Close to her heart
Jules Carroll’s home is filled with precious pieces that she has gradually gathered over the years, all with a story behind them.
It’s not surprising that Jules Carroll is acutely aware of the provenance of the furniture, art and objects that fill her villa in Grey Lynn, Auckland. As an ethical sourcing consultant, it’s her job to know where things come from. For her, the layers she has added to her décor over the years are a form of self-expression, a diary of sorts of her life in the United Kingdom, Asia and, finally, New Zealand. Almost every piece in her home has a story to tell, from the mementos she has picked up on her travels and shells found on a beach walk to the precious gifts from loved ones.
“When it comes to buying things for the house I try to avoid being influenced by trends and select pieces that will be timeless. Before making any purchase I have always considered whether it’s something that I’ll still want to look at in 30 years time and why.” The comfy sofa in the living room is a good example of Carroll’ instinct for mindful consumerism. “Our sofa was made to my design well over 20 years ago. Part of me is desperate to replace it but the conscious consumer in me is telling me there is no need. Instead, I’m saving up to get it recovered and it should last another 20 years!”
The heritage villa has been home to
“I believe a comfy sofa, cushions and a throw are the key to creating a home rather than a show house.”
Carroll, her husband Ross and their sons Max and Ollie, for seven years. In a quirk of fate, the layout is exactly the same as the Hong Kong apartment the family lived in for six years, before moving to New Zealand in 2008. “This was the deciding factor when it came to buying the house. Max, our eldest, pointed out that the layout of the villa was pretty much the same as the apartment he grew up in. When we moved into the house in Grey
Lynn he claimed the room that matched where his bedroom had been in the Hong Kong apartment.”
After several years of looking for somewhere to settle, it felt like they had found the right place. “We instantly knew it was a home that could fit all of our furniture and memories,” says Carroll. A bonus for her, after growing up in England, was having a large outdoor living space that acts as an extension of the dining/kitchen area. “During summer we probably use this more than our lounge. In the spring and autumn we usually end up gathering around the fireplace as guests tend to gravitate outside for the view of the city from the deck.” There is an additional living room downstairs that Carroll has claimed as her yoga space, now that Max and Ollie are both at university
in Wellington. “It was their rumpus room but I’ve filled it with plants and it’s now my own private retreat.”
Upstairs, the centrally located kitchen is the home’s social hub, with the adjacent dining area flowing to the lounge and the outside space. “I’m not one for planning social events so entertaining at our place tends to be spontaneous, which I love,” says Carroll. “Usually that involves a barbecue outside or a traditional Sunday roast around the dining table, which can seat up to 10. Often we move the heavy teak dining table outside if we’re having a large gathering of two or three families.”
The kitchen bench top, which is made of concrete, holds many memories, literally. It is inset with hundreds of stones and
shells collected by Max and Ollie when they were young, including a few from China. “My favourites are the fragments of paua shell we found during a road trip to the South Island 11 years ago,” says Carroll. “It’s a unique piece in our home that is very special to us. It even contains some luminescent particles that glow in the dark.“
The sub-tropical Bali-style courtyard garden is where Carroll goes to chill at the weekend. “I like to lie in the hammock in the afternoon sun and read with the sound of the water feature in the background. “I discovered my passion for hammocks during my backpacking days many years ago. Since then, a hammock spot has always been a must. I even found a place to hang one on our balcony in Hong Kong,” she says. The palm-filled space was landscaped when they moved in but Ross, a keen gardener, is continually adding to it.
Sun streams into the north-facing main bedroom, which functions as a place to escape to, night and day. “We are big readers and our bedroom is another sunny place to spend the afternoon with a good book.” The painting above the bed is by Ross’ sister, artist Gay Bridge. “My very talented sister-in-law generously gifts us one of her paintings almost every year,” says Carroll. “One year I told her about an artwork I’d seen at a hotel in Los Angeles and that Christmas I discovered Gay’s own stunning interpretation of what I’d described under our Christmas tree.”