Beyond Provence

Back in 2006, Hans and Helen van der Meulen, an Australian couple of Dutch extraction, were on one of their regular visits to Marlborough’s Awatere Valley in the heart of sauvignon blanc territory.

 

 

“We noticed a for sale sign on an old farmhouse we had long admired,” recounts Helen. The Sydney-based van der Meulens own and manage a successful trans-Tasman clothing retail chain but they have strong links with the Awatere Valley going back more than 30 years, when Helen, a nurse at the time, formed a lasting friendship with a fellow nurse from the valley.

 

The classic white weatherboard country house they had fallen for was built in 1916 and nestles on a 1.3-hectare plot surrounded by farmland and vineyards, with sea and mountain vistas.

 

To the surprise of the rest of the family – Helen and daughters Nikki, Anna and Cathy – Hans instantly decided to buy the house. “We loved its general appearance but the interior needed some changes,” says Helen. “So we engaged our daughter Anna to renovate it completely.”

 

Anna, a Sydney-based interior designer, moved to Blenheim to project-manage the makeover. “I lived there for nearly nine months and loved it,” she says. “New Zealand inspires me with its rich and raw colours. Now the house really feels like home to the whole family. We spend Christmas there and I cook up a huge feast of local produce, such as lobster and mussels for Christmas lunch. We go to the local markets on Sunday, have coffee with friends there and pick up fresh veges.”

 

A stickler for detail, Anna chose unifying decorating themes for the house, including honed travertine floors, stone-coloured carpets, milk-white walls, white ceilings and woodwork in various shades of caramel. The white linen drapes were all hung from steel curtain rails commissioned from a local blacksmith.

 

Where something original did the job it has been preserved, such as the exterior black and white striped awnings, but shopping proved a pleasure too. “Anna and I went to antiques shops all over New Zealand to get just the right things,” says Helen.

 

“We’ve also incorporated items from my late mother’s home in New South Wales, such as the writing desk in the lounge.”

 

The expansive kitchen features a massive five-metre oak island with a parquet top that was painstakingly dismantled and then re-glued and polycoated. A ceiling-mounted pot hanger was created from metalwork rescued from an old church confessional booth. Anna retained the vertical white-painted tongue-and-groove boards below the dado rail to match the ceiling, adding to the overall effect of clean straight lines.

 

“I love to cook, so to be blessed with such a beautiful kitchen is a dream come true,” says Helen. “And just outside the door I have a raised garden with produce such as herbs, lettuce and strawberries in easy reach. I love all the fresh produce; this house has allowed me to experience making jams and chutneys for the first time in my life.”

 

The kitchen flows into the huge living/dining space where the oak dining table – made in Sydney and shipped over by Anna – is teamed with 10 dining chairs sourced in Christchurch. An old workbench, still equipped with a giant vice, serves as a wine rack and sideboard. There’s a similar piece in the living room – a fascinating relic of British industrial furniture with wooden rollers for feet that acts as a coffee table.

 

The living/dining area acts as an access hub to relaxation areas such as the sunroom and “Dutch” room, created by Anna with her father Hans in mind.

 

The room is furnished with two inviting leather armchairs. A box of walnuts from the garden, framed antique maps, little stacks of old books and freshly picked burgundy tulips complete the effect.

 

In the eastern wing, the guest bedroom features two rustic French window shutters decoratively mounted on the wall above the bed. Along with the rectangular piece of fancy ironwork above the bed in Anna’s bedroom, they echo the French Provincial style that Anna has followed throughout the house.

 

In the bathroom, a clawfoot Victorian bath rests on a classic black and white checkerboard floor; a pair of ceramic fantails on the wall add a touch of Kiwiana.

 

In the master bedroom, Helen’s love of leopard print is reflected in the chair fabric, the towels and even her bedroom slippers. Her walk-in dressing room also leads into the laundry – a room often neglected by designers. But it too has been given the full designer treatment, with clothes airers on rope pulleys, tiled worktops, curtained cupboards and an Adelphi sink.

 

In the garden, trees, plants and flowers surround the house, including an A to Z of fruit trees, such as a resplendent grapefruit. Also impressive is the rare weeping elm out front and a huge Californian redwood, Hans’ favourite tree.

 

Beside the swimming pool, a cabana – another of Anna’s additions – is used as a sleepout when guests visit. Its white weatherboards and grey tin roof echo those of the house and the mirrored windows – reflecting the sparkling turquoise pool – and white bench seats provide a shady resting place on hot summer days.

 

The home, which the family visits from Sydney as often as they can, has seen its share of special occasions. On a beautiful January day this year, Anna and her husband Wes played host to 95 guests from Australia and New Zealand at their wedding in the garden.

 

“I loved the community feel as we have a lot of friends in the area,” says Anna. “Everyone helped put together the flowers and decorations for the wedding.”

 

The family has named their house Hahenaca – a combination of letters from all their given names. “This house restores my sanity,” says Helen. “In Sydney I’m all dressed up and being corporate most of the time, so I really look forward to putting my wellies on and heading into the garden or just relaxing in this beautiful home.”