Home & Leisure Show: July 01, 2019

home & living | 23
the children's favourite colours
personalise their rooms.
What Celia and Matt have now is a beautiful four-bedroom
property which boasts a spacious open-plan kitchen and living area
with a separate lounge. Doors between the two spaces mean the
whole area can be opened up for entertaining or closed off when
wanting to separate groups. The sitting area of the living room is
only steps away from the outdoors. Here, the gabled roofline of
this living space has been extended into the roofline of the outdoor
area so that there is a beautiful place to sit back and relax under the
shelter when the searing Canterbury sun arrives.
Celia put full trust in Matt both in the house design and the
decoration. In fact she really only had a few requests – a larger
walk-in wardrobe and a walk-in pantry to conceal the everyday
workings in the kitchen, “I just wanted to be able to shut the doors
and hide it away if people came to visit”.
A monochromatic design styles both inside and outside the
house. Outside white brickwork is highlight with black window
joinery and a black front door. The black wall in the master bedroom
is contrasted with bright colours in the soft furnishings. Black taps
adorn the bathrooms and kitchen and the black penny tile used
for the kitchen splashback creates a stunning backdrop. Beside
the bed hang two Edison bulbs on long black cords to serve as
bedside lighting. Greys and the oak-like flooring, as well as pattern
introduced in upholstery and accessories, soften the look. Because
their previous house was styled in a similar fashion, it meant when
they were situated in the new house, the look was seamless.
There are two spaces however where colour does strike you – in
the children’s bedrooms where
their toys and accessories create
colourful interest. What will
happen as they grow out of these
things is the neutral backdrop
will mean a change of bed cover,
curtains or cushions can transform
the room without adding too
much cost.
Matt describes the couple’s
design style as soft industrial.
“I hate symmetry and I hate
everything being matchy, matchy,” he says. You can see this in
the quirky objects, including the black and white salt and pepper
grinders, the elephant in the bathroom and the textiles and different
patterns used in the lounge.
There is still more to add, the landscaping will come after the
winter and a spa pool will eventually go in. With more wall space,
there is a pressing need for more art to adorn the blank spaces. “It’s
a work in progress still.”
What they have already taken advantage of is the extra space.
The house-warming party was a success with room for 60 friends
and family and the highly competitive Nerf battles, which have
already been held on the new larger back lawn, are testament to the
fact the extra space this family now has is already worth its weight
in gold.
829 Colombo Street | Phone 379 0600 | www.accentlighting.co.nz