Messervy House For Sale

Matt and Kate Arnold discovered the Messervy House whilst on a walk down a quiet cul-de-sac in their hometown of Christchurch. After talking to it's owner, they learnt that it had been designed for her family in 1964 by architect Allan Mitchener, and she'd lived happily in it ever since. Matt and Kate kept in touch with Biddy Messervy, and when the time came for her to move out, they bought the house off her.

As only the second owners, Matt and Kate spent last year restoring Messervy House back to her former glory. They painted inside and out in the original colours, replaced the cork flooring and cracked windows, had new linen curtains made, re-wallpapered, and replaced the kitchen benchtop. Everything was carried out with the intention of maintaining the original design of the house, and using the original materials where possible.

Now that she's finished, Messervy House is on the market, and it's very important to Matt and Kate that her new owners are design enthusiasts who will fully appreciate her. Not only the highly imaginative design, but also the effort that has gone into her restoration. The house has a stream at the back with a footbridge connecting to Ilam fields and gardens, and it's a nice walk across the park to the University of Canterbury.

For more information about the house and how you can view and/or buy it, click here. I asked Matt a few questions about the restoration process, read on for his answers.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
Finding cork tiles. We hit a national shortage, nobody had them. Kate called almost every Bunnings in New Zealand and sniffed out anybody who had cork tiles stashed away. We scrounged together just enough by buying them in small packets from all over the country. We almost went down the route of parquet floors, but finally got the cork.

Tell me more about the wallpaper you used?
The house originally had wallpaper, which is slightly unusual for a modernist house, but it seemed to work. The old wallpaper was done for, it was torn, faded and stained, but finding a replacement was surprisingly difficult. Have you ever shopped for wallpaper? It's bewildering. We finally settled on a seagrass, but at the last minute we spotted the green arches designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune (architects we really admire) and we were away.

Do you have any advice to help people find the right architect or draftsman for their project?
Go straight to Michael O'Sullivan.

You've done such a fantastic job with this home, will you be taking on another restoration or renovation in the future?
I think we will. There are lots of these wonderful little houses in and around Christchurch designed in the 50s and 60s that are perhaps a little bit under-appreciated. And when they're made of concrete, like this one, they don't rot or leak, and all you need is some white paint and enthusiasm. I think with these types of places, the less you do the better, really.

photography: Sam Hartnett

I wish you luck Matt and Kate, and to all my readers... if you are interested in buying this beautiful home, or know someone who might be, get cracking! I have a feeling it may be snapped up quickly.

Pompom Home

I think the ability to upholster and restore furniture is absolutely brilliant. To be able to take a tired, old piece of furniture and breathe new life into it is fantastic. That's exactly what Jacqui de Heer does with her business Pompom Home. With a love of retro furniture, Pompom Home takes pre-loved pieces and injects some personality back into them. Let me introduce you to some of their current collection...

Captain Peacock is a three seater mid century sofa that was designed by the iconic Fred Lowen. He has been fully refurbished using traditional methods and reupholstered in stunning peacock blue velvet - oh la la, I love him!

Curious George is a handsome mid century rocking chair. His mahogany arms looks great next to striking yellow fabric and plush grey buttons and piping. His twin sister Curious Georgina is sold separately. Could you bear to part them?!

If you're a fan of George then you'll love Ziggy Stardust in a gorgeous inky blue chevron fabric with mustard velvet piping and buttons. He also has a twin, Zippy.

You won't just find chairs and sofas at Pompom Home, there are also bedheads and cushions, and Jacqui will be adding more to her range all the time. I highly recommend 'liking' Pompom Home on Facebook to keep up with any new arrivals.

If you're thinking that chair you inherited from Gran could do with some of this magic, Pompom Home offers a bespoke furniture restoration service. They can take your old piece, source new fabric, reupholster, rejuvenate the wood work and turn it into something beautiful again. Get in touch for more details. I'll leave you with this gorgeous chair for inspiration. As you can see it's already gone to it's new home, but don't you just love the dark chocolate brown with the leafy green fabric?!

Mid Century Meets The Seventies

Dael & I are currently working with a fabulous Bibby + Brady client up in Auckland. Because we're based in Napier, all of our contact is by email and phone. Steph sent us photos and measurements of her living room - the space she wanted us to help her with - and Dael has had lots of conversations with her, before and after we presented our design concept.

The room is a big space with lots of doors and windows, making it quite a tricky layout. As a lot of people do, Steph and her husband, Richard, had most of their furniture pushed to the edge of the room against the wall. The vintage Eames lounge chair and stool were a keeper, as were the two chandeliers, but they were happy to part with other pieces of furniture.

We recommended keeping the wooden dresser and the small Chinese cabinet, but a new sofa, chair, coffee table and rug were a must. The pink carpet has to stay for now, but the massive wooden batten ceiling was dominating the space. So the first thing we told Steph and Richard to do was freshen the walls with a soft white, and paint the ceiling.

Some people are reluctant to paint out wood, and I definitely love the warmth and texture it brings, but those ceilings were weighing the room down. Steph was so brave, and totally open to our suggestions - she and Richard worked tirelessly to get it done. You can see from the progress photo below how amazing it looks already - light, airy and fresh - and how the lights now become the feature.

In our floor plan you can see we've moved the furniture into the room, creating a cosy seating area anchored by a large rug. The family watch TV in this room, so we chose a stunning new entertainment unit, and we suggested a picture wall behind it to disguise the TV when not in use. There's good flow through the two doors into the living room, and windows are left unencumbered to take advantage of the light and views. The old lamp base remains but with a new shade, and the dresser and cabinet can be used for little vignettes.

We chose our ultimate sofa and chair, but knew they would be 'splurge' items, so also added a 'save' option to Steph's board. Steph was not afraid to be bold but wanted to keep the character of the house. She loves Mid Century furniture, plants, pattern, and her favourite colours are grey, blue and teal. Like me, she's a fan of Andrew O'Brien's art and her favourite piece of his makes a real statement.

Steph and Richard are working hard to put our look together, and as soon as they do I'll show you 'after' photos. The hardest part of working with e-design client's is not being there to help with this stage, but we have faith that they'll do a great job, and we help in whatever other way we can. If you have a space that you'd like Dael and I to breathe new life into, please get in touch with us.

Finishing Touches

I am absolutely head over heels with today's home tour! It's the most excited I've been about a house for a while - so gorgeous! Located in the hills of Los Angeles, when owners Jed Lind and Jessica de Ruiter moved into this house there was a lot that was already there, including custom cabinets and built-in furniture. But it was all their finishing touches that have brought the home to life.

It impresses right from the front door, which features the couple's favourite chevron design in various shades of Douglas fir. At first glance it appears quite a simple entrance, but the layers of texture are quite stunning.

Designed in 1953, the original owner of this home was an artist. His plywood wall unit still remains, although Jed and Jessica have made it theirs by adding shelves, and lower cabinets for their daughter's games. It's a nice way to house the TV without it becoming the feature of the room, which so often is the case.

Step up a level to the sunny living room with the original built-in sofa and end tables.

The Carrara marble bench tops are just breathtaking. The end waterfall doubles as a casual dining spot and a way to separate the kitchen and dining area.

The marble continues up the wall as a splash back, and open shelves house the family's beautiful tableware. Drawers below hide away the pots and pans.

Jed and Jessica built the wall unit and daybed in their son's playroom, which ties in beautifully with the built-in furniture found throughout the house. With lots of drawers and shelving it's such a practical kid's space, and it looks fantastic too.

Another fabulous and practical space is the office which doubles as a guest room. A Murphy bed is discreetly hidden in the wall when not in use, and when needed you just need to move the two chairs and table.

Marble and brass, along with wood and linen, help to create a simple, luxurious bedroom. It's this gorgeous use of texture that makes this home so special.

The marble carries on into the bathroom where a heavy slab of travertine sits beautifully with the golden hues around it.

A bedouin rug that the couple got on their honeymoon in Egypt helps to soften the white cinder block.

The windows have been left bare to make the most of the spectacular views, both out onto the Moroccan-inspired deck, and to the hills beyond.

The tiles are divine, and the chairs are such an interesting shape, but sit quietly so as not to compete with the graphic pattern.

Jed and Jessica planted boxwoods and creeping fig by the pool to add texture and, again, to soften the brickwork. So, what do you think? Are you as inspired and infatuated as me?!

photography by Matthew Williams