TREASURE TROVE

T R E A S U R E T R O V E

Much-loved travel mementos find new life at a coastal home in New Plymouth

Meet & greet Delwyn McCurdy (real estate consultant) and Craig Hooper (truck repairs) and their two dogs, Ted and Oscar, and Marley the cat.

HOME COMFORTS The couch cushions are from local Fitzroy stores, Home Love & Mette K and Mee O Mi. Delwyn loves to swap these around and change the covers for a fresh look. A large cowhide from Koko Classics drapes over the couch. For Delwyn McCurdy and Craig Hooper, it didn’t matter what their next house looked like, it mattered where it was located. The couple, having raised their now-grown children on a sprawling lifestyle block, wanted the convenience and comfort of living in New Plymouth for their next stage of life. “We wanted a smaller section with minimal lawns to mow, but I really wanted it to be by the beach, ” says Delwyn.

They set their sights on the popular coastal suburb of

Fitzroy, but having already missed out on three houses in the beachside community, Delwyn and Craig moved fast on the next newly listed property.

“We didn’t care what the house looked like, we just wanted the land. It was all about being in the right location and the right position, ” Delwyn says. In fact, her first viewing of the sunshine yellow, two-bedroom bach wasn’t until after purchase. “We said we’d live in it for six months to decide what we wanted to do, like knock down or renovate, but I had the architectural designer in two weeks later, ” she laughs. That was 14 years ago, and the pair are now proud owners of a contemporary oasis, minutes away from the call of the ocean.

LUCKY FINDS The cane chair is a 1950s original Paul Frankl chair, a treasured find from a secondhand shop. The palm cushion covers were sewn by Delwyn’s mother, after finding the feather inserts at a garage sale. The rustic coffee table is from Freedom, Delwyn loves the shape and rough texture it brings to the room.

LIGHTS UP The drum light shade was found in a Blenheim shop called Cinnamon, and had been salvaged from a motel in the tropics. “It was just what we were waiting for, ” Delwyn says. OPPOSITE The outdoor furniture is from Freedom and the fire pit is from Koko Classics.

“It’s a very modest house from the front, but once you come in it opens right up, like a hidden sanctuary. ”

WARM WELCOME The hallway side table was a $25 op-shop find, spray painted in matte black. Delwyn inherited her love of collecting from her father, who used to go to Gilmour’s Auction house every Friday morning. “I loved the type that were stacked to the brim and covered in dust, I was fussy and often didn’t buy anything but when I found something I loved, I knew it. ”

Tranquillity calls

One of Delwyn and Craig’s renovation necessities was a main bedroom away from the hustle and bustle of the house. A step-down into the space was created for both physical and mental separation, producing a private sanctuary that overlooks the picturesque courtyard. The guest bedroom radiates the same sense of calm and is painted in Resene Karen Walker blues for added depth. “Out the front, the garden is a bit like a jungle so it’s important to have that tranquillity in the bedrooms, ” Delwyn notes. Creamy linens from Bianca Lorenne adorn the bed – a “ must-have” since the kids have left home.

While the urge to build anew was tempting, the couple fell in love with the stunning structural elements of the original house, opting to extend the art-deco abode seamlessly into the new millennium. The ornate ceilings and original floorboards still remain, pops of history sitting alongside the sleek modern touches.

The bathroom is wallpapered in a playful pattern of fish darting amongst coral, a surprisingly moody note for the coastal abode. Delwyn says she wanted something that “ when you ’re busy and have a quite stressful job, it’s nice to come home and instantly feel relaxed. Home should be somewhere that comforts you, so I like the darker colours for that reason. ”

The house is now centred around the generous, intimate courtyard, with some of the plantings taking years to establish. A few well-placed queen palms lend much-needed shelter and privacy, creating a pocket of serenity in the family home. “It’s a very modest house from the front, but once you come in it opens right up, like a hidden sanctuary. People walk in and it just envelops you, ” Delwyn says.

The pair love to entertain and host potluck family dinners, so the indoor-outdoor flow on the deck was essential. Wooden chairs are playfully scattered around a fire pit, acquired from Koko Classics.

Living well

Large, floor-length sliding doors greet visitors from the courtyard, ushering them into the sunny living room. Grasscloth wallpaper, from Plantation Design, is an instant focal point of the space, providing tropical texture to the surrounding white walls.

There’s a world of stories to be found among the tabletops, from carrying leather Sardinian masks through flash floods in Rome, to packing Jemez pottery in socks and underwear. Most are displayed on what appears to be an ordinary wall unit at first glance, until the eye reveals it to be an old Egyptian door propped on oak table legs. A wooden propellor gifted to Craig’s grandfather for his service in the war leans in a corner, with avid discussions about the piece one day becoming a light fixture. Lovingly hung among family portraits sits a framed 1800s photograph of an unknown gentleman, picked up

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from a seaside market. He’s referred to as

“Great Uncle Festus” with a wink to enquiring guests. The living room is a constant curiosity shop – a delight in every glance, a memory in every step.

“I’m a vegetarian and I don’t eat meat, but I love animal hides, ” Delwyn laughs. These soft furnishings drape luxuriously over the chairs, including an iconic secondhand Paul Frankl cane chair. “You should have seen the look on my husband’s face when I came home with that. ”

The living room flows to the modern monochrome kitchen, the nucleus of daily life. A thick wooden benchtop was encouraged by the couple’s love of chunky, natural products “because wood never dates” . With the exception of the herringbone splashback, which has changed three times, much of the space has remained the same since the renovation. “The kitchen is the hub of the home, so when we have parties, a lot of people comment that they feel like they ’re on holiday or that they ’ ve escaped somewhere. ”

A collector’s paradise

Delwyn is the first to admit she isn’t a follower of trends.

“I like to think that all my treasured items, no matter what size and how insignificant they are, tell a story that has a meaning or invokes a certain feeling, ” she admits. “I wouldn’t just go out and buy a couch, I would rather have no couch until I find the right one or the right one finds me. ” The result is a collection of repurposed and op-shopped treasures from all corners of the globe, thanks to Delwyn and Craig’s many travel adventures. Her foraging started out with shells from beaches in the islands, but once the kids were independent, the dynamic duo went on weeks-long motorcycle tours of the US, Canada and Italy, where Delwyn would put small treasures in the side saddlebag of her bike. “What some people might consider rubbish, I deem as decor. ”

The real estate agent’s best home hack stems from her love for cushions. “Go to a couple of op-shops and look for feather inners, which you can often pick up for around a dollar, ” advises Delwyn. “Don’t look at the cover of the cushion, you can swap them out for nicer covers. ” She loves to change these soft furnishings, even lending some to clients.

While cushions come and go, the house has remained largely the same over the years thanks to the classic design choices. There’s some small work to be done to lower the front gate to improve kerb appeal, but for the most part Delwyn and Craig are content with their coastal oasis. “As a family, we had moved five times before planting ourselves here, ” they say. A move is always possible in the future, but the pair plan to never sell this home due to its blissful seaside location.

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SHOP THEIR STYLE

Prized possessions collected from travels overver the years enrich this house and give it a boho o airair

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1 Botanical print, $95, from French Country. 2 Madam Stoltz cotton runner, $169, from Home Love & Mette K. 3 Mexican clay cross, $129, from Made in Mexico. 4 Raffia wall hanging, $85, from Ohaupo Beach Club. 5 Resene Biscay paint, $4.90 (testpot), from ColorShops. 6 Resene Macau 21424 wallpaper, $219.95 (per roll), from ColorShops. 7 Cycas revoluta plant, $79.99 (5L), from Kings Plant Barn. 8 Kunti shell necklace, $249, from Republic Home. 9 Palms velvet cushion, $47, from Spotlight. 10 House Doctor Juno vase, $94, from Home Love & Mette K. 11 Buddha head, $99, from World of Decor.

Honesty box

What areas of your renovation did you save on? The old garage looked like it didn’t belong on the property, but we managed to keep it by recladding with black stained Shadowclad and roughsawn cedar rainscreen siding over the top. Splurge on? High-end cabling and sound system provisions, which we’ve never used as we prefer our ’70s record player and big, old speakers. We also bought top-quality carpet, which is still like new. Best lessons learned? Allow for extras such as blending new into existing older, wonky ‘40s walls. We ended up having to reline some areas. What would you never do again? My husband jokes that we would never reno again and would build new, but I know he likes the decorative ceilings and rimu floors as much as I do. Any renovation or DIY disasters? Trying to live in the house while building. We washed dishes in a bathtub and had the washing machine set up in the back yard with an outdoor shower. What’s the one thing you would change, if you could? We have changed the splashback a couple of times as tastes have changed. We’re loving the black tiles in the herringbone pattern, it’s classic and shouldn’t date. The hall is narrow, but we can’t change that, it is what it is. Other than that, we love our home. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in your home? Always our social gatherings. We love family and friends dropping in to visit or celebrating with us. it’s a very social house, the flow really helps.

Contacts

Builder Russell Henderson, Reliabuild Ltd. It’s great to have a local builder who understands us well. He also made an artwork for us that is still on the lounge wall. It is made from the old wooden boards pulled out when we were in demo stage. He enjoyed the odd surf or swim on his breaks, too. reliabuild.co.nz

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Shopping

Plantation Design Store The grasscloth wallpaper, patterned cushions, beach and tropical oil painting on the wallpapered wall. plantationdesignstore.co.nz Home Love & Mette K and Mee O Mi Cushions. homelovemettek.co.nz; meeomi.co.nz Koko Classics Bar stools, chairs in lounge, cowhide, fire pit and antler light in main bedroom. kokoclassics.co.nz

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5 3 3 KEY

1 Entrance 2 Office 3 Bedroom 4 TV room 5 Bathroom 6 Dining 7 Kitchen 8 Family living 9 Courtyard 10 Main bedroom 11 Walk-in wardrobe 12 Ensuite 13 Laundry 14 Scullery 15 Garage

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Palette

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1 Resene Wan White. 2 Black subway tiles laid in a herringbone pattern for kitchen splashback. 3 Blue-grey bathroom wallpaper imported from UK.