GOLD STANDARD

In search of a new challenge, Olympic gold medallist Eric Murray turned a fast-flip house into one worthy of being a forever home

- Shelley Tustin

KITCHEN Eric designed the kitchen by trialling and tinkering, knocking out a cabinet here and a pantry there to see what created the best flow and functionality, so by the time he sat down with a Mitre 10 kitchen designer, he knew exactly what he wanted. The result is airy and open plan, with an island bench that can seat a small crowd.

When you’ve already conquered the world, where do you look for your next challenge? For two-time Olympic gold medallist rower Eric Murray, the answer was in the area of home renovation. It’s not quite in the same league as elite sport, but as any DIY renovator will tell you, it can be just as all-consuming.

Prompted by a “change in circumstances”, as he puts it, Eric started looking for a project that would secure the future for himself and his son Zac, as well as giving him something to focus his considerable energies on.

Project found

The three-bedroom 1950s red brick Cambridge home he settled on was solid, if not much to look at. Eric, who wowed on the most recent Dancing with the Stars, has a more colourful way of describing the state of the house when he first bought it, but it comes down to this: “It was an old rental, cold, with the original sash windows and plain crappy wallpaper on the walls.”