Just The Business

Rather than upsizing their small home, this family have made it work extra hard, squeezing a workspace, a film studio and plenty of play within its walls.

- Catherine Steel

If you’re puzzling over why this house in the Auckland suburb of Birkdale – and the cute little kids running around in it – looks strangely familiar, you’re probably not the only one. Belonging to Julie and Matthew Stuart and their two young children, Harvey and Piper, the home is also the setting for the popular DIY tutorials Julie films and shares on her Clever Poppy website and social media platforms. And if you look even closer, you’ll spot many of the finished projects now being put to use.

The couple bought the house 10 years ago while flatting in Northcote Point. Given that a full section in Birkdale was still relatively affordable and several of their friends had already moved into the area, the decision made a lot of sense. Although their three-bedroom, one-bathroom first home wasn’t exactly their dream property, they knew they had the creative vision to put their stamp on it.

THE RENO

“After a decade of being tenanted, the house was in dire need of love,” Julie remembers. One of the first things to go was the sprayed-on textured ceiling, which the couple then had plastered and painted.

The layout also needed attention, in particular a heavy-looking archway separating the kitchen from the lounge. Once this was removed, a comfortable open-plan living space was revealed. The dated lino in the kitchen was despatched in favour of a pale wood-look vinyl, giving the space a light, modern aesthetic the pair loved so much they continued it right through the living space. They also moved the laundry out of the standalone garage and into a partitioned area near the entranceway.

WHOLE NEW LIFE