ASK THE HOMEOWNER:

Erena, what advice do you have for people hoping to renovate on a budget? As tempting as it might be, don’t get stuck in straight away – wait a while. Start looking at furniture and pinning ideas to Pinterest boards, hone your vision for each room and then chip away at realising it. Sit with any quirky features a little longer than you thought you would – perhaps even give them a coat of paint or sand them back – and you may find that they aren’t so bad after all and might even make the space. How did you go about creating separate living/ sleep/work areas in your open-plan house? In a way, the house created separate spaces for us. The brick wall in the living area that backs onto the fireplace in the bedroom had a gap on one end,

so it didn’t feel too strange to put a door there. Originally we used a folding screen, but with a toddler running around we found the rimu Shoji door was a better solution. Do you have any tips for updating vintage

and secondhand pieces? Don’t shy away from secondhand furniture. A lot of what’s ‘hot’ today was created from old ideas, so there may be a piece of pre-loved furniture that has a great shape or frame that can be reworked into something that fits seamlessly into a modern setting. What are your go-tos for practical information and inspiration? I regularly check in with a lot of New Zealand-based design blogs, including The Design Chaser and The New. Also Pinterest, and on Instagram I love @katelurie, @roomonfire and @counter.space.