Form and function

There is a focus on smart design in this more than 100- year- old villa, writes Graham Hepburn

When their home turned 100 years old, Chris Faithfull and Ann Maree Rowe decided it deserved a makeover. “It was like a centenary rebirth of the place,” says Chris of the renovation and extension of the circa 1912 villa. “It was a very plain house so we tried to dress it up a little and add some elements from the era without it getting too pretty. It doesn’t look renovated because all the pieces are period specific.”

At the front of the house, they added fretwork and restored the veranda and leadlight windows but also added practical things such as an electric gate.

Inside, they refreshed the pressed metal and board- and- batten ceilings, while at the rear they extended the house with high- stud vaulted ceilings. This space is more modern, as are the kitchen and bathrooms but a consistent colour scheme ties the old and new elements together.

A new driveway down the side of the house takes you into the large garage with workshop that was added following some major excavation.

Chris and Ann Maree bought the home in 1989, and would be well- known to Kingsland locals after setting up and running The Fridge, a popular deli/ cafe.

They lived in their villa then rented it out for a long time before moving back following the renovation. With firm plans for what they wanted, they employed an architectural draughtsman to get their ideas down on paper.

“Chris is really good at design,” says Ann Maree. “He’s always been designing things and making things.” And, he says, working as a flooring contractor meant he saw a lot of homes and gathered ideas along the way.

Ann Maree adds, “We wanted a mix of form and

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