OUR QUIET REVOLUTION

Sticking to a clear, simple vision can be just as brave as going bold with colour – this revitalised Wellington villa is living proof

DINING ROOM Walls in Resene ‘Tea’; artwork ‘Godfrey Road’ painted for us by Karl Maughan; table made by Sven and stained a cherry colour; chairs from a church; one of seven pendant lights from a pilgrimage to Copenhagen; Gidon Bing vase from Precinct 35; Brooklyn subway blind from one of the subway trains that were sunk in the Hudson to create an artificial reef. KITCHEN Cabinets repurposed from orginal 1950s rimu cabinets and spray painted white with car paint; butler’s sink from Ikea; subway tiles from

Tile Warehouse; lights over breakfast bar are explosion-proof lights from an old Miramar factory; special order grey Tolix stools from Madder & Rouge; tiles on breakfast bar are 1960s handmade Japanese ones Sven found in a junk store. LIVING ROOM Walls in Resene ‘Tea’; artwork above fireplace from Charlotte Handy; monkeys were gifts; Nelson bench secondhand; chairs and 1950s sofa from a friend; cushions from The Axe; lightshades Sven had in storage; artwork above sofa from Tom Sladden; white ceramics collected over the years; rocking chair from Modernica, New York. BEDROOM Walls in Resene ‘Tea’; coat hooks unknown; Cultiver bedlinen from Let Liv; racing car poster bought at Beaulieu Auto Jumble; salvaged blue cabinet; hanging chair from the Tip Shop.

1 | BACKGROUND

They say good things take time. This may be true in the case of wine and cheese, but it’s not what you hope for when planning a quick property flip. Take Wellington couple Jessica Godfrey and Sven Wiig. They bought their three-bedroomed 1907 villa in 2003 with the plan of renovating and flicking it for a profit within two years. What actually happened was they started a family (Otto joined them in 2008), took six years to complete the interior, and only finally laid down their paintbrushes last year. Ah, the best-laid plans…

2 | THE ORIGINAL HOUSE

While Jessica was on her OE in 2003, Sven was tasked with finding a home the couple could do up. They were desperate to get into the market while they still could, gunning for a house in central Wellington rather than a remote suburb. With their budget of $240,000, they did find something. It was a northwest-facing villa with a 3.2m stud and hardwood floors (albeit under grotty floor coverings) – but it was in a terrible condition.

“So much needed doing to make it liveable,” says Jessica. “The kitchen was a preserver’s kitchen, with bright yellow floor-to-ceiling cupboards and not one single benchtop. There was a very old sink and an oven from the early 1970s. Our refrigerator had to stand in the middle of the room as there was no space for it. The house was damp (it wasn’t long before we found out why), every room was painted a different gloomy colour and the bath was falling through the floor.”

PROBLEM

The house was extremely run-down and unloved.

The interior was dark and there was no flow between rooms.

SOLUTION

The villa was completely overhauled inside and out with most of the work carried out by the homeowners, who had a clear design vision.

The couple removed a wall at the end of the hallway, which not only opened up an area for a dining room, but also allowed light to flow from one end of the house to the other.

3 | THE RENO PLAN

Sven knew exactly how he wanted to transform the house. The couple had been poring over villa renovations in magazines and watching friends renovate similar houses with success. Looking past the gloomy colours and tatty flooring, they could see the potential. The home’s future layout was obvious to them right from the get-go.

“We knew exactly which walls to open up and exactly where to put French doors and add decks,” says Sven. “We already had floor choices, tile types and the wall colours in our minds before we took possession. I don’t think we used a single testpot or got any samples – our aesthetic was just so clear.” The first thing they did was paint the three bedrooms, living room and hallway. It immediately freshened things up and made the interior more cohesive.

4 | THE BATHROOM AND KITCHEN

Their next move was decided for them: the bath fell through the floor, leaving a hole in the floor and the wall – not really the indoor-outdoor flow they were looking for. Because the bathroom and kitchen are next to each other, they worked on them at the same time so all the plumbing could be done at once. And since there wasn’t any running water during this part of the renovation, they moved into Jessica’s sister’s house for six weeks… “Ten months later we were thanking them a lot,” laughs Jessica.

5 | THE KITCHEN

Sven spearheaded much of the renovation but Jessica had a wishlist for the kitchen: subway tiles, a butler’s sink and pendant lighting to make the most of that striking high ceiling. The fabulous industrial lights in the kitchen were pulled out of a factory – they’re explosion proof. Jessica also had her heart set on a kitchen island. “It means you can chat to people while you cook, plus it gives me a ‘stage’ for my espresso machine!”

6 | DIY KING

Art director Sven undertook all the plans, consents, design and building himself, including some tricky details such as the curved pantry door, which involved joining, curving and laminating 18 layers of ply. Almost everything in the house was either found in a skip, a tip shop (the bath and toilet were $10 each), on Trade Me, or at a church junk sale (the dining chairs) or was made by Sven (the dining table, bed, all the joinery in the kitchen, and the shelving in the living room). He also gave new life to the old rimu kitchen cabinets, spraypainting them with white car paint.

7 | THE DECOR STYLE

“We wanted the interior to be in keeping with the era of the house but also contemporary,” Jessica says – a style they’ve christened ‘Victorian industrial chic’. Of course, the first thing visitors comment on is the colour in the home. “We do like colour a lot,” says Sven. “It takes some effort to get it right. It’s safer to just be black, grey and white but it’s also really boring.”

8 | THE FUTURE

It may have been 11 years behind schedule, but the Godfrey-Wiigs had over a decade to enjoy their central Wellington home before they finally sold it late last year. Now they’re onto a new renovation – this time without a deadline!

KITCHEN, DINING The pendant lights in the hall and dining area came from secondhand stores in Copenhagen – it was a bit of a battle to get them home. “The effort and memories return every time I look at the light above the dining table,” says Jessica.

LIVING It helps to have a handy designer in the house – Sven conceived and built the stylish perforated living room cupboards, as well as the kitchen cabinetry and various other items of furniture.

BEDROOMS The Godfrey-Wiigs were into the industrial look before it went mainstream, and have used recycled lights, storage and accessories throughout their home.