A clear vision, an eye for design and plenty of DIY helped this 1970s house realise its full potential as a stylish family home
Who lives here?
Tarryn Donaldson, (marketing manager and Instagrammer @iamtarryndonaldson), husband Ryan, (sales manager), Kylan Riley, 7, and Arden Cruz, 2, plus ginger cats Ted and Harley.
Style secrets
- Feature walls are not hard to do with a bit of patience, tape and paint. After the pain of wallpaper stripping, there was no way I was going to put more up, so it had to be a painted effect!
- Decorating on a budget is easy if you shop around. Have a few, more expensive base pieces, and then save on budget-buy knick-knacks and beautiful plants.
- Keeping a house tidy with small kids is possible if everything has a home. Clever storage is key. If everything has ‘a place’ then there is never stuff just lying around. Don’t get me wrong – my house is almost never pristine (you’ll find food crumbs and cat hair every day) but it is generally always tidy as everything goes back in its place.
- A white base allows you to add whatever colour you want through furnishings. I start off with a white base and then add different shades of grey and black with pops of colour to add some life. I lean towards using green in my living room, introduced through my indoor plants. It just allows me to mix things up and change the look of the room with only a few new pieces.
- Don’t be afraid to try something new and go against the latest trend. I designed and created Arden’s room on my own and it was completely different to anything being done at the time, and I love it!
Words by: Debbie Harrison. Photography by: Jackie Meiring.
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The stylish herringbone splashback has only recently been added, three years after the kitchen was fitted. The kitchen is Tarryn’s favourite room because it’s such a family space (and she feels like she spends a lot of time in there!).

The wedding photo was taken in Fiji, after their nuptials, in the middle of a thunderstorm. They frolicked around underwater while the photographers took their shots – the result is Tarryn’s favourite piece of art in their home.

The kitchen was very boxy, as was the rest of the home, so to open out the interior and create a more spacious feeling, the couple knocked out the interior walls separating the lounge, dining room, kitchen and hallway.

“I feel so blessed to have found this diamond in the rough and to have transformed it into this amazing home,” says Tarryn.

The boys’ rooms each have a custom paint job with matching shelves made by their granddad.

Kylan got to choose the colour for his room and his talented mum then created a subtle yet striking motif, to give him a calm, relaxing space to chill and play in.

In the master bedroom, Tarryn updated the bedside tables by painting them white and adding leather handles and marble-look tops.

“I sit here some days and think, ‘I could be such a hermit and stay home all the time’ as I’m just so happy with it!” says Tarryn.

The building’s bones were good, so there was no need for any major construction or council permits; it was simply a matter of knocking down a few unnecessary walls and stripping it of its buttercup-yellow wallpaper. Over the past three years, the pair did just that, and more, giving their home a total makeover.

Tarryn describes her interiors style as “simple with hints of Scandinavian”. She leans towards a minimalist aesthetic and loves simplicity.

Tarryn found the large garden playhouse on Trade Me. It was a doer-upper complete with rotten floors and a leaky roof, but with the couple’s DIY skills, a coat of paint and some Kiwi ingenuity, it came up brilliantly.

The playhouse is a space where Kylan can put his feet up and enjoy some ‘me’ time. Mum Tarryn says it’s great because it’s like an extension to the house, without actually having to extend!