SWATCH THIS SPACE

The Grey Lynn family home of Hej Hej co-founder Alice Isles is as upbeat and playful as her fashion brand, but on a grander canvas

Text Shelley Tustin Photography Helen Bankers

Alice had her heart set on a zinc-top dining table like the one she remembered from her childhood, finally finding one in a boutique store on K Road. After a bit of detective work and much examination of distinguishing marks, she says, “I’m 99 percent sure it’s our old family table that has come back to us. ”

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M E E T & G R E E T Alice Isles (co-owner of clothing brand Hej Hej), Mike Isles (corporate finance advisor), and their twin daughters, Madeleine and Matilda, both six, and Chewy the cat.

T H E P R O P E RT Y Three-storey, three bedroom inner-city double-brick terrace home in Auckland.

“It felt really different from all the other houses we’d seen in Auckland and I instantly knew it was the right one for us. ”

A L I C E I S L E S

K I TC H E N

With help from Kitchenmaker in Henderson, Alice and Mike designed a kitchen that would grow with their family. Neutral finishes – Quantum Quartz benches in Michelangelo and a mix of white Melteca and timber veneer cabinets – are enlivened by the floor tiles (Medley in Pink Pop from Tile Space) and open shelves, which are used to display ceramics and cookbooks.

From her place at the helm of puckish and personality-packed fashion brand Hej Hej, Alice Isles is used to making a sartorial splash, so the pops of bold colour that punctuate her family home come as no surprise. Combine her appreciation for individuality and daring, with a property that was already high in quirk factor, and you ’ ve got a house that’s a joy to explore, where you never know what you might find around each corner.

Home and away

Alice and husband Mike’s story starts in Sydney, where they had been living for 10 years before the arrival of twins, Madeleine and Matilda, now six, prompted their return migration.

Auckland’s Grey Lynn, with its parks and playgrounds, proximity to family and streets of charming villas, would be their chosen turf, but finding a home that fit them was trickier than you might expect. After years living in Sydney apartments and terraces, Alice recalls feeling isolated and exposed in a freestanding house. The solution was this terrace home, one of a row that looks like it’s been lifted straight off a street in Sydney ’s Surry Hills.

D I N I N G/ BA R

This is a room with stories to tell. The painting of Saint Sebastian by Dennis Watkins travelled from home to home with the family during Alice’s childhood and was gifted to her on her wedding. The built-in bar area under the stairs (below) features mahogany cabinetry with wine storage and sink.

A pair of mid-century armchairs sit alongside the sofa from Montreux Furniture in Christchurch. The contemporary rug is by Loom Fabric Design, the pink cushions are from House of Hackney and the black Designers Guild cushion is from Icon Textiles. The paintings include works from Gretchen Albrecht (top left), Jamie Ross (bottom left) and Rodney Fumpston (right).

“The minute we stepped in the door, it reminded us of the terraces in Sydney. It felt really different from all the other houses we’d seen in Auckland and I instantly knew it was the right one for us. ”

Terrace or Tardis?

A source of fascination in passers-by, the home appears adorably tiny from the street, a single-storey worker’s cottage snugly wedged in a row of twee terraces. But by some Narnian trickery – actually just by working with the sloping site – the home expands beyond the front door to reveal three storeys, including three bedrooms, an attic workspace, downstairs living spaces and a bonus below-ground conservatory.

Beyond the living areas is an entertainer’s deck and tiny garden, which Alice says is small but exactly right for them. “We’ ve got more house, whereas other people might have a bigger block, ” she says. “But we’ ve been living in smaller houses and apartments for so long, we wouldn’t know what to do with a garden. It wasn’t a big thing for us. ”

Evolution of a home

With 100 years of history (more or less) behind it, the house has plenty of stories to tell, and Alice and Mike are in a unique position to hear some of them firsthand, with the previous owners of the house living next door.

Their neighbours previously owned both this terrace and their own, knocking through to create a spacious home for their large family, then separating the two dwellings again after their kids flew the coop.

“We decided to keep it simple and use materials that are hard-wearing and would last a long time.

A L I C E I S L E S

A Gavin Chilcott artwork – a “long lend” from Alice’s mum –sets the style tone in the main bedroom. The fireplace is non-functioning, but serves as a display space for more art and objects, including a black-and-white photograph by New Zealand fine art photographer Anne Noble.

And as for Alice and Mike, they ’re making their own mark on the house, but thoughtfully and without any sense of urgency. “What I learned from waiting before doing any sort of renovations is you really learn how the house works for you. There are definitely things we initially thought we’d change, but have actually learned to love or to work around them, ” says Alice.

The quirky inclusions the couple have embraced range from a mahogany bar underneath the stairs, to a playroom complete with working wall basin (left over from its previous incarnation as an Italian-style terracotta-lined conservatory), and the so-old-it’s-new-again arch details over the French doors. Utterly enamoured of the home, with all its foibles, the couple only made one major change: installing a brand-new kitchen for keen home cook Mike, one with storage and space for his culinary tinkering and a breakfast bar for the girls to sit and chat with the chef.

Think pink

Renovating the kitchen was the first opportunity to add some serious colour to the home, and Alice – with help from her creative mum – took the opportunity to balance her bubbly personality with future-proof simplicity.

“We initially wanted to pump so much personality into it, but then we decided to keep it simple and use materials that are hard-wearing and would last a long time, ” says Alice. The fun element comes from pink-based terrazzo floor tiles, which appealed to Alice as soon as she started looking at finishes. “It was like love at first sight, ” says Alice, adding, “Pink is also one of Hej Hej’s brand colours, so I can’t get away from it. ”

With its white shutters and a tivaevae quilt from a friend in Rarotonga, this bedroom is a delightful retreat for guests. The paper dress by Anne Wilson is one of several in the house. The lowerground level conservatory is now a playroom for Matilda (left) and Madeleine, and is a lovely space for them to play and be creative.

Against a gallery backdrop of white walls and polished timber floors, an eclectic selection of art fills the home with lashings of eye-catching colour. Alice credits her mother with much of the carefully curated collection.

“My mum is a supporter and collector of New Zealand art and has a special interest in New Zealand photography. She has amazing knowledge and a great eye, ” says Alice. “We have traded a couple of pieces with each other and often switch pieces around. ”

Wearable art

While Alice’s mum’s specialty is photography, Alice’s particular contribution is textiles – no surprise given her line of work. “Some art can feel quite flat, but fabrics are such a passion of mine and I love the textures and colours they bring. When you hang fabrics, it brings a real warmth to a room. ” Vibrant saris and textured Rarotongan tivaevae quilts dress the beds, vintage kimonos and silk scarves are mounted on walls. What you won’t find on display just yet are Hej Hej’s own patterns.

“I need my home to inspire new ideas and, if I was surrounded by old Hej Hej things, I wouldn’t be pushing my brain, ” Alice explains. And with so many things to look at and touch in this bright and joyful home, one can imagine that inspiration is plentiful.

Alice’s tips for a home with personality plus

+ Don’t be afraid of colour. Things like ceramics and books can also add colour and personality to a white space. + Use fabrics or prints as clever ways to add texture and colour to walls or furniture. My mum is a master at this and is a big reason why our house has so much character. + When purchasing new furniture always look at secondhand places or auction houses first. + There are no rules to style – mix and match different eras, materials and shapes.

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Shop their style

A love of colour accents, family pieces and carefully chosen new materials come to life against a backdrop of white walls

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1 Amarante cushion cover, $24.90, from Wallace Cotton. 2 Martin Poppelwell for Dilana Leaf and Stick rug, $5060, from Good Form. 3 Zay Burmese woven basket, $64.90, from Iko Iko. 4 Luce Bella Palla paper lamp shade, $7.54, from Bunnings. 5 Medley Pink Pop tiles, $122 (sqm), from Tile Space. 6 Bank zinc-top dining table, $2499, from Loft. 7 Maya three-seater sofa, $4835, from Bauhaus. 8 Resene Golden Tainoi paint, $4.90 (testpot), from ColorShops. 9 Resene Snow Drift paint, $4.90 (testpot), from ColorShops.

Budget

Approx $50,000-$55,000 on the kitchen and $20,000 on the deck.

W H AT A R E AS D I D YO U SAV E O N ? Labour. My husband decided he would try his hand at DIY during the reno and had some friends help demo the kitchen. Also, we had relatively new existing appliances and used those. W H E R E D I D YO U S P LU R G E ? The kitchen cabinets, benchtop and fittings. We really wanted a kitchen that would last our family through the years. It’s a high-use area, so we opted for sturdy fixtures. B E ST L E S S O N S LEARNED? Don’t try and do a renovation during the back end of a lockdown and a Gib crisis. Also, the kitchen is such a high-use area in your house, so money spent on fixtures and fittings is worth it.

W H AT WO U L D YO U N E V E R D O AGA I N ? I don’t think I could live in a house without a kitchen again – at one point we didn’t have a sink downstairs for four to five weeks. It makes life very tough with a young family.

A N Y D I SAST E R S ? The house is a little unusual for New Zealand. It is a double brick terrace house, more common overseas. There were some tricky elements associated with this, such as brick walls not being straight and the extractor fan having to be drilled through a thick wall to outside. While not a disaster, it did add to the cost and time.

W H AT ’S O N E T H I N G YO U ’ D C H A N G E A B O U T YO U R H O M E IF YO U C O UL D ? The bathrooms. Next project. W H AT WAS T H E M O ST M E M O R A B L E E X P E R I E N C E ? We love entertaining. I have lots of fun memories of sitting on our deck with family and friends for birthdays and barbecues. It’s a great house that has so much character, and it’s warm and quiet. People are always so surprised when they first come round – and that always makes us happy.