KEY POINTS:
Dan Digiandomenico is a long way from home and, in style, so is the house that he and wife Kim Clark built two years ago. The modernist Tauranga home bears no resemblance to the villas of his home town of Roseto, in central Italy.
"This house is very contemporary with its mono-pitch roof, dark grey linear boards and white plaster features," he says. "It's a far cry from Mediterranean architecture, plus there's no terracotta to be seen." But there are some European touches to suit his Italian tastes.
There's a bidet in the main bathroom and the home features vast areas of porcelain floor tiles - just the bedrooms and family room are carpeted. "Tiled flooring is great for cleanliness when you have young children," says Clark. "Our main living areas are tiled and north-facing, so when the sun pours in the tiles retain the heat."
Open-plan living would also be a foreign concept in traditional Italian homes but Digiandomenico loves how it suits the family's lifestyle.
The layout of the home is designed around the family's needs. The girls' bedroom, shared by 7-year-old Ilaria and 5-year-old Lucia, is in one wing, as are a spare bedroom, bathroom and office. The family room is also in this wing but is positioned near the main living area.
On the other side of the kitchen, dining and lounge areas are the master bedroom, an en suite and 8-year-old Alessio's bedroom, which has an en suite behind a cavity slider. This bathroom can also be accessed from the laundry, which is ideal when the kids come back covered in sand from a day at nearby Mt Maunganui beach.
Alessio has cerebral palsy and to suit Alessio's needs, the house was designed to be single-level, with wide hallways. What's very apparent is that Clark and Digiandomenico love white. Almost all the walls are painted or wallpapered white, providing a great background for displaying art works.
Prints by Gustav Klimt - a favourite of the couple - are highlights of the main entrance, master bedroom and the main living areas. The other pieces of art are mostly by Clark. Her painted and fabric-covered canvasses hang in various rooms. And the artworks aren't the only splashes of colour against the neutral background. Some vivid colours - such as red, orange and lime green - erupt around the home.
Now that the couple has finished the interior, landscaping the property is their next big job. The neighbours might be called on to help: Clark's parents live on one side, and, on the other, her brother and his family.
Colour scheming
Accessory power: You might have a neutral colour scheme but when it comes to adding colour, accessories rule. Any room can be enlivened with colourful vases, lamps, rugs, throws, towels, artworks and candles.
Repeat the dose: If you decide on an accent colour, you need to use it more than once in a room to create harmony and balance.
Major player: Choosing a dominant tone for the colour scheme and running with it is the best way to go. Then look to accent colours scattered around the room to provide detail, pattern and texture.
Ground up: The best way to ground a colour scheme is to choose dark flooring. The opposite applies for making a space feel open, particularly small spaces - in this instance choose a light floor colour.
True tones: Don't be swayed by the latest trends in colours. Go with the colours that make you feel happy or comfortable.
* Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. For more on the Clark and Digiandomenico home, see the issue on sale now, or visit www.yourhomeandgarden.co.nz.
