Style: February 01, 2019

STYLE | home 33
“One of the reasons I chose Ben is he likes to push
the boundaries. However, we don’t like modern. We
wanted enduring and classic.”
Ben then had the challenge of delivering a classic
style that was sophisticated yet inventive. The task was
perhaps made easier by virtually every item of furniture
– bar a chaise lounge in the hallway that was Mark’s
grandfather’s and some pieces from Furnishscene (now
Design Supply Co) – being sourced new or especially
made locally by Trenzseater. Their previous home’s
furniture either went to Jessica’s new house or to the
family holiday house in the Marlborough Sounds being
renovated at the time.
“The design was intentionally designed to be
timeless,” says Ben. “We used a neutral colour palette
accented with strong natural browns and blacks as well
as classic camel accents. We also popped various areas
with fresh emerald green to add visual vibrancy.”
Ben’s brief was for a full interior design package that
also included some architectural elements, kitchen and
bathroom design consultation, door hardware, lighting,
flooring, window furnishings, and wallcoverings.
An inspired architectural contribution was his
suggestion of ‘bookmatched’ Neolith Calacatta Gold
marble, from CDK Stone, to meet the Prossers’ wish to
upgrade the gibboard wall in the stairwell specified in
the original Sheppard & Rout plans they’d bought with
the section. This magnificent feature wall – a feat of
engineering – forms the spine of the house and extends
outside to the entrance porch. The softly veined, greytoned
marble recurs in the kitchen and two of the four
bathrooms.
The marble’s lustre is about the extent of the sheen
though. While Ben loves gloss, Melissa restrained its
presence to the occasional black Miyaki sideboard
and side table. “We’re not glossy people,” she says.
Similarly, she curbed his trademark green, which initially
she declared “she was over seeing everywhere”, to a
resplendent dollop of vivid emerald here and there.
“Ben needs to be seen to be evolving and he has
great ideas,” Melissa says. Happy to consider them all,
Ben, in turn, gladly accepted her just saying “yes” or
“no” to his suggestions.
Melissa’s affectionate touch is evident in every
room, but her favourite feature of the 424m² home
on its 1954m² rear section, is its privacy from the road
and the huge amount of space. The Prossers also
negotiated to buy the section in front to build and
sell a single-storey home that protects their secluded
aspect. “We love it. It’s just perfect. We come from the
country and like our space.”
Not that the home feels cavernous. Despite being
spacious and contemporary, that palpable starkness of
many modern dwellings is absent thanks to the classic
furnishings and natural textures in relatable interiors.
“I like snug,” says Melissa, who also channelled that
architecturally by changing the original plans for a
walk-in pantry and media room into the downstairs
bedroom and plans for an indoor pool into an outdoor
room with a fireplace.