When Richard purchased this run down Ponsonby villa 14 years ago he knew it needed some serious love (and money) to get it back to its former glory. Jo totally agreed when she moved in a couple of years later but was happy to wait for the right time to get started. After the arrival of two children, Olivia and Luke, that time has finally arrived.
The whole house was in a real state of disrepair with rotting floors, broken spouting, crumbling front steps and more. Over the past six months, the home has been fully restored from the foundations up. Every room has been taken back to framing and rebuilt with a focus on a warm, quiet, safe and energy efficient home – a far cry for how it was built and renovated over the past 100 years!
The family wanted a simple classic colour for the base so vibrancy could be added on top ensuring the décor wouldn’t date too quickly. Resene Black White and Triple Black White was the perfect choice and used throughout. The overall style of the home is modern with a bit of retro thrown in.
Jo and Richard knew what they wanted from a practical and functional perspective, based on how they live, but received some help on the finishing touches from Kate Alexander (Interior Designer) and Nikki from Resene.
Talk to the experts. Tell them what you want to achieve and make decisions based on the information they supply – they know what they are talking about. Also, trust your style and taste as you are the ones that will live with it
Colour has been added to a feature wall in the lounge and Luke’s bedroom with the gorgeous Resene Fuscious Grey from the Karen Walker Series. Olivia’s room also has a feature colour with Resene Frozen from the Designer Series – a soft blue, perfect to offset the natural timber and hot pink used throughout the room.
The exterior of the villa has also been fully renovated with a thorough lick of paint in Resene Quarter Delta, new roof in Grey Friars and matching spouting and downpipes from the Marley Stratus Design Series® (Marley Stormcloud® and RP80® in Grey Friars). Stormcloud® features internal brackets for a streamline look, stunning on the front square fronted villa with veranda. Overall, the natural choice to match the roof and stand the test of time as the old gem starts the next 100 years.
If you’d like to watch this beauty come to life, check it out on Creative Living – episodes available on 3Now or www.creativeliving.tv
More questions for Jo and Richard…
What part of the house are you most happy with?
It is hard to pick one but I think the living and kitchen area flowing out to the backyard is our favourite part.
What was the biggest decorating, renovating or building challenge for this project?
The costs – it always costs more than you expect and you can always make it better. Try and make a plan and stick to it. It is hard because a lot of what you spend goes into things you can’t see and you don’t usually have much left in the end for the things you can see.
Do you have a favourite colour, and if so why is it your favourite?
We’ve gone with a warm grey as the base for the house and it works well so we can bring through some of the amazing colours from my favourite painting – the greens, oranges and greys.
