Name: Ginny Clark Occupation: Landscape designer and co-director of Decor Gardenworld Area: Bethlehem/Tauriko
GINNY CLARK wouldn't mind a cleaner and gardener to help on her family's 4800sqm property - but they do the lot.
"We do it all. It's a family effort. The house is well lived in. Nothing too flashy. Lots of room, it's sunny and warm, relaxed and feels like home," she says.
Ginny lives with her husband and two teenagers on their Bethlehem lifestyle block.
Ginny describes the property as "more like a park with different areas in front and behind the house".
"The house was a couple of years old when we bought it and since then we have added a second storey and pushed it out to make the most of the back of the sloping property. We installed the tennis court, planted the gardens and established many trees. We have a selection of magnolias, maples, dogwoods, big queen palms, fruit trees, vege garden, along with plenty of other trees that the birds love like frangipani, flowering cherries, melias and bottlebrush.
"We have free-flowing gardens with sweeping lawns and lots of trees. We have a very sheltered and private courtyard barbecue area off the dining room, with big decks and an astro-grass tennis court ... which we dug into the hill several years ago."
Photograph by John Borren.
Ginny can't believe they have lived there for 22 years.
When they first moved, there was not a tree on the site and the cattle from the farm next door used to get into the garden.
The family was attracted to the property as it was close to both town and work. They liked that it was north facing, out of the winds, with lovely views of the countryside.
"The birdlife here is now amazing. We have a couple of cubbies of quail which come up onto the lawn every day. Heaps of tui, waxeyes, wood pigeons and even pheasants."
Photograph by John Borren.
Her favourite room is the upstairs living room which gets lots of afternoon sun and has big folding doors that open out onto a big deck. Comfy leather couches complete the look and provide plenty of room to relax.
The dining room is also a favourite as it opens out into the courtyard and barbecue area. It used to be a laundry and garage before the renovations.
Photograph by John Borren.
The topiaries on the courtyard wall create a sense of enclosure and a wee path meanders around the side of the house.
Photograph by John Borren.
Ginny's favourite pieces in the dining room are the antique kauri dining table and sideboard, which she inherited from her grandmother.
She wouldn't change much, "although it is time to change the colour schemes in the house and get a bit more colour in the garden for the summer".
