Love at second sight

It’s also been a lesson in how to pare back possessions. “How many sheets and towels do you actually need?” asks Colleen as she opens her compact linen cupboard where three or four sets of good towels and an extra set of sheets for each bedroom are neatly stowed.

“We’ve got things on long-term loan all over the country,” jokes Rick.

Tucked down a private, tree-lined drive off one of Rotorua’s central arteries, Colleen and Rick’s home is adjoined by an identical unit, though it’s not painted, planted and decorated in the same style. Step inside their front door, however, and you get the full effect of their vision and hard work.

The pair saw the unit just over two years ago, after selling their previous home. They were renting and thinking about building a new house when Rick had a health scare.The unit came on the market and, within two days of visiting it, they’d made an offer. Six weeks later it was totally refurbished, they moved in, and really fell in love with it. They’d been thinking of it as a temporary home while Rick recovered but now they say they’d be hard to budge.

Colleen laughs as she thinks back to that swift decision. The unit was tired, the decor still anchored in the 70s, but it had an excellent location, a workable structure with a central hallway feeding the two bedrooms, bathroom and living area, and a peaceful garden on the western side.

A strong selling point was the generous master bedroom with an extended sunny-afternoon seating alcove that makes the room beautifully spacious. The open-plan living room is also generous – nine metres by five – with the kitchen at the eastern end to catch the morning sun. Like the main bedroom, the living room also has an extension – a stepped-down former porch that’s now enclosed.

Colleen and Rick saw the potential and consulted their friend Peter Reynolds, a Rotorua-based interior designer. Colleen assists Peter in his gallery in Eruera Street, and she has the utmost confidence in his work. When Peter gave the unit his vote of approval, they embarked on the refit, with his design input.

Today Colleen describes her home, glowing with colour, art and carefully chosen furnishings, as “the combined effort of a lot of people’s talent”. On the day they took possession she had a team of contractors ready to go and within six weeks the basics of lighting, painting, papering and carpeting were done.

The only major structural change was in the kitchen. It was gutted and enlarged with space cribbed from the adjoining laundry, which is now parked in a cupboard. >

A picture window in the master bedroom was replaced with glass sliders opening to a deck they have built across the western wall of the house.

Colleen and Rick chose a functional modular kitchen with laminated benches, rather than granite and custom-built cabinetry, and a soft blue second-hand carpet in excellent condition was laid throughout. Such decisions contributed to their coming in just $30 over the modest budget they’d set for the basic refit.

Colleen says she’d rather spend money on beautiful fabrics, lamps, cushions or paintings – things that add lustre and charm. So, with Peter’s guidance, she and Rick mixed new additions with objects they already owned.

In the spacious living area, Persian rugs mark out the various spaces of dining area, sitting area and conservatory in the former front porch. The carpet becomes a simple background for the rugs’ rich colours, complemented by walls papered in deep buttermilk and terracotta and a sparkling glass and metal chandelier that hangs over the dining table.

The room’s vibrant colours were chosen to work with two tub chairs upholstered in textured, earthy-toned stripes. Colleen and Rick had had them recovered not long before they bought the unit and didn’t want to part with them. The chairs have since been joined by a sumptuous new couch piled with velvet and possum fur cushions.

Clever placement of mirrors further enlarges the room and offers glimpses of the outdoor planting. A huge, back-view nude in warm flesh tones by Pikowai artist Brett Taylor takes the eye immediately, as does a view of Lake Tekapo by Sally Maguire, a dramatic oil by Auckland-based Yugoslav artist Vjekoslav Nemesh, called Flying Dutchman and Purple Horse, and a watercolour of the Karori hills by Australian painter Ada Clark.

Colleen and Rick particularly cherish their paintings and their Persian rugs; if they ever had to choose what precious things to save in a fire, they reckon they’d be lugging those out of the house first.

There are more rugs and paintings in the master bedroom with its deep chocolate wallpaper and padded bed headboard in textured chocolate fabric. Highlights of gold, red and animal print have been added through the art, curtaining and cushions. Like the living room, the bedroom opens to the private deck.

When Colleen and Rick first moved in, their spacious bedroom doubled as an office for their financial services business. But the lack of separation between home and work became an issue and a relocatable office was moved on to the section. It has served them well ever since.

The bathroom and toilet (complete with chandelier) have had tasteful makeovers and the guest room, which has accommodated many of their friends and family in the past two years, has been spiced up with a luscious painting of tamarillos by Colleen’s cousin May Williams.

“There’s always a bed here for someone,” says Colleen. “That’s one of the ways you make the place a home.” As she introduces cats Harry and Katie, slumbering peacefully on the furniture, she quotes one of Peter’s favourite sayings: “Houses are built to be lived in; things are designed to be used.”

Story: Denise Irvine Photographs: Nicola Topping