Back to life

In the front lounge, unsanded floorboards that confirm the 1939 construction date of the bach (once known as ‘Possum Lodge’ according to a long-time neighbour) have been left untouched. The room is adorned with an elegant 1960s Danske Mobler couch, which Todd’s mother bought for her four kids. Christine has given it new life with fresh upholstery unearthed from her fabric trunk.

Fabric is her weakness. “I do think I’ve got the hoarding under control, but if I redo a chair or couch then I may have to start hoarding again,” she laughs. She’ll never turn down offerings from friends and colleagues. “They know that I’ll do something with it, put it in an important place and give it a new life.”

Christine talks of the French phrase “mettre en valeur”, which is about giving new value to a humble or obsolete item by displaying it differently. You can see this approach in the sailing ship artwork that was once an old fireguard with feet but now adorns the ensuite. The shelf in that bathroom was found under the house and the vanity is a modified lowboy bought at a school gala. The coffee table was another under-the-house discovery. The laundry vanity, with its original paint job, was a dresser in the sleep-out and is now fitted with a basin which was – you guessed it – found under the house. This philosophy is carried through outdoors with Todd’s mum’s floral teacups and Christine’s silver teaspoons (which she uses in the garden) all on display in her glasshouse.

The soft tones of the sea come ashore in this master ensuite with a buoy Todd’s mother found years ago and nautical wall art that was once part of an old firescreen found underneath the house.

Don’t disguise your shower. Give it the star treatment with stunning tapware, a towel hook and tile grouting to suit.