My Home

Grace returned from Auckland working as a busy hairstylist to join Tim back in Tasman for the quieter country life. After deciding on a location on Tim’s family farm to place their home, they opted not for a sprawling house but a 30 square-metre tiny home.

Tess Jaine

Where is your home and who lives here?

Our tiny home is located on a family lifestyle block, in Upper Moutere. It’s just the two of us in the tiny house, but with family a stone’s throw away! Oh, and with the goats, horses, cows, dogs and kereru living in the fields surrounding. What four words would you use to describe your home?

Cosy, light, happy and homely. What inspired this look?

We bought our home from Ruru Tiny Homes in Motueka who designed a beautiful, Scandinavian foundation that has made it so much fun and very easy to decorate! We’re really inspired by the ‘hygge’ aesthetic, which includes a lot of wood, neutral tones, serene spaces, and anything associated with the word cosy. We’re homebodies so wanted to create a comfortable space we could spend a lot of time in (and we do!). If money was no object what would you get for your home?

Solar panels and a lux outdoor bath. What do you love about the neighbourhood where you live?

We love living in the Moutere community. Tim grew up out here and he’s probably the Moutere’s number one fan, while I grew up in Nelson, but have always loved the Moutere and dreamed of living a country lifestyle. We enjoy the peace and tranquillity, views of surrounding hills and mountains and the access to numerous gorgeous parts of Tasman, plus it’s so easy to drive into town to catch up with friends for a coffee and a city fix when we need to. What’s your decorating style?

We like to keep our main pieces quite simple and neutral, then from there add complementing art, soft colours, textures and patterns to give some interest and character. We don’t like too much clutter but also think it’s important for a home to feel personal and feature favourite items collected through life. We also love plants and are trying to bring in more! Best budget tip?

DIY and get creative. Don’t be too hasty with filling your home up with items you don’t love or need. Be thoughtful and aim for pre-loved or quality possessions (when you can), that will last for years.

What are your favourite pieces?

We love our in-built storage stairs. Tim and his good friend spent some time over the summer building them and they came out so well. We can fit a surprisingly large number of things in them. We also love our hand woven pale pink rug made by Tim’s Grandmother, Pat. Where do you shop for homewares?

We like to buy second-hand as much as possible. The ReStore in Tāhunanui is one of our favourite spots, or the Weka Peckers in Motueka. We’ve also had a few things gifted or handed down to us, which we’ve really appreciated.

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What is the biggest positive and the biggest negative about living in a tiny home?

We love that we’re living a small and more minimalist lifestyle but haven’t had to sacrifice too much on space, due to the clever design. We’ve lived in flats with smaller kitchens and I can still fit all my art and sewing supplies in, and haven’t had to cull too many clothes! If there are downsides to living in a tiny home we haven’t found them yet. What’s next on your interiors list?

We’ve only been in here six months so there are a few things on the list; we’d love to build a veggie garden, a wee deck out front and a wet room/laundry out the back. We’ll also eventually install a cupboard in the bathroom and we’re on the lookout for a large feature wall piece of art.

1. The log fire is essential for heating the home and the couple love how cosy it makes it feel. 2. Tim and his good friend built the stairs with handy in-built storage for pantry, craft and sewing items. 3. The living room is compact, but comfortable, on the second floor. 4. As an artist, many of Grace’s watercolour paintings brighten up the home. 5. Grace and Tim have loved decorating their Scandinavian-inspired space with mostly pre-loved pieces.