Our new whare

After four years living tiny, simply and off-grid on our land in the Karangahake Gorge, this past Christmas eve, we were finally able to move into our new house and we are stoked.

As our working lives became busier and our children were growing, we felt it was time to plan a "Big persons house'. My husband was like, "I just want 3 things, A heat pump, a dishwasher and a flushing toilet." My list of requests were slightly longer.

I didn't want a cookie cutter house nor could afford to build a high spec, architectural home. Instead, we chose a builder who was willing to work with us to achieve a home that reflects our identity, values, and personality without breaking the bank.

Rather than talking about elements such as good design and thermal performance (which were huge considerations), I want to talk about how our house is uniquely us .

Invest in good quality for the fraction of the price

With a penchant for good quality and designer products, I could never bring myself to fork out the money to buy these things new. I was lucky enough to find another way. Op shopping. Our house is filled with Mr Ralph lighting and pre loved rugs and furniture sourced over the years from op shops, friends and family and trade me.

The cost savings were then invested in higher quality materials to improve the houses the thermal performance, such as insulation and joinery.

Our Kauri kitchen table was once used in a wool shed up north. Rather than spending a fortune of wooden flooring, we chose to polyurethene our sub floor OSB which can come up beautifully ( plus it hides the dirt)

This wall paper mural was given for free by a woman who only needed a few centimeters off the end and believed she had ruined the wallpaper. We were able to rectify the quirks by filling in the mismatch with oil paints. It's now a beautiful bespoke statement in the main living area.

Our kitchen shelves are made from Rimu planks sourced from a local woodturner selling off his stock which i sanded and oiled through lockdown. The tiles were purchased through Trademe, left over from a bathroom job

An old outdoor table plank was re used as a backing for our tap hooks that will be used to hang hooks and clothes in our ensuite

Our entrance was designed so that north facing light shines through the front door and into the hallway

Identity

Being of Maori and Fijian origin, our cultural values of hospitality and community are intrinsic to who we are. We had a vision of a living space that was large and adaptable, allowing room to host and welcome small and large gatherings at our house.

We love our Tapa given when visiting Tui's village

I wanted a our house to resemble a marae for what it represents, a place of belonging, nourishment, and connection.

The vinyl we chose in the kitchen and bathroom areas resembles a classic Fijian tapa pattern.

Whakapapa is important and its wonderful to have wall space to reinstate a photo gallery

Warmth and Character

When building new, I felt there was a risk of creating a space that feels sterile. I love the character of old houses and furniture so wanted to bring these elements into my home to warm up the space. Rather than choose new, I chose to upcycle existing pieces of furniture to add a point of difference and character to our new house.

Our ensuite was fitted with an old door that came out from a villa in Devonport.

Our Double doors came from an old homestead in Tauranga,

I love leadlight. This piece was purchased off trade me and its beauty and function work well in our home

Our kitchen island was used in a hotel kitchen in Indonesia . The colour was the basis for the whole living space. The top is made of teak and is on castors. The Stainless steel bench was bought second hand for $500 and to the right we repurposed an old rimu table benchtop to create a seamless flow end wall

Rather than use new vanities we opted for giving old dressers and mirrors a new lease on llife.

Utilising a little nook in the hallway, my clever brother inlaw was able to repurpose left over remu from the kitchen to create shelves.

Colour and wallpaper

I love and fear colour and wallpaper. With colour, I fear giving my myself a headache with my erractic colour concoctions and with wallpaper, I fear creating a space where we are stepping back into my nanas house in the 80s. I did not want to either.

We have received so many comments on the colour of our feature wall in the living room. This William Morris Wallpaper is my favourite design choice

This same wallpaper frames in our view overlooking our orchard and Maunga

One of the coolest rooms in the house is our toilet. With its dark ceilings and luxurious wallpaper, it makes going to the toilet a delight.

Contrary to my original idea of playing it safe and boring and having rice cake white walls throughout , after watching and falling in love with the therapists house in the Netflix Series 'Sex Eduation', I decided to be brave and add colour and wallpaper, but rather than trusting my intuition ( which often ends up looking like a schizophrenics mind), The best decision I made was to visit a colour consultant who helped me to not only match colours to rooms and wallpapers but create an overall theme for the house.

One awesome tip from the colour consultant was to choose colours between rooms that would work nicely together. Our kids rooms colours Xanadu and Sooth complement each other well

Hidden from view It is only when you walk into Ariana's room that you see her beautiful pip studio wallpaper

Josua Originally wanted a darker green but settled on Xanadu

As our master bedroom in north facing, I chose to use a moody colour , Resene swamp, transforming our bedroom into a boudois

The bigger picture.

Over the course of years, we have slowly transformed a bare paddock into a space which has an orchard, space for friends and family to recharge and visit, and a beautiful house.

Our tiny house has already been used by many friends and family from out of town as a place to unwind recharge and connect.

These rocks were excavated while digging our septic field. It is now a great sculpture and place for taking pics.

Our piece of paradise has been a blessing, we currently have 2 other families living on our land until more permanent accommodation becomes available. Having the ability to share our blessings with others has been a privilege. We are grateful for this journey and look forward to creating more memories with our family , friends and community.