Favourite Space | Sarah Zonneveld

March 21, 2018

Do you remember Carrie's walk-in-wardrobe in "Sex and the City"? It is still my dream wardrobe and what I'm hoping mine will look like one day soon (if we ever get our master bedroom extension off the ground). Our next 'favourite space' candidate took it one step further, she has a 'ward-room'! That's what happens when you are a serious vintage clothes shopper and your husband is a builder who is happy to convert a small bedroom into an entire walk-in wardrobe.

Sarah Zonneveld has lived in her Napier bungalow for 6 1/2 years with her husband, Norm, and two sons, Joel and Ethan. Surrounded by males (although she loves them all dearly), Sarah loves having something girly of her own; somewhere to retreat, and she confesses to sometimes getting stuck in there playing dress-ups and choosing her next outfit.

Not just her wardrobe, but most of her home is filled with beautiful vintage pieces that Sarah has lovingly searched for and collected. In fact even the extension at the back of their house is made, by Norm, from all recycled materials. Sarah had been looking for a beaded curtain for quite some time to hang on the entrance to her ward-room and found the perfect one on Trade Me recently.

She has such an extensive collection of clothes, jewellery and accessories, Sarah quite often has friends popping in to borrow something for an upcoming wedding or a school ball. She loves vintage fashion, but also pieces from different cultures. A 'creative gypsy' is what she calls herself, having taken on a lot of creative ventures, and a lot of travelling. She and Norm backpacked around Asia with the boys when they were younger, she also backpacked through Africa, and loved visiting India with her sister.

Norm built all the shelves and racks in the ward-room, and as Sarah's collection grows, he finds somewhere else to add a shelf, or a creative way to display items.

We asked Sarah a few questions, so she can tell you more about herself and her beautiful space...

What do you love most about this space - your ward-room?

It’s completely mine. It’s my girl zone in a house full of testosterone. I love being surrounded by my unique treasures and I can literally spend hours getting lost in my clothes and accessories. And I love that it’s my space to play dress-up every morning.

Can you tell us a bit about how long it took to create and how it has evolved?

I have the best hubby, he created this space for me because he knew I needed it, being the mad vintage collector that I am. I think he was scared I may take over his shed if he didn’t give me somewhere for my vast collection. I’ve been collecting vintage and op shopped treasures for well over 25 years.

My ward-room is constantly growing and being added to. I love to display things and I’m always asking Norm to hang something. We joke that there’s still plenty of wall space to put yet another shelf or hat rack, when in reality I’m fast running out of room!

What’s your favourite time of the day?

I don’t have a specific time that’s a favourite, but any time I’m op-shopping or working on a creative project is a good time of day.

Who or what inspires you?

I’m greatly inspired by other cultures and eras. I adore India, Egypt, Asia, anywhere exotic and unique. I’m drawn to the styles of other eras too, and will take pieces from the 70s and mix it with something that wouldn’t be out of place with Cleopatra or Queen Nefertiti.

What are your reading/listening to?

Reading – I always have my nose in a book but I’m currently devouring the latest issue of NZ Fashion Quarterly.

Music – Being a collector of everything, I also collect music and have an extensive playlist that’s constantly being added to. I love both old school and current music. My sons have introduced me to some incredible fresh talent that I would never have found on my own.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury. Home grown or organic is how I like it.

Favourite drink?

My smoothie that I make every morning, I love to kick start my day with a good dose of greens.

Favourite thing you own?

A velvet ivy wreath that was worn by my Mum when she married my Dad. It was made by my grandmother who was a seamstress/dressmaker. I’m a sentimental soul so it’s an extra special treasure to me.

Top of your wish list for your ward-robe or home?

I’m on the hunt for a large rug for my lounge. No doubt I will come across the perfect one in an op shop!

As is usual with us when visiting these favourite spaces, we found one of our own. It's this gorgeous daybed nook at the bottom of Sarah's garden. Norm and Joel built it for Sarah 3 years ago as a birthday present. "We added the solar lights and the ivy is slowly growing up and over it," said Sarah. "I sometimes pull the screen down and fall asleep during the day, and the boys pull out the brazier and hang out there with friends. I love it, it brings me so much joy".

Thank you so much Sarah for inviting us into your home and world, you are truly a beautiful soul. Yours is the epitome of a house that's been turned into a home, and it's a true reflection of the people who live there - our favourite kind of house.

Belmont Home Design

March 5, 2018

We hit the client jackpot when we got an email back in 2016 from an awesome young couple, Emma and Ian. They had just bought a new family home in Belmont, Auckland that they felt had great bones but lacked personality, and they wanted our help. Of course we love these kind of projects, as we relish any opportunity to bring a home to life and help it to reflect the people that live there.

Emma and Ian had only some very minor structural renovations in mind, but wanted nearly a full fit-out of new furniture, window treatments and accessories. Their brief was to create a home that had a holiday vibe - "a sub tropical deluxe retreat with an edge" were Emma's exact words.

The back of the house is beautiful, light and airy with a high vaulted ceiling and large french doors opening out onto the back lawn. It contains the kitchen, dining area, and a living room which was zoned by a rectangular piece of in-laid carpet.

A coat of fresh, white paint, and swapping the roller blinds out for beautiful linen curtains created a timeless base to work with. The curtains add a softness, and when pulled the gentle folds add lovely texture to the room. Removing the carpet and replacing the floorboards was a rather costly option, so we got a rug custom made to cover the carpet, and because it was a bit larger, it gave the living area a bit more breathing room. The beautiful large chandelier also helps to zone the living room in the open plan space.

We chose a large four seater sofa that can withstand a couple of boisterous (and adorable) young children, it's super comfy and very cool - for that edginess that Emma wanted. It's long and low profile hunkers down into the room allowing the view outside to be accessible from throughout the room, and the back creates a clear divide between the living and dining areas.

To fit the space between the kitchen and living area, the dining table is long and narrow. We used a bench seat on one side, which is perfect for kids, and it helps to keep it from looking cluttered - which is key in an open plan room. When not in use it can tuck under the table discreetly. Roman blinds in a blue and white batik fabric replaced the original roller blinds.

The wall between the two smaller windows was a great spot for some art, so the wall light was removed and we anchored the large print with the wooden bench below.

We kept the colour palette to shades of blue, green and white to create the tropical feel, with wood and brass accents for warmth. We also wanted to reflect Emma and Ian's love of travel by using pieces they've collected over the years, and by introducing new pieces with a global influence. The large stool in the corner is a vintage Indian grinder table picked up in Hawke's Bay when we took the couple shopping in some of our favourite shops.

The kitchen was quite new and Emma and Ian didn't feel the need to replace it, so we had some simple solutions to help them update it.

The original kitchen had a lot of silver handles everywhere. We replaced the ones on the lower cabinets with the same size handle but in a beautiful matt black. The upper cabinets had their handles completely removed and a push-to-open mechanism was installed inside, giving a cleaner, more contemporary look. The light over the breakfast bar echoes the one in the living area and helps to zone the kitchen area.

We replaced the painted glass splash back with gorgeous soft green subway tiles to add texture and interest.

For another layer the scallop tiles were added to the front of the breakfast bar. They compliment the subway tiles beautifully and continue the tropical holiday vibe without being too literal. A strip of LED lighting runs along under the bench to subtly highlight the tiles. The bar stools are low in profile so they can also tuck away when not in use, keeping the look unfussy.

Emma and Ian picked up the 'lady with the green lips' while they were in Bali, and she works so well in this space. We commissioned the small resin planes from Michele Bryant, each has an international destination on it - cities or provinces that Ian has worked with Air New Zealand.

We chose the large marble and metal coffee table for it's scale as we wanted a piece big enough to work with the sofa. A pair of rattan armchairs face the sofa and can also be pulled outside for extra seating when needed.

The master bedroom is off the living room and has large bi-fold windows that open onto the back garden. We wanted the room to have a sophisticated holiday vibe, and to be a place of calm and quiet for Emma and Ian to retreat to.

We chose a deep teal blue for the walls, fresh white linen bedding and a quilted blue throw to ground the end of the bed. We had the green velvet headboard custom made, and also made the pink & gold cushion and bedside lampshades specially. The palm tree lamp bases, scalloped bedside tables, and fish trap pendant light all continue the tropical theme.

The light oak drawers compliment the blue walls and pick up the tones in the artwork by Chris Sisarich.

The bathrooms were similar to the kitchen - Emma and Ian chose not to completely replace the fittings and fixtures, but instead to simply 'zshush' them up.

The shell mirror was bought on Emma and Ian's shopping trip with us in Hawke's Bay, and it instantly updates the room. The walls were freshened up again with a bright white, and we bought a little rustic wooden stool in to add some warmth and texture.

The seperate toilet room got a similar treatment with the mirror replaced and some beautiful wallpaper added. Little touches like a colourful hand towel and pretty soaps are so simple to add and can make all the difference.

Blake and Isla share a bedroom and Emma wanted us to give it a whimsical, playful makeover.

We defined each child's side of the room with their own wallpaper. Blake's is blue and white with a striped linen duvet and denim pillowcase.

Isla's side of the room is in soft peaches and dusty pinks, and her wallpaper has the same sense of whimsy as her brother's but in a much more girly way.

The front living room was lacking the natural light that the main living space had, so we removed the door frame and opened it right up, replacing the door with an internal slider. The walls were painted and the furniture was updated.

A pair of vintage armchairs were screaming out for some love, so we recovered them in one of our favourite kilim fabrics giving them that global vibe we love so much.

The linen slipcover sofa is another favourite of ours and perfect for a family with kids. All of the covers can be easily removed and thrown in the wash whenever necessary. The larger door opening lets in much more light during the day, and can be closed up in the evenings if the kids are sleeping.

The entranceway was another area that just needed tweaking. The little built-in box was removed and replaced with a bench seat. A piece of art was hung above it and an antique runner was introduced to lead you down into the heart of the home.

It was an absolute pleasure working with these guys, and seeing their home come to life, we will miss them terribly. Make sure you come back to Hawke's Bay for some more shopping trips, Emma and Ian :)