The fruits of their labour
My favourite room An old apple pickers’ cottage is a bolt-hole for one couple’s annual migration from Germany to the sun.
At the end of Hoddy Road, near Mapua, a little 1960s apple pickers’ cottage stands as close as regulation will allow to the shoreline, a black wooden box with a pale green roof, sheltered by half a dozen mature pines.
The renovated and restored cottage was a collaboration between four creative people, two local, two based in Germany. Ceramacist Christine Boswijk and her partner Patrick Maisey, who own the land and whose home and studio is a couple of hundred metres away, got the ball rolling several years ago when they learned that a local orchardist was subdivided and wanted to get rid of the old cottage.
‘‘I’d always liked the look of it,’’ says Patrick. ‘‘We were told, ‘If you want it, you’ve got three weeks’, so we moved it with great haste onto our land.’’
Cue the arrival some years later of John Burland and his German wife Ali. After retirement, he and Ali hatched a plan to spend their summers in New Zealand.
The couple became friendly with Christine and Patrick and when Patrick suggested the answer to the Burland’s accommodation problem might solve their own ‘‘What do we do about the cottage?’’ conundrum, the two parties quickly agreed.
Some years later and the cottage has been extended significantly at both ends, which incorporates a light-filled openplan living space.
There’s more glazing, including French doors onto the deck, plus high ceilings and a comfortable new kitchen with all the mod cons. Physically little remains of the original, other than the pine floor (which came up nicely after Patrick gave it a sanding) and the colour scheme.
What was your vision for this space?
When we were talking about the design we finished each other’s sentences. We all knew exactly what we wanted: high ceilings, whitewashed boards, solid rafters, polished wooden floors… It would be simple but elegant. We tried to keep the place’s authenticity intact, how it sat on the land. It still has that pickers’ cottage feel – modest and functional.
What are the key features of this space?
The way the areas between the kitchen, dining and sitting room work seamlessly. The open shelves with collected hand-made ceramics and books became the props along with the furniture. French doors and generous windows opening onto the deck extend the sense of space to the panoramic views surrounding the cottage.
How have you decorated this space?
The Persian rugs were bought at a distressed sale at Frankfurt airport in the 1970s. The recycled chestnut plank dining room table is from Edito in Nelson. Artworks include ceramics by Christine and her daughter, also a ceramacist, Kirsten Boswijk, paintings by JS Parker and Barbara Franklet, and a print by Colin McCahon.
What do you like best?
Everything works without the room feeling cluttered. It is light, airy and comfortable. It is a space that demands little yet gives much and feeds the human condition!
What was the best thing about the project?
Using local materials (much of it recycled), building with people we know, like and trust, and furnishing the cottage with items from local businesses and artists.