Northern Light

Clean white surfaces and natural timber provide the perfect backdrop for this couple’s love of Scandinavian design

- Tina Stephen

Where is the home and when did you move in?

Onehunga, Auckland; mid 2016.

Why did you decide to buy it?

Haley: After renting for many years, we decided it was time to have a place of our own. We had been collecting our favourite furniture pieces from our Scandinavian furniture store, The Vintage Shop, for a few years and were ready to set up home and properly enjoy them. We were also very keen to undertake a renovation project and make something our own.

What did you love about the house?

Its location (close to our store in Mt Eden) and the land size – it is large enough to extend if we decide to. It is also a very light-filled home, which is a must for me. The layout was ideal, too. We’d visited many open homes where we were disappointed with the layout, and for our first renovation we really only wanted to make cosmetic changes, which this home allowed us to do. It was the water views that really sold us on the place, though.

What did you not like about it?

Nothing. We fell in love with it the moment we stepped inside. We even loved the dated kitchen and bathroom as it meant we could change them to exactly what we wanted. The 1970s spa pool out the back was probably the least desirable feature; this got removed promptly after moving in.

What was the house like before you renovated?

The home was in very good overall condition as the previous family had owned it for many years – he was a carpenter and kept it well-maintained. You could tell it was a very beloved family home. It appeared to have had a renovation in the 1960s, so everything was old-fashioned and just needed an update, which was exactly what we had been searching for.

How did you go about renovating the bathroom?