French country style meets colonial Kiwi in this traditional-style Christchurch home with a chic monochrome colour palette
A dreamy Christchurch home gets a bright makeover for $30,000
Denise Renalson, co-owner of a contracting business, and Mini Cooper the British Blue cat.
Denise’s style secrets
- Find a story in the pieces you buy. I have an eclectic style and I favour things that are old or have a story to them. The antique bowling balls in my table centrepiece had an earlier use and I like that. Look for things that mean something.
- Don’t be tempted to blindly follow trends if that is not what you love. Trends will come and go. Pieces that you treasure will last a lifetime.
- Try not to leave decisions to the last minute when you are redecorating. Give yourself time to make good choices.
- Window treatments need careful consideration. I wanted simple linen drapes in my bedroom and I love the full-length curtains. However, the fabric I used as a roman blind is a disaster. When it’s down it looks like a bland and insipid piece of material on the wall.
- If your home has beautiful window joinery and a stunning outlook, keep window treatments off the glazing where possible. It helps to enhance the view and allows more light to flood in.[gallery_link num_photos=”5″ media=”https://ct3fd3fhh2t45fd1m3d9sdio-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/unexpectedPleasures15.jpg” link=”/inside-homes/home-features/christchurch-home-tour” title=”Read the full story”]
A quick Q&A with Denise
- What was your budget?
I’ve spent around $30,000 on the redecorating. - What is your favourite space?
I love to sit on the paved patio just outside the dining area. It is sunny, sheltered and overlooks the pond and the rest of the tree-lined garden. - Any changes in the pipeline?
I want to redo the kitchen and the pantry. I like the style and the space but the joinery is looking a bit tired. I’m not convinced I have chosen the right colour for the interior so if I stay long enough, I will eventually have that painted out. Both bathrooms are on the makeover list, too.
Even though the house did not fit the criteria on her original wishlist, Denise says she has found a special home. “Sometimes it pays to go with your heart and not your head. Immediately before I moved in, I was thinking, ‘What have I done?’ That has passed. This is a nice house to live in.”
The colonial-style home, less than a kilometre from her former residence, overlooks the willow-lined banks of the Heathcote River and an expansive park beyond.
Mini Cooper the British Blue cat.
A wonderfully airy, colonial-inspired home.
The home enjoys a light, bright interior thanks to over-height ceilings and a wide central hallway
Denise says that she has an eclectic style and she favour things that are old or have a story to them.
Decorate in French style with a quiet palette, quality furniture and the odd splash of lavishness like this ornate mirror.
The interior has been repainted in just two tones: white for all joinery and ceilings and a combination of half-, quarter- and full-strength Resene ‘Napa’ on the walls.
A black border around a white-tiled floor will instantly add interest to a plain bathroom and introduce a subtle retro or classic vibe.
Angled walls in some rooms and generous skylights on the ground floor and upper level create interesting spaces and allow natural light to flood the interior.
French country meets colonial Kiwi in this traditional-style home with a chic monochrome colour palette
Skylights in the kitchen and upstairs rooms provide maximum natural light.
A path leads through the private garden, across a wooden bridge over the fish pond and up to the sun-drenched courtyard and patio area.
Since moving in, Denise has replaced many of the window treatments and exchanged the original green carpet for one in charcoal. The dark grey shade is more in keeping with her furnishings and the home’s black and white colour scheme.
Outside, the garden and patio have also had a makeover. Denise has planted buxus hedging and masses of roses to enhance the ‘formal garden’ theme and concrete tiles have extended the patio.
Four years on, Denise has made some changes to the home and garden to reflect her personal taste and lifestyle. A gravel drive on the boundary line leads to the front door, but guests are far more likely to enter via the trellised gate on the street.
Floor plan
Words by: Ady Shannon. Photography: Kate Claridge.
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