All his ducks in a row

Family and food — preferably enjoyed together — are the stuff of life to Jonny Rudduck.

He started the award-winning pizza bar Il Buco in Ponsonby seven years ago, and a few years later moved into a nearby villa, in keeping with his philosophy of living, working and shopping in the same community.

The century-old villa suits his personal style, which he describes as "nostalgic, homely, comfortable, eclectic and functional".

"It has to be functional," says Rudduck. "Creating this home is about taking what's here and what I like and bringing the two together. In my lounge I wanted to create a lovely, warm, cosy, hunting lodge-style room. That's how it feels to me and I love it."

Reds, greens and browns are the dominant colours in his home. "They are the colours of nature. I'm an earth-loving person, a hunter/gatherer and an environmentalist and these are the colours at the heart of the outdoors."

The distinctive colour scheme isn't the only noticeable thing in his lounge. There's also evidence of a fondness for collecting ducks.

"Counting them all — taxidermy, brass, plaques, paintings, photographs — I've got 24 in the lounge and it started with my name, which literally means 'Red Duck', and the Rudduck family tree, which goes back to 1620 in England. I bought the first taxidermy duck from Agnes Curran (a Ponsonby cafe) when I saw it on the wall, and it went from there."

His late grandmother's oak sideboard in the hall is a cherished piece and almost everything else in this house is there for nostalgic reasons.

While only one of his two children still lives with him (daughter Stanze, aged 17), photographs of his extended family fill the walls. When his grandma's oak dining table couldn't be restored, he made the top into a bathroom mirror frame and used the timber from the extensions to make two more frames — one to hold a photograph of him and his children and the other for a picture of his grandmother.

"I love everything that connects me to my family, my children, my siblings and my grandma," he says.

His lounge is set up for entertaining friends or his favourite form of relaxation: watching television on a rainy Friday night with the fire going, candles lit and a glass of whisky and green ginger wine. But there is one thing he is missing: "Two beautiful big swords to mount crosswise under the taxidermy deer above the mantelpiece. I'm having a family crest made and I want to mount it under the swords. I just have to find the right swords."

Style tips

Go your own way: Surround yourself with things you love. Rudduck pays little attention to trends, instead filling his home with art, ornaments and family photographs.

Shop around: Rudduck's favourite haunts for finding unique items are second-hand shops in Paeroa and antique shops in Tirau.

Reuse and recycle: If Rudduck tires of something he stows it under the house until someone else wants it or it's time for the inorganic rubbish collection.