UK three times a year to fulfill a catering contract that was still hers.

Then last year things changed. The regular arrival was not only stressful, but also impossible. When they sold their house in London, they had another look around.

“My wife has itchy feet,” says Ron. “So we did the opposite of empty nests. We bought the biggest house we’ve ever owned. “

To be fair, it’s substance and style rather than size that have led the Redels to this two-story Westmere home that hugs a pool. “As soon as I walked through the door, I loved it,” says Megan. Ron, who had another property in his sights, disagreed. But the truth is: You don’t stay happily married for 30 years, through several renovations, three children and a change of country, without being able to change your perspective. “This is the better house – it has a nice feeling and is so generous,” he says now.

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This generosity begins at the front door, where an atrium soars into the sky and offers an enticing view of the pool. The room feels urban, resort-like and inviting at the same time.

Once in the main living area, it’s hard to imagine that this house started out as a classic bungalow, but a design detective would pick up on the clues: some rooms still have the original reed-glass windows from the 1920s.

“The previous owner developed it in three stages,” says Megan. First came a board-and-slat extension with an open living room and an additional bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. Next, a basement and garage were carved out on the ground floor. Finally, architect Jack McKinney designed an upper floor and the atrium entrance. “He converted the house into vertical cedar wood that holds everything together,” explains Megan.

While the architectural vision enhances the experience – sloping ceilings on the upper floor are reminiscent of English attics and clever glazing in the gable ends catches the view of the trees, the sky and the distant city – the real joy of design is courtesy of the Redels. Her style is an expression of a positive life. And that at full speed.

The couple moved in shortly after the lockdown last year, and Ron, who spent several years directing and producing TV commercials, particularly enjoyed adding art, ceramics, and furniture. “I am and always have been a compulsive buyer. I can not help myself.”

Although large windows were cut into the wall, it wasn’t difficult to find the perfect location for Andy Warhol’s limited edition Mick Jagger prints he bought in the 1970s, a Steve McQueen movie poster, and his collection of Keith Haring works Find.

The separate dining room was also uncharted territory for his latest art purchase – a pair of brightly smeared limited editions by Damien Hirst.

Horizontal surfaces are also ripe for Ron’s creative passions. His collection of bulbous, colored 1950s glass is scattered on window sills or grouped along the 20-meter-long wooden furniture that extends from the living area to the kitchen. Here and on the island bank, a small selection of white German ceramics by Kaiser Frey gathers, and a two-meter-high mosaic vase by Malcolm Temple stands guard near the kitchen.

Furnishing the big house wasn’t a problem. Ron who owns the Ponsonby household goods empire Bob & friends, loves timeless design. A Coconut chair by Vitra has slipped nicely into the bedroom, a Balzac chair by Matthew Hilton is in the TV room and a 30-year-old reclaimed wood dining table was in the dining room.

But the couple didn’t have a sofa with the right proportions for the living area. They found one at Freedom. “I’m not a design snob. I think it should be accessible to everyone. This sofa was just so comfortable – and best of all, it was there within two hours of buying it, ”says Ron.

Megan, who now runs a local catering business called Sister’s Kitchen, has plenty of room for her cookbooks; the garden is also their domain. A sick Lilly Pilly hedge by the pool was the first to go. “We replaced it with a fence that made the room look so much bigger and also gave us better access to clean the pool,” she says.

While she is planting on a tropical theme and tending the grass back to health, she keeps a close eye on Ron. He has already filled one of the last remaining cupboard drawers. “Who needs 50 cake tins?” She chides a husband who has just discovered baking.

What she cannot deny is that this home, in which the two full-time residents can enjoy their “me” time at opposite ends or switch to the “summer” bedroom near the garden, is tailor-made for the Refueling – with passions and with people.

At night, when friends and family are gathered around the table and the outside lights come on, something magical happens. “Then the house will go from being warm and modern to something exotic. It’s pretty awesome, ”says Ron.

Questions and Answers with Ron & Megan Redel

Favorite design aspect of the house: That not everything is open. I like to eat around the table in the separate dining room. And on Sundays, when the family is there, our granddaughter can watch TV in the TV room – and we don’t all have to. (Ron)

Any plans to update or renovate: As a serial renovator, it feels strange not to work in the place. We may upgrade the kitchen in the future, but for the first time there is no rush. (Megan)

Last purchase for the house: A vintage galvanized steel planter from Vitrine filled with flowers and herbs to soften the new fence and pool area. (Megan)

A Kaiser Frey ceramic vase from West Germany. It was made in the early 1960s and has an organic relief pattern made from seashells. (Ron)

Decorating Tips: Houses are not soulless design statements. So design is important, but comfort, flow and, if you’re like me, the space to display all of these irresistible objects are keys to a home – and Megan to finding space for it all. (Ron)