This is a tale of two cities, two houses and the call of home. At least, it was for James Rolleston, who’d always wanted to move from Auckland back to his native Christchurch. And so in early 2018, James, his wife, Katy, and their sons, Freddy and Wilbur, sold the Mt Eden villa they’d spent five years renovating, filled a truck with furniture and headed south.
Wanting a change, they bought a one-yearold home in leafy Merivale. As with anyone transitioning from a 100-year-old villa to a contemporary home, there were adjustments to be made, mostly positive. “Thanks to the double glazing, this house is definitely warmer than our Auckland villa,” says Katy. “It’s also low-maintenance and easy to keep clean.”
The only downside was the proportions of their new home, which were much larger than the villa’s. Some of their existing furniture was too small for the space, meaning various pieces, such as the dining table and occasional chairs in the living room, had to be upsized.
MAKING IT HOME
The four-bedroom, the 335-square-metre house had plenty going for it but Katy and James wanted to maximize its potential. Plus, as an interior decorator, Katy had lots of ideas up her sleeve.
“Our style is fresh, white and open, so we did things like painting out the beige walls downstairs with crisp white paint and swapping brown kitchen cabinets for bright white ones, simply by changing the front panels,” she says.
The biggest change they made was ripping up the grey carpet and replacing it with engineered floorboards in natural oak which makes the entire ground floor feel lighter.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Your Home and Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Your Home and Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
FAMILY TREES
Creating a child-friendly backyard was a priority for an Auckland couple
Go with the flow
Flow Studio’s Staci Coble shapes her clay using the gentle currents of the ocean as her muse
Magic of mushrooms
Follow gardening editor Mary Lovell-Smith’s fun guide and conjure up your own edible delights
The flip SIDE
Real estate agents might say it’s all about the location, but how do you know when you’ve found the right house to do up?
MOVING ON
Leaving a tiny apartment in Auckland for a big house in Blenheim came with so many blessings
How to beat the MID-AFTERNOON SLUMP
It’s 3pm and you can’t stop yawning or concentrate on the job at hand. If this scenario sounds familiar consider these fatigue fighters
Gardening for all budgets
Whether you have $10, $100, $1000 or more to spend on your garden, consider this cash-savvy advice
The constant gardener
Winter is a dormant time for plants, so snuggle down and enjoy some gardening inspo while planning for spring
CURTAIN CALL
Dress your windows to impress with the latest trends in curtains and blinds
LIVING THE FAIRY TALE
An abandoned cottage in Dunedin was this family’s dream come true