When Catherine and Stuart Evans bought their Auckland house 12 years ago, it had not been one, but two flats. The previous owners had attempted to make it one house again, but it was “very disjointed and still had two old bathrooms and kitchens and a death-defying staircase to the basement,” says Catherine.
Their initial renovation involved reconfiguring one of the old flats’ kitchens, bathroom and the original staircase into a unified large family bathroom and new stairs to the basement. They also redid the cold and draughty front bedrooms. “The key was to remove the brown aluminium joinery and corkboard panels,” says Catherine.
Home profile
Meet and greet: Catherine (interior designer) and Stuart Evans (lawyer), their children Isabella, 16, Lily 14, Charlie, 11, and Molly, the two-year-old sheepadoodle.
The property: A renovated five-bedroom, three-bathroom two-storey villa in Mt Eden, Auckland.
That was enough to get them through the next few years before the full renovation project began. This time, things got serious. They extended the footprint of the home and created an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, as well as the covered outdoor living space.
A pool was installed. They added an internal access garage, created a main bedroom suite with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, as well as transforming the downstairs basement into a modern rumpus room, a guest bedroom with a bathroom and a larger laundry area.
From her personal experience, what Catherine doesn’t know about renovation projects probably isn’t worth the time of day. She’s put her knowledge to good use with her interior design studio The Reno Project, which specialises in transforming period houses into “functional and beautiful homes for today’s lifestyles”.
“It can be very time-consuming, costly and stressful guiding yourself through the renovation process.” Her goal is to help clients navigate that complex process of turning outdated houses into beautiful and practical homes they love within realistic time frames and budgets.
Catherine shares her Christmas traditions
What’s the best thing about Christmas?
Switching off from the usual day-to-day busyness of work, school and children’s sports and focusing on spending time with family and friends and enjoying long, relaxed days and time together.
How do you get into the Christmas spirit?
Christmas is our favourite time of the year, and we love the build-up to the big day. We start bringing the magic of Christmas by putting up the tree, decorating the house and finding a Christmas playlist. Seeing the children’s enjoyment in our family Christmas traditions is priceless. We typically get our homemade advent calendar out, make reindeer food and decorate a gingerbread house.
How do you and your family like to celebrate Christmas?
We try and have a really relaxed Christmas Day. The day usually starts at the crack of dawn opening presents and enjoying Christmas mince pies for breakfast. There’s also a strong coffee to get us ready for the big day ahead. We then head out for a family walk either up our local maunga, Mt Eden, or on the beach. Swimming, relaxing and a bit of cooking fill up the rest of a stress-free day.
How do you typically decorate your home for Christmas?
I take a minimalistic Scandinavian style to decorating our home. I use wreaths, candles, mini Christmas trees (as well as a large one), velvet ribbons and simple decorations in colours that tie in with the colour scheme of my home. This consists of lots of greens, whites, golds and muted chutney colours.
What will be on the menu for Christmas?
Whitebait fritters and champagne for lunch and lamb on the barbecue for dinner, followed by a homemade pavlova covered in cream and strawberries.
What’s on your wishlist this Christmas?
A Luxe Lilo pool lounger from &Sunday to float away the Christmas holidays on.
Catherine’s Christmas decorating tips
- Choosing a theme or a colour scheme can help you create a cohesive look with your home. It can also help you focus on what type of decorations to make or buy.
- Start with the tree as this is usually the centrepiece of Christmas decor. It could be real or artificial, big or small – there are lots of options.
- Let the children put some of the decorations in their bedrooms. There are lots of cost-effective Christmas craft ideas that children love adding to their rooms.
- Don’t forget the front door – a festive wreath is a great way to welcome your Christmas visitors.
See more of this Christmas-decorated home below
The splashback tiles are from Artedomus. A pine cones and pine needles Christmas wreath acts as a base for a candelabra decorated with plush green velvet ribbons.
Molly has a snooze on the window seat near the homemade advent calendar tree.
Read this next:
- Holiday glow: Our favourite Christmas candles
- These fairy lights will add some sparkle to your Christmas decor
- 17 Elf on the Shelf ideas the kids will love
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