Tiny house-living on the edge of Christchurch
Solly and Leslie Love thought they were leaving behind their days of living in a 20-foot shipping container when they set up Out of the Box, their hair salon business at Waikuku’s Old School Collective. Instead, they wound up moving into a home the size of two shipping containers.
LOOKING BACK ON THEIR FIRST YEAR IN AN 80 SQM container-style rental home, Solly and Leslie are convinced they made the right decision to ‘go small’ on a rural site in Christchurch’s northern fringe.
They have learned to do a lot with their small footprint, combining built-in storage with their own space-saving ideas and placing furniture and mirrors so as to build a sense of space. Stepping from the deck into their contemporary kitchen on the day of our interview, I am struck by just how roomy this MiHAUS home feels inside.
To my right is a little hallway, off which there is a bathroom with a surprisingly spacious shower and a neatas-a-pin guest bedroom. The kitchen is well appointed and includes a fantastic pull-out pantry and built-in breakfast/ dining bar that easily seats four. Beyond the kitchen, to my left, is a well-sized living room with laundry tucked away in a corner cupboard. From there another wee hallway leads through to the main bedroom – where an extension has ensured the bed is not wall to wall – and a separate walk-in wardrobe. Energy efficient by design, the home is wellinsulated and easy to heat and ventilate.
Texture and colour have been used to good effect throughout to create a unified and personal style that reflects the couple’s personalities. Dangling plants, well-chosen knick-knacks and family photos really make this place feel like a great wee home. Leslie tells me she is a self-confessed cushions addict. Her favourite one bears a ‘toucans in the jungle’ design with bird of paradise flowers. ‘This is what inspired the colour palette,’ she says. ‘We’ve used a lot of muted pink and yellow. I think it’s important to find the colours that work for you and try and keep the whole house in that palette so that everything matches.’
Freshly potted basil and lettuce reflect Solly’s green fingers and there is a growing collection of pots also along one side of the kitchen. ‘It’s like a glasshouse along there so it’s a good way to utilise the space,’ he says. ‘I’ve got tomatoes, chillies and lots of herbs in my potted edible garden. I love being able to lean over and grab some fresh thyme or parsley when I’m cooking.’
Leslie hails from Portland, Oregon in the United States and, while backpacking through New Zealand in 2016, met Solly at Christchurch’s Sparks in the Park on Valentine’s Day. ‘We fell madly in love and within a couple of weeks I was packing my bags to move here,’ she recalls. ‘My whole family and friends thought I was crazy but they’ve since visited New Zealand and are now pretty okay with it. In fact, I’ve had a few friends asking me for advice on how I did it!’
Waipara in North Canterbury is Solly’s home stomping ground and, over the years, he has also enjoyed spending time in Rarotonga, where his mother is from, meeting family there and exploring his Cook Islands heritage. His father, who grew up in Canterbury, ran a design engineering business that has helped inspire Solly’s entrepreneurial streak.
Solly’s calling is hairdressing: it is something he has long
enjoyed, having started out cutting hair in his parents’ garage for friends and family members before going on to do an apprenticeship in Kaiapoi.
After he and Leslie got married, they decided to launch their own business in June 2019, bringing together Leslie’s background in management with Solly’s flair for hair. Leslie’s official job title at Out of the Box is ‘manager’ but in reality it’s more like ‘head of entertainment’. ‘I like to make sure clients have a good time and that everyone is being looked after and feels at home,’ she says.
Having a friendly, fun salon is important to both of them. ‘We appreciate creating great hair but people are “the why” for us – we’re a people business that happens to do hair!’
The Old School Collective is the perfect location, close to the region’s busy towns. As specialists in permanent extensions, they get bookings from all over the country and find their Christchurch clients love the drive out and change of scene. ‘It’s really peaceful,’ Solly says. ‘When we look out the salon window, it is similar to the lovely rural views we have at home; it’s nice not having to look out and see neighbours.’
Neither liked the idea of a subdivision lifestyle. As a newly married couple, they shared a shipping container at Solly’s parents’ property in Waipara while they looked for a place to rent. They laugh about how they simply ended up choosing a bigger box – though it is certainly a very nice box home, surrounded by open fields and only a five-minute drive from the nearest mall.
Having a big green lawn right outside is great for this couple who love giving their fur babies space to stretch their legs. Their playful Shih Tzu Maltese, Copper, is a real cutie with an enthusiasm for visitors. Outside, we glimpse ‘the queen of sass’ – Harry Oliver – a shorthaired ragdoll cat that was a favourite of Solly’s brother and sister-in-law before they moved to New York. Now Harry Oliver is living with Solly and Leslie – who are allergic to cats, but with the aid of antihistamines, they love him too.
Solly grew up with a lot of pets and says his family used to breed ‘little fluffy dogs’. He adopted Copper from some clients who were seeking to re-home him. ‘I went out grocery shopping one day for Leslie and came home with a dog,’ he says.
Coming to New Zealand was a big change for Leslie, but having Copper around has made it a lot easier for her to settle in. Solly also shares several dogs with his parents and all of
Texture and colour have been used to good effect throughout to create a unified and personal style that reflects the couple’s personalities.