Meet a go-getting Welsh woman and her rare waterfront mansion in historic Russell.

Buying a rare waterfront property in historic Russell was too good a chance to pass up

Nearly two years ago, Menna Salisbury bought a property that had been in the same family for 100 years. No pressure then. The house is just one of a handful of residential buildings that sit on the foreshore at historic Russell village. Again, no pressure. But Menna’s shoulders are broad and even though she’s Welsh, her attitude can be more typically described as “Kiwi can-do”. And although the two-storey house looks old and historic, it’s an illusion. It was built in 1996 by the previous owners, the Arlidge family, after they removed an old cottage from the site. The house was called Te Miringa, said to be named for the owner’s grandmother.

The purchase brought together two strands of Menna’s life – a love and natural instinct for creating wonderful interiors, and an entrepreneurial bent that has seen her develop a portfolio of homes that she sometimes lives in but sometimes rents out as short-term holiday accommodation.

The purchase of this particular property was a bit of a score. Homes on the foreshore at Russell rarely come on to the market and this one came as a package of three titles. There’s the big house at the front, a smaller home on the street behind, and an empty section beside that.

“I had just sold some shares I had owned for a long time when this came up for sale. It was good timing.”

Not one to let assets lie idle, Menna has also refurbished the smaller house and intends to run a store dealing in ethical and eco-friendly products from a garage on the empty site over summer.

The layout of the main house was fine when Menna moved in, but the interiors were very dated and the look was stiff and formal. “It was wall-to-wall yellow. Even the kitchen cabinets were yellow. I quite liked the look of the kitchen, just not the colour.” Rather than rip out the cabinets she had them repainted, and replaced a large American stove with an Aga: “I have always wanted one.”

She also turned what had been a TV room into a formal dining room next to the kitchen. “I love to have dinner parties so needed something more formal than the kitchen table, which is great for breakfast and it’s where I do my paperwork.”

Menna has cleverly merged some furniture that came with the house with French items as well as some pieces bought on a trip to Bali – half a containerload. “I think you have to live in a house and let the house decide what it needs.”

As a result, the house has an elegant yet casual colonial vibe with squishy sofas, lacquered pieces, botanical prints and carved timber furniture.

Menna’s not beyond a bit of trickery. When the orchids that sit on high plinths in the hallway aren’t flowering, she simply adds some sprigs of faux flowers.

“I’m an avid Trade Me user too. My mother is an antiques dealer so it’s in the blood. I like to mix old with new and don’t want it to look like a museum.”

She likes to mix it up in other ways too. The four-poster bed in what used to be her bedroom is very high: “You have to fling yourself up onto it. I came home

late one night and hadn’t remade it after taking off the bedlinen. I slept in the bedroom next door instead and found that I liked it, so haven’t moved back. I feel like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

Menna’s working history is also varied. “I’ve tried my hand at everything. I’ve been in retail, owned cafes, done recycled clothing, sold real estate for a while but didn’t like it.” Here in Russell, with her harem of houses, she can flex her natural design muscles, do what she loves best and earn an income at the same time.

Her Russell journey began after 26 years of living in nearby Kerikeri and meeting an “extraordinary man” who lived here. Friends questioned the move to the more remote town but Menna says she’s never been busier.

Menna’s next project is to transform the back courtyard into a tropical garden with a bit of mystique. She has already renovated the front garden, replacing agapanthus and shrubs with large urns planted with weeping cherries and a row of ‘Iceberg’ roses in front of the verandah. After that, she might take a break from having tradesmen in the house. Then it will a busy summer season, taking in paying guests and watching the holidaymakers stroll past her front door.

See russellholidayhouses.co.nz

Q&A

Best decorating tip: Use paint to refresh or upcycle. The dullest piece of furniture can become a favourite piece again.

Best budget tip: When fresh flowers are out of season or too expensive, top them up with good fake silk flowers and plenty of greenery. Most people won’t see the difference and fake flowers last for years.

Bravest thing I ever did: Climbing onto the top verandah rail myself to clean out the gutters.

Best advice I’ve received: From my daughter Connie when I was presented with the sale offer on our previous house in Kerikeri. She said: “Just sign it, Mum, and let’s get going.”

Best thing about the renovation: Having a fantastic project that is stimulating, exciting and challenging. Menna Salisbury

THIS PAGE Menna Salisbury’s Russell home has prime position on the waterfront. OPPOSITE The double-storey house looks deceptively old but was built in 1996; Menna loves its Caribbean plantation look.

THIS PAGE (from top) The dining table and chairs were a Trade Me find from the South Island; Menna is constantly fine-tuning the interiors: “The red oriental sideboard doesn’t really suit the dining room but I can’t find another place for it at the moment.” The living room sofa and rug are from Freedom. OPPOSITE Verandahs top and bottom look out to the water and Russell wharf; Menna chats with daughter Connie.

THIS PAGE (clockwise from top left) Menna works at the kitchen table; the large glass cabinet was imported from Bali and manhandled into the house in one piece. Some furniture came with the house purchase including the kitchen table and chairs. Menna started collecting ginger jars three years ago, and displays them throughout the house. Her nautical colonial style suits the Russell location. OPPOSITE Menna had always wanted an Aga stove and got the chance to install one; she replaced the benchtop either side with marble-look engineered stone; the cabinets were repainted in Resene Half Napa.

THIS PAGE A Chinese antique side table that came with the house sits beside an impressive four-poster bed. OPPOSITE (clockwise from top left) A wooden screen from Indonesia is used as a headboard in the downstairs guest room. A narrow room between the upstairs bedrooms is used as study and has superb water views. Prints that hang in the stairwell were made from illustrations out of an old book and depict historic scenes from South-east Asia.

THIS PAGE This wrought iron bed is from Wales; already high, it was made even more so with the addition of a luxuriously deep mattress; the bedlinen is Cigna by Bianca Lorenne, the wall screens were bought locally and the table and stools are Chinese antiques.