Working as the leaves turn
At myplace
Designer’s home and garden, complete with cherry tree, are an inspiring work space.
Kiwi fashion designer Beth Ellery lives and works from what she describes as a sunny rock in Auckland’s leafy suburb of Mt Albert.
Being both the Ellery workroom and her family home, the house can sometimes be ‘‘chaotic’’.
On the day we visited, however, we glimpsed a sleek brick-on-brick arrangement reminiscent of a New York loft, and the satisfying calm between cleaning and children that Ellery so enjoys.
Where is your home and who lives there with you?
I live in Mt Albert with my husband Sam and our two children.
First thing you do when you get home each day?
I work from home, so I amalways at home, and also always at work. I suppose I should go for a walk when I stop work, so that I can both ‘‘leave’’ work, and ‘‘arrive’’ home.
Best new buy:
Two Tim Laing bench seats. I met Tim when he dated my sister and had an office job. They don’t see each other anymore, and now Tim is a fantastic furniture designer. He designs very quiet dignified pieces in beautiful materials that I think are timeless.
Proudest DIY moment:
I once sanded back a table and stained it. As that’s my only DIY moment it’s also my proudest by default.
Favourite spot to relax (and what do you do there):
I like to sit and look at the cherry tree that takes up most of the garden.
Sam put a platform in the bough of the branches which the kids sometimes hang out on. Before we moved here I had lived in apartments for a long time so watching the leaves turn and blossoms bloom is a real treat for me.
Best-kept secret about the area you live in:
The Saturday morning markets at Sprout are good. It’s probably not a secret though. And on Friday evenings there are food trucks under the same awning.
Favourite way of entertaining:
My workroom is at home, and so are my kids, so my favourite thing is meeting people out for dinner. No cooking, no dishes and the chance to spend time in a different space. But that isn’t practical very often, and I still enjoy having friends at the house, or going to theirs.
Best kitchen tool and why:
We moved out of town briefly, and we weren’t near any place to buy coffee so we bought a Rancilio machine. It’s the kitchen tool that I use the most.
Favourite piece of furniture:
Our Tim Laing bench seats are my real favourites, but there is another piece we use everyday and has sentimental value.
One thing I’d like to change around my house:
It has a lot of single glazing and no underfloor heating. In a perfect world I would double glaze and insulate, and I would like to own it rather than rent it.