Tiny Living

This creative couple have downsized and decluttered in a bid to simplify their busy lives – and prepare for a new arrival

- Esther Gordon

Kate and Willem van den Bergh were a year into their married life and knew one thing for sure: something had to give. Paying rent while trying to save for a new home amid escalating house prices was making their goal an untenable prospect.

Kate, formerly a designer for a sustainability magazine, had worked on a feature about a tiny home built for $27K and couldn’t get it out of her head. “The tiny house was genius,” recalls Kate. “It was affordable, liveable, beautifully designed and a fantastic way to live rent free while saving and planning for a larger family home. The tinyhouse lifestyle was in stark contrast to the way we were living but ultimately we knew it would give us a better life.”

The couple immediately moved out of their three-bedroom Auckland rental property and in with Kate’s mother while they searched for a section to buy on Waiheke Island. The island had huge appeal for the pair who were planning on starting a family and wanted the casual, small-town feel while still being in close proximity to the Auckland CBD.

PLANNING

When Kate and Willem visited an empty 1778-square-metre section set just back from the coast, they instantly fell in love. “It is true,” enthuses Kate, “when you know, you know!” It was covered in native bush, huge nikau, kanuka and cabbage trees. There was a natural clearing at the back of the section, and the couple could just picture their tiny house nestled in there. “To us, it was paradise,” says Kate.