The Wish List

Ignoring the advice that renovating a villa is “a lot of work”, Emma and Josh Smaller turned a rundown New Plymouth house into a light, liveable dream home

- Fiona Ralph

With a philosophy of “do it once, do it right”, Emma and Josh Smaller painstakingly restored a New Plymouth villa to its former glory with a few modern touches and a reworked floor plan. The six-month project – which began just three months after the couple had completed their first reno – ended up being more expensive and time-consuming than they’d expected, but the proof is in the light, bright home they have created.

Did you have a plan or did you give your architectural designer free rein?

Emma: We had an idea of what we wanted to achieve. Top priorities were adding an ensuite to the master bedroom and utilising the enormous laundry in a better way. Our designer, Paul Russell, gave us the confidence to go ahead and make pretty significant structural changes.

What look were you going for?

We wanted our home to be classic, elegant and timeless with reclaimed native matai flooring and white walls. Paying homage to the villa’s character and history was important to us.

What changes did you make to the floor plan?

We knocked down every internal wall except for the hallway. Internally, the only things that are still truly original are the arch in the hallway, the floorboards and the front door. The hallway used to run right through the home but we fitted a scullery/laundry into a section of the old hallway and turned the old laundry into a bedroom.

Because we were adding an ensuite, some of the windows on the south side had to shift. We moved one of the bedrooms from the western side of the home to create our living room. Panelled internal sliders between the kitchen, dining and living rooms and hallway make the home open plan but allow us to create separate areas when entertaining.

What other interior work did you do?