Style Insider: Art, books and colour make a vibrant home for this Wellington poet.
Kate Camp and Paul Mulrooney use colour, art and books to energise their Wellington home
Aglass box in the tree tops” was what Wellington poet and Te Papa head of marketing Kate Camp ended up with when she and her husband Paul Mulrooney, a communications professional, went looking for a house. Kate spotted this brand new, 140sqm split-level home on Trade Me five years ago. “The architect Michael Melville is our neighbour and he’d subdivided the property to build this house.”
It’s easy to see why they were won over. “There’s so much natural light, you’re surrounded by trees and it’s completely private. It’s only 10 minutes from Wellington’s CBD, but it’s a sanctuary.”
The only thing they changed were the interior colours, adding bright pops of colour on feature walls.
“I love colour, especially in my clothes, but wanted shades that didn’t compete with the views.” That includes a subtle pink/purple in the downstairs living space and bright green in the kitchen and main bathroom. “It helps to define different areas.”
Kate, who has published eight books, including her latest collection of poetry, How to be Happy Though Human, opted for deep Prussian blue in the upstairs bedroom that they’ve turned into a TV room and Kate’s writing room.
Kate has been collecting art since her 20s when she had an epiphany: “Instead of spending all my money on clothes and shoes, I thought I should spend it on art.”
The couple also has hundreds of books, spread across three rooms. “We’re good at getting rid of some to make room for more.”
Although they don’t do a lot of cooking Kate and Paul entertain often, so the 2.5m-long kitchen bench comes in handy.
They love living here and Kate says they’ll only leave when they can no longer navigate the 38 steps down to the property. “For now this is our dream home.”