SHOP THEIR STYLE
Rich greens and golds meet earthy prints to create an artistic oasis
Honesty box
What area did you save on? Our labour was free so we knew we could save money by completing many things ourselves.
Where did you splurge? Concreting our very large, semi-steep rural driveway (approximately 650sqm),
Best lessons learned? Get to know your tradies and feed them. Never underestimate the goodwill gained from a cup of coffee in the morning and a beer and some pizza in the afternoon.
What would you never do again? Paint the interior ourselves. Painting skirtings, window surrounds and window frames is harder than it looks. Get a professional for these.
Any disasters? No. We had the benefit of Nick’s extensive building experience. We both have a strong work ethic and we really enjoyed the whole process of building our home.
What’s one thing you’d change about your home if you could? The large windows and doors in our house mean we get lots of sun and views. However, I never knew how much damage the sun can do to your furnishings. I am not sure if I would trade the sun and views, though.
What was the most memorable experience in the home? Unpacking our purchases prior to moving in. I had been collecting items to decorate the house and it was just so exciting moving them into the space. It was a fantastic moment when my green couch came home from the upholsterers and went inside our home.
Budget
Roughly $500,000.
Finishes
Paint Dulux Okarito; Dulux Black in the main bedroom and the studio exterior.
Exterior and kitchen island cladding Cedar stained with Resene Wood-X and exterior wood oil in Foundry.
Bathroom Wall tiles from Tile Depot, tiledepot.co.nz
Laundry wallpaper from Hovia, hovia.com