A home that’s comfy, relaxed and eclectic

Like most expectant mothers Louise Clark was excited at the prospect of meeting her baby girl, Billie. It was a subsequent post natal depression diagnosis she wasn’t expecting.

This was 10 years ago, but her experience led her to open The Clothing Collective, an op shop located in Birkenhead, Auckland, where 50 per cent of profits go towards the Mental Health Foundation.

It sells clothing and secondhand furniture – some of which makes its way into Louise’s North Shore home.

Describe your house in two sentences: Solid Mid-century brick and wood character home with epic views of the city and Rangitoto. Inside you’ll find a lot of earthy tones with accents of colour and re-loved furniture pieces that have many stories to tell.

Describe your style in three words:

Comfy, relaxed and eclectic.

Where is your home and who lives there with you? On the North Shore, myself, my daughter Billie and our Chinese student.

Your favourite room/area in the house and why?

The lounge. It’s where we chill, play, dance, snuggle and where I work in the evenings once Billie is asleep.

Your proudest DIY moment? I’m DIY phobic so I leave that to the professionals. But if it counts I have been known to unblock the kitchen sink with a plunger.

If my partner would let me, I would get rid of:

I don’t have a partner so thankfully I don’t have to worry about that.

Worst thing that’s ever gone wrong while entertaining?

I prefer to be entertained – I make a much better guest than a hostess.

One item I wish I had kept or not got rid of is?

No regrets. I give a lot of thought to a piece of furniture or a homeware item before I let it go. Ultimately, it’s time to move it on and for someone else to love it as much as I did.

Favourite piece of furniture?

A king-size, faux fur bean bag. We love to snuggle up and watch a good movie on it.

What’s the worst home decor decision you’ve ever made?

Thankfully nothing comes to mind. Sometimes I’ll move things around, add things, look at them where they are for a few days then realise they don’t work so they get moved or passed on.

Which decor trend would you like to see come back? I’m not someone to follow trends. If I’m feeling it I’ll go with it.

If I had $50k, what I would change about my house is... Without a doubt I’d add a deck off the lounge and make the most of the stunning city views. It would become the new favourite area in the house, more so if it had a spa.

Which home habit annoys you the most?

Making my daughter’s lunches for school. It doesn’t matter how hard I work to make it delicious it inevitably comes back only partially eaten.

What’s one trick you’ve learnt over the years? Water the plants otherwise they will die.