WowHaus

A very striking property, this 1950s Rigby Mullan midcentury modern house in Thames, New Zealand is now up for sale.

Amazingly, this is the first time that the house has been on the open market. That’s because the current owners (who got in touch with the site) bought it off friends who purchased it off the original family who built it. So it has changed owners but hasn’t been widely available in the past.

But this gem of a design is available now, should you be looking at this part of New Zealand or if you fancy a move here. It looks like a lovely part of the world.

The house dates back to 1959, the work of Antony Mullan of Rigby Mullan, one of the more notable firms behind modern architecture in this part of the world in the mid-20th century. Some of their key designs have been lost over the years, but thankfully, this one survives. One of the first steel frame-constructed homes in New Zealand, its striking design looks largely unchanged, which is a huge selling point.

According to the sellers, all the upgrades that have been done (such as the carpet, flooring and kitchen bench) have been done in keeping with the era, with the intention of looking like they are part of the original home from 1959.

Open-plan living of course, but with that open space, which flows naturally from one room to another, you get the option of more privacy via the concertina doors if you need it. Some lovely little design touches still in place too, such as a fold-down table (ideal for kids to study on) and a laundry shoot in the wardrobe, down to the laundry.

Those kitchen cabinets are rather appealing too, as is the cabinetry in the living room and the bedrooms, the internal doors and that amazing staircase. Fans of midcentury modern will certainly fall for this one. The furniture fits the bill too, but that isn’t staying, unfortunately.

The rooms/living space at the front of the house can also be fully opened onto the deck with the floor to ceiling slider doors, and the 360-degree view of the sea, river, mountains and bush is another plus to this one too.

There’s also something here that isn’t obvious. A rental income. The current owners have their own living space focused on the upstairs of the house. The downstairs has been used as a very successful self-contained studio, which has been rented out via Airbnb in the past. That part has its own external access from the main entrance and could be used for that purpose again.

Of course, you could choose to convert it if you needed the extra room. But if you wanted some help with the mortgage, it is worth considering.

As for overall space, you get three generous and bright bedrooms, the main family room, kitchen area, separate laundry and the bathroom. There is also that separate downstairs space for guests/visitors too. 809 sq. metres of land is yours as well, which also includes room for your car as well as a fish pond in the front garden.

$885,000 is the asking price of this one, which converts to around £461,000.

Images and details courtesy of Richardsons. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.