We reveal the results of Olympic rower Eric Murray’s year-long DIY transformation of a grand old villa in Cambridge
Meet & greet
Eric Murray (sports coach and business development manager) and partner Thea Lyle (teacher).
The property
Four-bedroom 1912 villa in Cambridge.
Some days, Eric Murray and his partner Thea Lyle just stand in their living room and breathe it all in. “We literally stand back and gaze in awe,” he says. “We’ve achieved everything we wanted to. It’s still sinking in.”
It’s pretty much the first time Eric has stood still in months. He has spent every spare moment for the past year hammering, sawing, sanding and painting to restore the 112-year-old villa from its near-original condition.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist loves a challenge, so when he bought the house near the centre of Cambridge last summer, he set himself the goal of renovating it in record time.
“It needed full rejuvenation, from levelling the floors to moving the walls around to replacing the roof,” he says. “I’ve put in some big shifts to get it done, but the ridiculous number of hours, the working past midnight, the weekends, the endless helpers, the endless decisions… it has all been worth it.”
It was a major renovation, and in hindsight he reckons it would almost have been easier to build new. “It’s not starting from scratch – it’s more than that,” he says. “We didn’t just have to paint the walls, we had to peel off all the old wallpaper first. As we peeled back the layers it felt like a time capsule.”
Eric’s years as an elite athlete were great preparation for the renovation, which has been a real test of his perseverance. “You could call it stubbornness,” he says. “When you’re trying to be successful in any aspect of life, you know that the work you put in determines the quality of what you get out. The devil is in the detail – we spent so much time on the little finishing details in order for it to look sharp. The last five percent seemed to take up 50 percent of the time.”
He and Thea were keen to retain the original villa character, while making it more comfortable for modern life. “We’ve been careful to keep what was here originally and match it with new,” he says. “Let’s preserve these historic homes for another generation – it would be a damn shame to lose them all. We’ve resuscitated something that was built more than a hundred years ago and now it’s set up to be here for a hell of a lot longer.”
Some of his favourite elements of the home came about in response to specific challenges it presented. When the couple decided to move the main bedroom from the south-east corner to the east-facing rear of the house, the only practical place to put the bedroom door was right next to the TV screen in the living room – so Eric decided to turn a problem into a feature by creating a hidden door disguised as bookcase. “When it’s shut you literally think you’re looking at a bookcase,” he says. “It’s already a talking point.”
An unexpected bonus is that it makes the main bedroom suite feel like a secret sanctuary. “It has created the feeling of a hideaway, which is so relaxing and calming. We feel like we’ve got our own space where we can be comfortable and happy and safe.”
The main bedroom was one of the first rooms in the house to be finished, and the couple have enjoyed having a place to escape to during the hectic final stages of the project. “The height of the villa ceiling is so tall it makes the room feel very grand,” says Eric. “We’ve got beautiful colourways in the wall colours and loop pile carpet, the wardrobe is massive and the ensuite is spectacular.”
He’s also thrilled with the way moving a few walls around has opened the living areas to the back garden and the northern sun. “Now we’ve got this amazing open-plan living area – a lovely peaceful place to sit and relax and admire the beauty of the villa.”
The colour scheme plays a big part in creating this restful atmosphere, with Resene Zylone Sheen in Resene Half Robin Egg Blue in the main bedroom and Resene Zylone Sheen in Resene Robin Egg Blue in the lighter of the two front bedrooms. “It’s perfect,” says Eric. “If you really like a certain colour, you can get the half, quarter or double tone of it to work in the different areas of the house and make them feel harmonious.”
The other bedroom doesn’t get a lot of light and is painted with a fresh Resene Zylone Sheen in Resene Milk White.
Eric says the advice of Resene Colour Expert Christine Hodges was vital to getting the colour scheme just right. “To have someone come in and have a look around and understand our vision and translate that into colour has been super helpful.”
Before consulting with Christine, he and Thea painted the front door a colour they thought would look good, but it never quite gelled. “When Christine came around she recommended a colour that’s only slightly different from what we had – but as soon as you see it, you know it’s just right.”
The blue-green theme of the bedrooms continues into the living areas, where the soft Resene Zylone Sheen in Resene Half Inside Back on the walls tones nicely with deep teal cabinetry in the kitchen. The cabinets are finished with a Shaker profile and gold handles to suit the style of the villa and complemented by a suite of energy and water-efficient Haier appliances with a black finish.
“All our appliances have worked out brilliantly,” says Eric. “They’re such functional products and they look great too. The dishwasher is amazing and you might think a fridge is just a fridge, but this is the best fridge I’ve ever owned – it’s phenomenal. It’s a quad-door fridge and when you open the doors the back light slowly comes on and illuminates the inside beautifully.” The SwitchZone compartment also lets you change the quadrant from fridge to freezer and back, depending on your needs.
A stone benchtop and a white tiled splashback keep the kitchen feeling crisp. The Artisan White Gloss subway tiles from Tile Space tiles have been laid vertically to add texture and interest. “Every one of the tiles is slightly different, which gives a beautiful finish to it,” says Eric.
The Artisan Moss Green wall tiles are a feature in the ensuite shower, while larger Tundra White InOut tiles from Tile Space have been used in the main bathroom to make this internal room feel bigger.
“Because the main bathroom doesn’t have natural light we wanted to use lighter colours,” says Eric. “We went with a creamy white stone-colour tile with a freestanding bath, a light coloured vanity and really nice lighting to keep it feeling spacious.”
Looking back, Eric says he wouldn’t do anything differently – except maybe start with a bigger budget. He and Thea have had to make some compromises along the way, and have a few jobs they’ll come back to once budget allows, but overall they’ve achieved exactly what they set out to do – breathe new life into the old villa and create a character-filled home for themselves.
“She was lovely in her bones but needed some resuscitation. We’ve jazzed her up and given her some lipstick. We’re going to have an amazing time here.”
Although Eric doesn’t rule out another renovation in the future, for the moment the couple are looking forward to packing away their painting clothes and enjoying some relaxing time together. “It’s been a big year,” says Eric. “We’ve rotated around the sun in the time we’ve been doing this. Now it’s time for us to enjoy what we’ve created, and have the friends and family who helped us on the journey around to celebrate. There’s definitely going to be a big housewarming.”
Special thanks to
Photography by: Babiche Martens.
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