INTO THE GROOVE

A kitchen makeover borrows from the past to forge a new, timeless way of living

-  Caroline Moratti

Tara Morrison just can't get enough of her kitchen. "At night we sit and stare at the tiles over a cup of tea, they always look stunning," she says. But the space didn't always command such a level of devotion from herself or her husband Scott.

Moving to sunny New Plymouth in 2019 after living in Wellington and London, the couple fell in love with a north-facing weatherboard cottage with "oodles of character and charm". Despite the outdated kitchen and bathroom, the heart-thumping potential could be felt throughout, from the matai floorboards under the well-worn carpet to the rimu cupboards in the kitchen. "We knew it had great bones and structural integrity," Tara says.

Falling pregnant with Margot propelled the need for a more serious renovation and an overhaul of the kitchen. Today, the home is now a warm and contemporary space that pays homage to the history of the house and a shared love of all things vintage. It's the perfect forever home for a young family.

What was the inspiration for your dream kitchen?

Creating a space that reduced all the frustrations from our existing kitchen. Our Formica table is really special to us and we needed the space to match the yellow table; it was a challenge to ensure we had the right combination that was complementary. I looked through magazines and Pinterest for ideas and we were able to take some concepts we liked and incorporate them into our kitchen. For example, it was important to have some open shelving to display our pottery.

Going into the reno, what was on your list of priorities for the space?