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Step into Jennifer Ward-Lealand's inner-city Auckland home and you'll find plenty of memorabilia from a career spent on the stage and screen. There's a handwritten letter from American playwright Edward Albee, a Peter Collis vase she fell in love with during a season of The Goat (the original prop broke but the cast and crew bought her a replacement), and an incredible library packed full of books, plays and inspiration.
She's currently on stage at the Maid-ment Theatre in a production of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, until June 21. Such a production means a hectic round of rehearsals and performances, meaning the home she shares with her actor husband Michael Hurst and two young sons is a place for both chilling out and recharging her batteries for her next project.
"My idea of relaxing at home is reading," she says. "I'm an avid reader and have to have a few things on the go. I've just finished a really good book and I'm a bit panicky because I haven't got something to go on to."
Ward-Lealand admits that when it comes to organising her home, the one thing she'll never find is "a place for everything and everything in its place". But it's the perfect family home, with the boys' drum kit sitting happily alongside a collection of art, ceramics and, in particular, chairs.
"I'm definitely a collector rather than an 'obsesser'. I don't obsess about things but I am proud of my eight beautiful Eames dining chairs and my two black Barcelona chairs. I am a big fan of Eames chairs - they are so comfortable."
One of the house's great advantages is its proximity to everything. The shops are just around the corner and the children can walk to school. But the fact it's so central means it's also nice to escape every now and again.
"The place I run away to is our place in Waiheke that's tucked away in a little bay. We're hopeless at getting away and if we had somewhere that was any more than two hours away we'd probably never go. But this is perfect, it's just across the water and you can make it back for a show if necessary."
JENNIFER'S STYLE
I love to shop at La Madu in Ponsonby. It's full of lots of interesting things from India and perfect for cool, comfortable clothing.
When it comes to colour I always go for red or blue. Red for furniture, blue for clothing. It has to be a particular kind of red - bluey rather than orangey.
My favourite thing in my home is a 1960s mahogany sideboard that has a wonderful, old, nostalgic smell to it. It's got baize-lined drawers and a booze cupboard which barely gets used because we don't drink spirits.
I love listening to my children playing drums every morning, they're both really good. It sparks me into life.
Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. For more ideas from the magazine click here
