Extending this tiny Waiheke Island cottage over the past 15 years has resulted in enviable indoor-outdoor flow for this botanical stylist and her family
Meet and greet
Gemma Yeoman, botanical stylist at Flora n Fauna, Greg Yeoman, director and designer at Stormwater360, and Ivy, 5, plus Cha Cha the cat.
Gemma’s Christmas styling tips
- Use what is around you and in season in your garden.
- Be creative with your Christmas tree and come up with new ways to display it each year. A two-dimensional tree will free up more space in your home.
- Think of simple ways to wrap presents, such as using upcycled paper and ribbons or accenting with dried foliage.
Gemma and Gerg’s reno advice
- Do your research.
- Use quality materials.
- Don’t take shortcuts.
- If you use the sun and have good insulation and glazing, you’ll hardly need any heating.
- Keep things simple.
Honesty box
Best lesson learned?
Gemma: Keep on top of the building progress.
Most memorable experience in the house?
Greg: A lot of good parties! Probably our house-warming, that was pretty good.
Favourite thing about the house?
Greg: I like the big volume and the materials, how they’re warm and glow when you get home, and in summer they stay cool. Concrete’s incredible.
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Budget
What did you spend on your renovation?
Approximately $500,000.
In what areas did you save and splurge?
Gemma: We didn’t save anything! But we splurged on really good things, like upgrading our joinery, the electrics and plywood.
Greg: I’m glad we extended the budget for those important things that we have a lot of contact with. At one point we were considering ditching the concrete wall for timber to save costs. Luckily we didn’t – it’s kind of made the house.
How did you keep track of costs?
Greg: Keeping an eye on the spreadsheet and getting lots of quotes.
Gemma: We kept close track of it for about 90 percent of the time!
Did you stick to your budget?
Greg: It was five years after we got the consent by the time we did the building, so everything had gone up a lot by then, but we kept it pretty tight.
The Yeomans’ lounge opens onto a large, cascading deck which provides plenty of space for entertaining.
Gemma has kept her Christmas styling pared-back and botanically influenced. She created a simple tree out of ruscus leaves, which stay green for a long time.
In the north-facing living room, a concrete floor and walls made of insulated concrete blocks capture the sun’s warmth and ensure the family needs little in the way of heating.
Style it: Place a few stalks of toetoe in a pot to add life to a room. The native grass ties in well with a neutral colour palette.
Gemma and Greg were inspired by the bathrooms in the Ace Hotel which they visited in Los Angeles.
Gemma suggests keeping Christmas styling simple and using foliage and flowers. “Try not to have too much clutter on the table,” she says. Plates made on Waiheke by her friends at Factory Ceramics make a statement of their own.
Gemma is the botanical stylist behind Flora n Fauna, which fits out homes and offices with plants.
Gemma wanted Ivy’s room to be colourful and fun. “I just wanted her room to reflect being a child.”
The couple’s bedroom is separated from the home’s living areas by a hallway and concrete wall. Although it has no door, the wing has a secluded feel, and the insulated concrete wall keeps noise to a minimum.
Grasscrete, a permeable paving product from Greg’s company, Stormwater360, was installed on the driveway to help reduce water runoff.
Now they finally have their dream home, Greg and Gemma are taking time out to enjoy it. The retreat-like space means they can ignore the summer crowds which flock to the island.
Floor p
Words by: Fiona Ralph. Photography by: Vanessa and Michael Lewis.
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