NZIA Citation

At the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, in a pocket of what must be the city’s highest concentration of homes in the Christchurch Style, Allan Mitchener’s 1964 design stands apart. Messervy House is highly imaginative and full of surprises and bespoke details. The architect’s clear interest in domestic order is evident here in the successful arrangement and connectivity of the open mezzanine bedroom, and the light-filled, double-height living and dining room. Connections to the outside have also been celebrated – there is no apparent ‘back’; instead, the house opens on three sides to a private garden and intimate courtyards. It is wonderful to see the owners of this now 55 year old home embracing the original features of this painted-concrete-block house: the timber joinery and barn doors, the bold colour use, and the sculptural brick fireplace that sits at the heart of the home. This is a special house.