KEY POINTS:
Jen and Alastair Scott had always wanted to live in Wellington's Island Bay, so when they got their hands on a 1906 villa they decided to make the most of the water views.
Straight after they moved in they knocked out all the internal walls in the living area. "We moved here to be close to the sea so it made sense to have water views from those spaces where we spend most of our time," says Jen, an interior designer. The open-plan space they created includes a kitchen and two living areas - now with wide views of Cook Strait.
Renovating the kitchen was a major project. It used to be "a poky, dark dump", but the Scotts wanted to turn it into a place where they and their three children could gather comfortably. "We tend to congregate here, so it was important that five people could work in this space at the same time," says Jen.
The long stainless-steel bench, named the "utility box", is central to that idea. "This is the business end of the kitchen, which allows us to tuck the pantry, microwave, toaster, beer fridge and coffee machine out of sight."
A standout piece in the kitchen is a distressed 1930s filing cabinet that Jen picked up on her regular rounds of second-hand stores. "I'm a hoarder and will hunt out op shops wherever I go," she says. Her love of second-hand shops is evident throughout the home, in the white urns on the dining room windowsill, the Crown Lynn pottery collection and the retro lamps and chairs that are dotted around the space.
In fact, the home has hardly any new furniture because Jen likes hers to have a bit of character or history. For instance, the leather-topped dining room table was originally used in a library. "We spent all the money we'd saved for our honeymoon on this table, a corner cupboard and the armoire in the master bedroom," she says. "But it was worth it." The table is now decorated with a collection of deer antlers from a friend's Wairoa farm.
The hallway that backs on to the open-plan space doubles as a library, with floor-to-ceiling shelving holding the family's vast book collection - interspersed with more retro pieces that Jen has picked up. The couple also enlarged the family bathroom further along the hallway, and added a glass roof that helps fill the room with light. Jen says keeping the original claw-foot bath was a must because "to lie in the bath and look out at the sea is one of my favourite things".
A double shower was another essential, this time to cater for the kids: George, aged 18, Nick, 16, and Molly, 13. "Because the kids spend so much time at the beach, we needed lots of room for them to clean off. I've even found jellyfish in the shower."
A lot of the paintings in the house are courtesy of Jen's art group, which buys various artworks and rotates them through the members' houses every three months. And son George has also contributed to the look of the home with a large black and white canvas in the formal living room and a boxed artwork, made for Jen's birthday, that sits near the front door.
Inner workings
Blank canvas: Jen likes to have a neutral background and build up colour with accessories. She buys pieces she loves, regardless of what's trendy.
Light relief: Painting wooden floorboards white helps make a space look much bigger. High-gloss white paint doesn't show dirt as much as matt paint.
Mat finish: Rugs are a great device for adding texture and warmth to light or neutral flooring. Jen uses her cow-hide rugs to define the various spaces in the large open-plan living area.
Family affair: Don't be fooled into thinking worthy art only comes from a gallery. The Scotts' children's artworks are one of the highlights of their home's decor.
* Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. For more on the Scotts' home, see the issue on sale now, or visit www.yourhomeandgarden.co.nz.
