KEY POINTS:
As veterans of several renovations, Auckland designers Niki and Jon Harrison knew better than to rush into major changes when they bought a villa in Ponsonby six years ago. By first living in the house for a few years they got to knowwhat was needed and came up with design ideas that might not have occurred to them if they'd renovated in a hurry.
In fact, they decided to landscape their outdoor entertaining area before beginning work on the house.
"When you renovate you often find yourself looking out on to a mess, when what you really want to do is look out onto a beautiful garden," says Niki. "Because a garden takes a while to mature, it makes sense to get on to that first."
She says covering the outdoor dining area revolutionised the way they lived, especially in Auckland where rain is a very real possibility at any time of year. "We've had sit-down dinner parties out there in September with a couple of heaters going, and it means we can open up the doors and the kids can play outside, even when it's raining."
When they were finally ready to tackle the 100-year-old villa's interior, which still bore the scars of a 1970s renovation, they were able to simply open up the living area and kitchen to the deck, while at the same time simplifying a rabbit warren of kitchen and bathroom areas.
Having worked together on projects such as the interior of the giant rugby ball that stood beneath the Eiffel Tower during last year's Rugby World Cup, Niki, an interior designer, and Jon, an industrial designer, had clear ideas about what they wanted from their family home.
Niki says one of the major compromises was aligning what she would have loved to do as a designer with the practicalities of creating a family home that could withstand the reality of life with two young children - Ruby, 9, and Tex, 5.
"One day I will have a home with the designer extras, but for now it's important to have a place where you don't have to worry about food being spilled or furniture getting jumped all over."
The house is full of designer detail combined with feel-good factors. The kitchen is as functional as it is stylish. The central island has a stainless steel bench with a marble base because Niki loves the visual appeal of marble, but knows from experience that it's not the most practical of benchtops. "There's nothing worse than worrying about getting the marks off every time you have a glass of red wine."
And because of the years they spent camping in the home before embarking on the renovation, Jon and Niki knew exactly how to make the most of that most precious commodity - natural light. The west-facing windows in the roofline of the kitchen are designed to capture the last of the summer sun.
"As late as 9pm [there's a] wonderful orange glow as the sun sets over the Waitakere ranges," says Niki.
"I think maximising sun and light in a house is vital because that's what makes you feel good."
Design details
Simply spacious: In a smaller home, keeping different styles of surfaces to a minimum makes spaces seem larger. The Harrisons chose the same marble for the kitchen and the bathroom and small white tiles for the kitchen and around the fireplace.
Creative ways: Works of art don't have to be expensive or created by a name artist. The Harrisons used a bus route scroll as a reminder of their time in Sydney, and an artwork by their daughter features in the hallway.
Sound advice: While wooden floors always look smart, they can be noisy. The Harrisons used latex-edged carpet squares in their living and dining rooms to cut down echoes and the noise of chairs scraping on the floor.
* Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. For more on the Harrisons' home, see the issue on sale now, or visit www.yourhomeandgarden.co.nz.
