Home profile
Meet and greet: Courtney Henderson (owner of Moi on George) and Mark Todd (project manager), their children Otis, three, and Miller, one, and golden retriever Izzy.
The property: Renovated circa 1915 weatherboard house in Dunedin, near St Clair Beach.
If a gang of talented Dunedin tradies needed an incentive to finish a renovation project smartly, Courtney Henderson provided it. Well, Courtney and her newborn son Otis.
Courtney and husband Mark Todd laugh about it now. But back then, there was a little bit of pressure thanks to a little guy. “Halfway through my pregnancy with Otis, we decided we wanted a bigger home, so we started looking around. But the options weren’t in our favour,” says Courtney. “So, we decided to make our home bigger and renovate.”
The renovations were speedily tackled over three months.
“At the end, I was in hospital with our baby while the tradies pressed on to finish so I could come home. It was so good, just amazing, coming home to a completed renovation,” she says.
That was three years ago and there’s been another baby since. Welcome to Miller. What hasn’t changed, are Courtney’s feelings about their renovated home.
“I still really love it, just like how I felt when I came back from the hospital and saw it post-renovation. It has a light, fresh feel about it and a lovely warmth. It’s a really nice, sunny home,” says Courtney.
In the beginning
The love Courtney expresses for the home she, Mark and the boys live in at Dunedin’s popular St Clair wasn’t felt from the get-go.
They knew it had good bones, it was close to the beach where they wanted to be, it had a good feel to it but it was crying out for some changes. Hard to stomach was the purple, yellow and green used on the interior walls of the two-bedroom, one-bathroom humble home. But the house was within their budget at the time, in a great location, and they were looking forward to putting their stamp on it.
They moved in about seven years ago after returning from four years in Melbourne (before marrying and starting a family). Prior to that, they’d been travelling around Central and South America and spent time in London.
Ripping up the old carpet and vinyl (no surprises there) were tasks tackled early on, then painting everything white and putting in different light fittings made a huge difference. But that was pretty much it for money and energy spent on the house over the first three years, or so.
The renovation
Mark and Courtney’s renovation project involved some reconfiguring, extending and plenty of beautifying. Extending involved pushing out onto their old balcony – that area is now part of the lounge.
There were pokey aspects to the house, which they have eliminated in favour of open-plan living. “We pretty much gutted everything and changed things, except for our bedroom. We put in a new kitchen, which is along the back wall of our open-plan main living area – and it includes an often-used window seat where the bench used to be. Because we have white walls, I wanted a little colour in the kitchen so chose a muted green colour with warm undertones for the cabinets.
“We also added a new bathroom. We extended the bathroom by using part of what was a big second bedroom. A third bedroom was created out of what was part of lounge,” says Courtney.
The renovation saw timber flooring added (only the bedrooms are carpeted), with the timber topped by rugs from Moi on George.
The young family hasn’t been left without a balcony. Mark built a new deck (accessed off the lounge via the home’s existing French doors) during one of the Covid lockdowns. From the deck, the grassed backyard can be enjoyed. Courtney and Mark removed the gardens in favour of putting in more lawn for their boys to play. Mark also project managed the renovation and did the kitchen and bathroom design on a CAD programme.
What to keep
The home, which is nearly 110 years old, had many saving graces, which Courtney and Mark were keen to retain. Top of the pops were the leadlight windows. The diamond-shaped window in the main bedroom, the windows in the hallway and Otis’ bedroom, and a massive arched one in the lounge are all eye-catchers.
They also saw the value in saving the timber-framed windows and doors – they’ve been reused in the renovation, although some new internal doors had to be added to the mix. The front door, with its lead light panels, is an early sign that this home is a charmer.
The decision was made to keep the home’s three fireplaces, although the old open ones in the main bedroom and Otis’ room are not used. The one in the lounge certainly is and it’s thoroughly enjoyed – its not-so-pretty surrounding tiles were concreted over.
Timber shelving surrounded a door in what was the lounge. That door now leads into Miller’s room and the shelves have been put to good use. The newly created third bedroom features an original arched window.
The interiors
As the owner of a popular design store, dressing the home was always going to be up to Courtney and Moi on George was always going to be her go-to.
Courtney enjoys her home’s Scandinavian aesthetic, with its light colours, timber and green kitchen. Various pieces of furniture also hail from Scandinavia.
“Literally nearly everything in our house is from Moi on George, from the furniture to soft furnishings, to cutlery, glasses, cushions and even the dog bed. I’ve been adding to the interiors over time,” says Courtney.
“When suppliers came in, I would think things like ‘if this doesn’t sell in a week I’ll have it’. Some of the more expensive items I would wait for, but they would always come home.”
Favourite things (all sourced from Moi on George) are many and include the Ferm Living mirrors, one in the lounge next to her Citta boucle chair, and the other in the hallway. Also from Ferm Living is the lamp next to the lounge mirror. The Citta sideboard that serves as a TV stand in the lounge is another piece that she’s happy to have in her home. As for the most used furniture in the house that would be the sheepskin bean bags – there are three in the lounge and one in Otis’ bedroom. The DA Lewis leather couch and the woollen sheepskin from Natures Collection blends in with the natural colours of the decor.
Love lights
Courtney is a big fan of the right light shades – swapping out the old ones was an early priority.
“Light fittings you love make such a difference,” she says. All the bedroom lights are balloon pendants. The modern chandelier, with its three big bulbs, near the front door is a favourite interior detail.
Dressing the littlies’ rooms
Courtney suggests considering the addition of a sheepskin bean bag (it’s a snuggly seating option) and including shelving for books and for displaying cuddly toys in the kids’ rooms so they can be enjoyed even when not in use – octopuses rule in Otis’ room. Including rugs ticks a few boxes, she adds, as they add visual and actual warmth as well as colour. Rugs, bedding and blinds are also excellent ways of adding colour and are easy to change out as the children grow up. And remember, Courtney says, that a mirror is not only practical, it makes rooms look bigger.
Creating the illusion of a larger space is all well and good. However, Courtney admits this house may not necessarily be their forever home. In the not-too-distant future it will become too small as the boys grow, but for now, it’s perfectly fine.
Home truths
Any splurges? The freestanding concrete bath cost thousands.
An unexpected cost? About that bath. Courtney says she never checked how much her concrete bath weighed. “This was a bit of a boo. We had to get a mini crane to get the bath into the house. Then, four guys had to wheel it down the hall into the bathroom. Let’s just say there was a big sigh of relief when it was in place. It weighs about 250kg when full so we had to add steel reinforcing to the floor. It wasn’t my best moment.”
Budget for the renovation? We had $250,000 in mind, but it landed at $280,000.
Any challenges? Miller’s room had to be rebuilt entirely, including the exterior walls and roof, which was unexpected. We also changed the timber balustrade to a steel one.
Best advice? Work with people you know and trust. A special shout-out goes to the following, many of whom pushed hard to get the renovation completed in time: Steve Mowat Building and Construction; Trainor Electrical; Pulse Plumbing Services; RB Painting and Decorating; Zeal Steel; Taylor Made Joinery and Kitchens; our friends Andrea Lawrence and Michael Strange for developing the concept designs to give a sense of space; and Samuel Jones for doing the drafting.
Shop Courtney and Mark’s Dunedin house style
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