When Angie and Anton Masutti were looking for a place to bring up their three children, they couldn't go past the small settlement of Pataua South, east of Whangarei. It's a special place for Angie - six generations of her family have either lived at Pataua or had a bach there, and many of her childhood holidays were spent there.
"This is a vintage paradise in a way," says Masutti. "It harks back to days gone by and very little has changed here since I was a girl. We wanted our children [Cici, Rocco and Daisy] to have a lot of freedom while growing up and to be near their cousins - just like I was. Really, we live the essence of the traditional Kiwi holiday, except on a daily basis!"
The couple's house is one of about 80 sitting beside an estuary that forms a tidal lagoon on its way out to sea. From the moment they bought it they knew they would renovate and enlarge it. An architect friend of Anton's provided plans to add a bedroom, guest room and office, as well as more space for living and entertaining.
"The scale is a bit grander than we envisioned and when we first moved in we wondered how we would possibly fill the whole space," says Masutti. "Now, with Anton and I both running our own businesses from home and a steady stream of family and friends staying, we sometimes think we should add on a bit more."
Though the home is painted white inside and out, it still manages to be colourful. Inside the Bohemian tropical interior (think Raffles Hotel meets Virginia Woolf) just about every colour is featured among the furniture, artwork, light fittings, cushions, drapes and throws that decorate the home.