Style shifts

An interior designer shows how she stamped her mark on a rental property and turned it into home

- Fiona Barber

For Mary Tapsell, home should be a calm and comfortable place a sometimes tricky proposition when you don't own the property you live in. But the interior designer, artist and mother of three, has turned transforming a rental into an art form, creating soothing spaces for her family without interfering with the integrity of a house.

Two years ago, when Mary saw the attached unit in a beachy East Auckland suburb, she knew this would work for her, husband Matt and their girls. At just 120sqm, it wasn't big, but it had three bedrooms and features she instantly liked - new flooring, pale walls, an open-plan layout and a deck. It helped that downstairs there was an office and second bathroom. Then she set about stamping her mark on the unit using all her design experience, which includes decor for cafes.

With many New Zealanders living in rental properties, Mary's simple tips and tricks to make a house a home are gold.

Makeover magic

The house already felt fresh, but Mary had something to make it feel even more light, bright and breezy - curtains. She uses her own sets in rental properties, and so up went sheers in the main living area. "It's a small space and white sheer curtains work really well," she says.

Her style, she adds, is one of continuity - especially in small spaces and without clutter. "You should be able to decompress and become calm. Clutter doesn't enable that."

She's a fan of neutrals, and rejects the notion that these are inevitably less than exciting. "A neutral colour palette doesn't mean boring. Play around with textures and tones, bring elements of the outdoors inside and ultimately, create a space that you can't wait to come home to."