After leaving their busy Auckland life behind, this family found a special art deco bungalow to call their own. See how a $20,000 makeover made the house feel like home
Meet and greet
Candice Pardy, business manager, David Pardy, business owner, Noah, 6, Oscar, 2, and Michelle-Bianca, 3 months, plus Butch the dog.
An art deco bungalow in Gisborne offered a fresh start for this family
Best lesson learned?
Candice: Ask around before hiring tradies. Our first electricians were rough and ruined some of our walls, left the house in a mess, were slow and the final invoice didn’t match the quote. When confronted, they weren’t easy to deal with. Our second electrician was awesome.
What would you never do again?
Manage tradies remotely. It’s best to be around to assess their progress and deal with them face to face.
One thing you would change about your home if you could?
We’d love the kitchen to be more modern-industrial in style.
Most memorable experience you have had in your home?
All the dinners and celebrations with extended family have been awesome.
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Budget
How much did you spend on your home renovation?
Just under $20K.
How did your budget forecast compare to your actual spend?
We came in on budget.
What areas of your home did you save on and what did you splurge on?
We only replaced the curtains in the living areas and master bedroom.
We left the original vertical blinds everywhere else.
We splurged on interior painting, linen and a new dining table and chairs.
Do you tend to buy high-end homeware or seek out a bargain?
A mix of both.
Best advice when it comes to spending on a home?
Get interior design advice so you can visualise where you are heading and have the confidence to do it.
How did you keep track of costs during the renovation?
We managed our spending on Google worksheets.



Style a spare wall with an upcycled console table. Add a few objects you love and some colourful fruit or flowers for a quick hallway refresh.



Candice incorporated furniture which she loved from her previous, newly built home, and it sits comfortably alongside vintage lighting and a soft green colour palette in the transitional spaces.

A mix of new furniture with secondhand objects is often the best way to style a period home as it will feel fresh yet retro.

The crisp white kitchen is warmed up with a rich brown cowhide on the floor and lots of greenery spilling over the tops of the cabinets.

Linen gauze window treatments allow a dreamy, filtered light into the main bedroom, with Dulux ‘Lakeside’ adding a punch of colour, and cushions from Kanuka Collective injecting pattern into an otherwise plain palette.







Floor plan
Words and styling by: Tina Stephen. Photography by: Helen Bankers.
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