Recognising a good structure in a former rental A-frame was the first step for a new family home.
As a novice at renovating, Jyoti Morningstar was glad to have her mother on board when they bought an A-frame home nestled in the bush on Waiheke Island.
Morningstar and her mother, Irene Taylor, bought the home after spending a weekend together on Waiheke about five years ago and falling in love with its charms.
"The house was a bit run-down as it had been tenanted for a while, but the structure was solid, warm and dry," Morningstar says.
With her mum helping out, she knew they could turn the house around. "When Irene bought her first house, I remember coming home to find a wall missing, a sledge hammer leaning up against the fireplace and Irene standing amongst the destruction with a huge smile," says Morningstar, a fashion designer.
"She has a great eye and vision for space, and all her homes have shared this wonderful, understated sense of harmony."
Buying the house also helped to bring the family closer together. "When we found the house I had been living in Wellington and was about to start post-graduate study in Auckland," Morningstar says. "Irene was living in Devonport while my brother was in Christchurch. Irene and I felt like our family was scattered. We decided to buy a home together and Waiheke was the obvious choice."
Tucked into the side of a valley, the house is surrounded by native bush. "When we first viewed the house we looked through the inside and then continued to the bottom of the valley where a watercress-choked stream was trying to run alongside the remains of a peach and apple orchard," Morningstar says. "Something about the place made me feel like I was 8 years old, climbing old trees to pick apples. I felt like I was in an enchanted forest."
Meanwhile, Taylor was eyeing up the small A-frame house with poor access, too much bush and not enough light for gardening. "All of those reasons were valid but I was in love," Morningstar says.
Her mother took the lead and soon the front of the house had been dismantled and large wooden bi-folding windows installed, allowing the front terrace to become another room in summer. Upstairs, french windows and a balcony were added.
Inside, the mother and daughter's style is organic with a touch of boho chic but still evolving.
"I'd like to move the bathroom downstairs to the basement, then open the living space up to include a library/study area overlooking the giant kanuka trees," says Morningstar. "The kitchen also needs to be extended so there is room for more than one cook at a time. And we want to improve the flow between the kitchen and the barbecue area."
With mother and daughter working together, anything's possible.
Style tips
Outside influences
Morningstar takes inspiration from the Japanese when it comes to creating her surroundings. "I am a big fan of wabi-sabi, the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, and the idea of perfection beyond classical symmetry."
Gathering point
Collections create interest. "I have wooden boxes of raw amber, tins of red, waxy jasmine and a collection of aluminium canisters of pure essences," she says.
Outside the square
The spare room doesn't have to be inside the home. The mother and daughter built a tree house in the orchard that makes a great sleepout when friends stay.
Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. See the latest issue, on sale now, for more achievable home ideas.
