Home decor child’s play
Child development expert Nathan Wallis has put his grandchildren at the heart of decorating his penthouse. Colleen O’Hanlon reports.
Neuroscience educator and child development expert Nathan Wallis lives in an opulent Christchurch penthouse with views across the city and to Hagley Park, an apartment he’s called home for three months. It’s his second city pad in Christchurch. He was tempted into trading up to his current home because it has access to a saltwater pool, which he wanted for his grandchildren Reo, 4, and Marama, 2.
Wallis travels most days with his job and spends most nights away from home. When he is at home he prefers that time to be freed up to spend with his mokopuna or other family members when they visit, rather than spent cooking and cleaning.
Wallis says he has always loved interior decor – as a teenager his bedroom once resembled a New York apartment. He’s a hunter-gatherer and has filled his home with treasures that include a Beethoven bust, Roman centurion helmet, Samurai sword, and a suit of armour.
How would you describe your style?
Individual, eclectic, Bohemian and Star Trek-ie.
What is important to you on the home decor front?
My mood is affected by light... and colour has a huge effect on me. If I can be in charge of lighting and colour, I can influence my mood quite a lot. My bedroom is an exception. I once visited a white office, which I didn’t find productive so I made my bedroom all white, which makes me feel like I’m sleeping on a cloud. It’s got to be interesting in the eyes of a child. I want my grandchildren to come here and find it full of amazing, magical things. I want them to think that the back of the wardrobe could lead to Narnia.
Tell us about one of your favourite things in your home.
It’s got to be the hoverboards. I have hoverboards so when the grandchildren come we can go out and about on them. I also have a Tardis in my living room. It was made at polytech for a Christmas theme production and I bought it on Trade Me. But there’s also the Tangaroa puppet, which came from the set of Suzy Cato’s You And Me.
Do you entertain often?
Every now and then... it’s something I’d like to do more of but I’m just not home enough. When we do it we do it well, we have a theme. Last time it was James Bond so it was an opportunity for the girls to get dressed up and the men to wear a white tuxedo.
Have you ever had a disaster while entertaining?
Once my niece fell down the stairs backwards. She was all right but I didn’t think that at the time. Luckily she was young enough that she had fallen the way that young people do – she bounced. I jumped into action and got help from a nurse next door but later on I could see that I had gone into shock afterwards – I just walked in a loop at the top of the stairs for about three hours.
What are you like on the domestic front?
I outsource much of the cleaning and cooking. I’ve always been very, very clean so now I really appreciate having a cleaner. With no kids living at home it’s easy to keep it tidy.
Most hated domestic task?
I hate cooking and have always hated it, though I had to do it as I was a single father. My kids would not wax lyrical about what a great cook I am, but I am a great baker. It’s the timing of cooking that I can’t handle but I like the precision of baking.
I’m really happy to do ironing and I love vacuuming because it has a big visual impact. Spend 30 minutes vacuuming and you can really see it. With cooking though, you do all the work and then the kids just eat it and it’s gone.
I want my grandchildren to think that the back of the wardrobe could lead to Narnia.
Are you a dab hand at DIY?
I like painting, again because it has a big visual impact and it can change a place in three to four days. I’m happy staying up into the early hours to do it. I once built an interior wall with a sliding door. I initially put the door on backwards so had to fix it. I was so proud, you would have thought I built the Great Wall of China. Now I get Hire a Hubby to do jobs because I’m maxed out every minute from the morning.
If the house was burning, which item would you save?
I’m a clothes horse – it would be my gold jacket.
Ever regretted getting rid of something?
I’m constantly giving things away. I have a storage unit with lots of home items in it – I decorate the space I live in for what it needs and the things it doesn’t stay in the unit for another time.
Are you a fan of house plants?
I know a lot of the science around how they can help the air quality.
The three that help most are snake plants, peace lilies and spider plants. My daughter gave me a peace lily about five years ago and that was the start of my collection.
Have you always liked interior design?
I was a weird teen – I turned my bedroom into a New York apartment and changed it into a forest once I discovered horticulture and root hormone.