Writing on the wall

When artist Kim Hands found her dream home, little did she know that it would also inspire a novel business. Kim had driven past the blue 2-storey house in Napier's Ahuriri for years and would imagine herself painting in the window above the street. The home was built in 1875 and its front room had in the past been used as a general store. She couldn't believe her luck when, in 1998, a for sale' sign appeared on the door.

"They were selling the whole lot on one title: a 5-bedroom villa on the adjoining property to the rear, the big blue house, which was originally a store but had been divided into three flats, plus a large old shed," says Hands. Both houses had been rentals with a reputation for attracting dodgy tenants. "Which is how I came to buy the lot for a grand total of $200,000."

Hands, who was completing her visual arts degree, moved into the villa and rented out the flats in the former store. A year later her partner Simon Lindegren joined her and they started a family.

After a few years, they converted the big blue house into beach holiday accommodation upstairs, while the downstairs area became Hands' art studio. At the same time, the Ahuriri area became popular as more cafes, restaurants, galleries and stores opened. House values went up - and the rates followed - so last year, Hands and Lindegren sold the villa, paid off the mortgage and moved into the former store.

"When we first moved in I wanted to paint the children's rooms but I didn't have time to do it," says Hands. "Now, I'm a painter, so how do other people find the time to do it?" She conceived the idea for their business, StickyTiki, which produces limited-edition art decals of original art-work that can be stuck on the wall. Now the bedrooms of Zavia, aged 12, Jasper, 4, and Kahlo, 2, are covered in the Sticky

Tiki decals that Hands designs and Lindegren creates.

In the couple's bedroom, a poem written by a friend has been painted in large letters across one of the walls. Jasper has taken to this idea and painted his name on the bathroom wall. "Walls are not precious," says Hands. "They're for art. If someone wants to paint them, that's fine."

Hands has painted the downstairs walls white to create a light, gallery-like atmosphere for her colourful artworks, which are mostly based on lighter moments in her life. "Much of my work is personal. It contains snippets of conversations I've had and is littered with the things I have around me."

Upstairs in the children's lounge, she has let loose her love of vivid colour with orange and lime-green walls - the perfect setting for a modular, curved velvet sofa she found at auction for $200.

The couple love the fact that the house has such a long history and has been around since the street was a spit, with an estuary flowing along one side and the beach over the road. Napier's 1931 earthquake pushed the water back and reclaimed more land. For a time, the store was converted to a chemist shop and two little windows were inserted in the wall so the staff could peep through from the dispensary (now a kitchen) to the original store (now the main lounge).

That love of history can also be seen in the furniture in the home, including retro pieces like the 1960s orange chenille sofa. "I don't believe in buying a whole lot of new things when something can be reused or re-covered," says Hands. "I like to hold onto old things, especially things with memories."

STYLE TIPS

Bargain decor:
To pick up interesting pieces at a reasonable price, frequent secondhand stores in out-of-the-way towns or get into a routine of going to auctions. Garage sales are also a great source of bargains but you have to be in early.

Furniture recovery:
Tatty furniture takes on a new life when re-covered with quality fabric — as long as the piece has nice lines to begin with.

Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden.See the latest issue, on sale now, for more achievable home ideas