Rather than a heavy-handed ‘gut and redo’, an Auckland couple built on existing decor to make this bungalow their own
Meet & greet
Mary-Liz (marketing manager) and Richard Amor (business consultant), Johnny, four, and Harry the miniature schnauzer.
A homeowner’s love story usually follows the same formula: meet an almost perfect home, fall in love, then make it one’s own by erasing and replacing the most distinctive decor choices of the previous owners. But Mary-Liz and Richard Amor chose to play things a little differently. Despite going in with a very defined personal style, which absolutely did not marry with this bijou bungalow’s existing decor, Mary-Liz decided to holster her paintbrush for a bit, and in the process, something unexpected happened. Instead of changing the house to suit her tastes, the home changed her.
Age and grace
This is a house with a strong sense of history.
A beautifully preserved 100-year-old charmer surrounded by Ponsonby’s wealth of gracefully aged heritage homes, this sweet little bungalow had prettiness in spades to woo its new owners. “I saw it and thought, ‘Wow, that looks like me’,” says Mary-Liz, who adores the inherent character of older homes. From the bow windows and stained glass to the hallway wall panelling and board-and-batten ceilings, the home was rich in period appeal. “It had the perfect welcoming feel,” says Mary-Liz.
The previous owners had respectfully renovated the home, preserving the heritage highlights while bringing it into the now with a new kitchen and bathroom, which though completed 20 years ago, could easily have been designed today. They also imposed colour and personality on the cottage with a bold selection of patterned wallpapers – gorgeous to look at, but initially jarring for minimalist and Scandiphile Mary-Liz, whose personal taste swung towards simple and functional beauty, neutral tones and quiet compositions.
Home of the brave
Mary-Liz recalls her parents had strong opinions on design and raised her to appreciate clean lines, classic proportions and loads of white. “They loved white walls and my mother used to say you brought colour in through the paintings and the rugs.”
The one thing that never had a place in their home was wallpaper, so when Mary-Liz first stepped into this home and clocked the many bold patterns, her first instinct was to paint over the lot. Thankfully, with her knowledge of interiors (a marketing manager by day, Mary-Liz is also studying interior design part-time), she recognised the quality of the paper and decided to hold fire on the renovation for a bit, to see whether the finishes might grow on her. And they did.
“I wouldn’t get rid of any of the wallpaper now,” she says. “They’re features on their own, they bring a mood to each room and give each space a bit of enhancement.” The wallpaper has grown on her so much that she has worked to identify all but one of the products and, in the case of the Schumacher ‘Chiang Mai’ Dragon wallpaper in the study, plans to extend the wallpaper if the couple go through with a potential renovation. These bold finishes are treated as another part of the home’s history, as worthy of preservation as the bungalow’s distinctive bow windows or hall panelling.
Personal history
The evolution of Mary-Liz’s style and mellowing of her minimalist tendencies is visible in the eclectic collection of antiques and family treasures that pop up throughout the home. “I think you can mix antiques with modern, the juxtaposition can work quite nicely. Also, if you love a piece of furniture and it resonates with you, why would you get rid of it?” she says. Solid timber furniture from both their parents, Persian rugs, artworks from Mary-Liz’s childhood home and a 150-year-old chair from a great-great-grandfather, among other treasures, sit beautifully with Mary-Liz’s simple Scandi-style pieces and imprint the home with layers of memories and nostalgia.
These long-loved pieces reflect Mary-Liz and Richard’s slow and steady decorating philosophy: buy once and buy well. “I love looking at trends, but I’m more into classic pieces that are going to last decades,” says Mary-Liz. “It’s a slow-living philosophy, like with slow fashion – you choose classic pieces that last and will stand the test of time.” The couple like to think of these special pieces being passed on to their five-year-old son Johnny and beyond, making them temporary caretakers of heirlooms for future generations.
Child’s play
While the couple have avoided making wholesale changes to the home, there’s been no shortage of styling, furniture rearranging, tweaking and adjusting to make the space work for them. Sourcing and arranging beautiful objects is Mary-Liz’s hobby and a constant source of joy – from a print artfully lent against the hallway wall to a prettily dressed bathroom shelf, the house is full of covetable homewares arranged in gorgeous vignettes.
Mary-Liz’s passion has reached its full expression in son Johnny’s room. “My son’s bedroom has been my little project. It’s about pulling together a fun room for him, and it’s been a creative outlet for me as well,” she says. The only room in the house that was a literal blank canvas, she’s turned it into an Instagrammable, Scandi-inspired fantasy space – an inspiring toy-filled play zone for a little boy, and one that puts a smile on his mum’s face too.
These playful styling changes and the odd thoughtfully chosen new piece are enough to satisfy Mary-Liz’s interior design cravings for now, she says. And any larger changes in their future will be carefully considered and designed to work with the home’s existing charms. “My advice to anyone would be, don’t go straight in with a paintbrush – unless it’s absolutely ghastly. Try and live with it for a little bit to see if it actually works, and you could find that you love it and don’t want to change it. That’s what happened to me,” she says.
Words by: Shelley Tustin. Photography by: Babiche Martens.