THERE IS A SENSE THAT THIS VILLA IS AN ISLAND OF REFUGE FOR THE FAMILY, ENSCONCED IN COMFORT, LEISURE AND SELF-EXPRESSION IT IS A FEAT IN ITSELF to pin down two of New Zealand’s top names in architecture for a mid-week, midday chat, but at Charles Walker and Jessica Barter’s villa in Grey Lynn, Auckland there is a sense of two comfortably busy people at the peak of their careers and loving life. On the street verge is a tree decorated with Pacific leis, an ode to Christmas created by a neighbour, and on the front steps the couple’s four-year-old son Jimmy, home from daycare for the morning, is awaiting my visit.
To be home on a weekday is clearly something of a treat for the whole family, who keep…
