Help from friends and family and treasured heirlooms added heart and character to this Havelock North bungalow makeover
The covered deck extension showcases the couple’s DEK sustainably sourced teak furniture.
Home profile
Meet & greet: Gin and Ted Thorp (owners of The Flagship Events Company and DEK, a new online outdoor furniture company), Forbes, five, Griffin, three, nine-month-old Bella, and Macy Gray, an English Staffordshire terrier.
The property: Charming Havelock North bungalow with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, expansive indoor living and a backyard cottage.
Good bones, timber floors and a 1012sqm section with an established garden – the 1945 house outshone all of its competitors during Gin and Ted Thorp’s open-home odyssey. In 2016, the couple moved back to New Zealand after several years living overseas. They went house hunting in Hawke’s Bay, where Ted hails from, and this 130sqm charmer was “the only one we both really loved”, explains Gin.
Another plus: the location was top notch. It was just a five-minute walk to Havelock North village. Although they didn’t have children then, that was all about to change and the house’s proximity to everything they needed would prove to be a boon.
“Having children while living here has been great. We can walk to the supermarket, restaurants and to the park for a quick run-around. The location couldn’t be better for us at this stage of our lives.”
Outer space
This character-filled home boasts no shortage of highlights, but the covered outdoor zone stands out as an unequivocal family favorite. Ted extended the deck and his brother-in-law Patch Reynolds built the pergola using clear polycarbonate corrugated panels and 40mm timber battens. This effectively added another lounge to the house.
“It has been a game-changer this summer,” says Gin. “It gives the louvre effect while letting in the perfect amount of light, whatever the weather. It’s such a comfortable space to be in – easily the most used room in the house.” It doesn’t hurt that this magical space is filled with the couple’s new DEK furniture.
On hot summer mornings, the doors get flung open and stay that way. “It’s so easy relaxing under the pergola during the day and watching the kids on the lawn playing soccer, jumping on the tramp or whatever,” she adds.
“The deck extension has meant the boys can scooter or skateboard around the side of the house. Ted has been getting into his new charcoal barbecue recently, so it’s great to sit out there and chat with him about our days.”
Part of the outdoors project, which took about a year to complete, was landscaping. The budget was modest, says Gin, but friends and family chipped in. The sloping lawn had a big rock garden in the middle, but with the help of a few mates and Forbes’ godfather and his digger, it was levelled and a retaining wall built.
After advice from landscape designer Matt Perry, the space was cleverly divided into a large area for entertaining and lawn games, a vegetable garden and a kids’ zone for the trampoline and water slide.
Gin loves her vegetable plot. “It’s good to be able to go and pick fresh greens for dinner or lunch,” she says. “We have a lot of hydrangeas, winter roses and daphne, which are fab for picking, and then a lot of bay trees, hedges and star jasmine. We try to keep it simple, but also not boring.”
Homeowners Gin and Ted treasure this Dick Frizzell artwork, Cow in a Dam, which was in Ted’s home when he was growing up. “We love the rural look of it,” says Gin. The beautiful bouquet here, as well as the one on the outside table is by florist Rebecca Hanke.
Boy, oh boy
Despite its advantages, there was still work to be done. Before moving in, they sanded and varnished the floors, relined the front two bedrooms, installed fresh new curtains, and built wardrobes.
They replaced old aluminium joinery with new double glazing, installed French doors in the lounge, and added new Roman blinds to the living-dining space. Fortunately, the previous owners had recently painted the walls of the latter.
Once their initial work was done, the couple had a breather – for very good reason. “We had Forbes and Griffin quite close together, so our priorities shifted to our business and the boys.”
This table is close to Gin’s heart and is where her dad stored his chainsaws in his farm workshop. The chairs are also from her family home and the Craft buffet is from Citta.
They also decided to allocate the budget towards projects that made a real difference to their day-to-day lives. “The bathrooms and kitchen are still original,” explains Gin. “Ted painted the cabinets and benches in the kitchen to freshen up the space – it was bright blue and purple. Same with the bathrooms. They could all do with an update, but for now they work for our family.”
She says the money spent on the outdoor living has “drastically improved” the way the family lives and a new kitchen or bathrooms wouldn’t have yielded the same level of benefit. The entire project – deck, landscaping and pergola – came in a little more than $30,000. “We had a budget of around $40,000 and were quoted more than double that if we had outsourced the work,” says Gin.
Treasured recollections
Gin’s favourite spaces in the house are much more about happy memories than the items contained in them. The boys’ room, now with white walls and linen curtains, is a case in point. “It’s spacious, filled with all the things they love, colourful art on the walls and photos of them with loved ones who have passed. I hope they look back on photos of their room and have fun memories of their time sharing a room together.”
The lounge, drenched in evening sun, is another place she adores. “We love to all sit on the big couch reading the books the boys have delivered to us before bed.”
The Aztec print sofa comes from Ted’s family home, the painting above it is Philippa Blair’s Heart Book and the small paintings are by local artist, Mollie Howard. The coffee table once belonged to Ted’s grandmother.
The decor is understated and neutral throughout the house. “I guess we wanted to keep everything pretty timeless so you can interchange furniture and artwork to update it. We don’t really get drawn to trends and try to keep everything classic and homely.”
Among the family’s art treasures are a Dick Frizzell piece Cow in a Dam, a wedding gift from Ted’s parents. “This painting was in Ted’s home growing up, so I think it also brings a lot of special memories with it. We love the rural look of it.” Another special piece is a Paul Dibble’s Geometric Figure 4 Model. “Such a striking and beautiful sculpture that greets you when you walk into our home.”
Ted’s late mother Bron had stored a number of wooden beds for her grandchildren, including these two for Forbes and Griffin. The prints are from Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species series.
The dining room table is close to Gin’s heart, too. It’s where her dad Ross used to store his chainsaws in his farm workshop. “Ted and I love how it is so worn with oil stains and marks on it.” It’s imperfect character means the Thorps aren’t too precious with it “especially when the children are drawing on it”.
Gin says the couple achieved their cosy, stylish and cohesive vibe with help from designer Amy Gillespie from AG D. Amy recommended pieces such as the Citta buffet unit in the kitchen-dining room.
The linen bedhead is from By George Collective, lamps from Little & Fox and bed linen from Farmers.
Cottage industry
Now that the house is fully occupied, what happens when out-of-town family and friends come and visit? There’s another ace in the couple’s pack. A dreamy cottage in the backyard provides a place for visitors to stay, as well as work space.
The desk is from a friend and the chair from So Vintage in Hastings. The chest used to be Ted’s toy box when he was a child and the denim duvet cover is by Ralph Lauren.
The cottage was already on the property, so the Thorps gave it a makeover. They painted the exterior charcoal and the interior white, added roller blinds and put in some sisal carpet.
During the lockdowns, Gin and Ted used it as an office. It’s now a handy space for work without the distractions of the children. But Gin suggests another potential use for it. “It would make a great pool house, eventually.”
Bella’s cot is from Mocka and artworks by John Pule and Robert Ellis.
Even with the extra room afforded by the cottage, the couple sees the day when they will need more space for their growing family. They’d ideally like to live a more rural life.
“We can make it work while our children are young. As they get older though, they’ll need more space so we’ll need to upsize.” They are in no rush, but if the right property pops up…
Ted applied a fresh coat of paint to this room, leaving it otherwise untouched.
In the meantime, the character-filled bungalow in the village is a good place to be. “We are so glad this is where we have been while growing our family,” says Gin.
Text: Fiona Barber
Photography: Florence Charvin
Shop their style: Rustic Havelock North bungalow
1. LAV Washable Floor Rug
$349 at Freedom
This beautiful rug is ideal for a family home, as any liquid spilled on it will sit on top rather than seep into it, and any imperfections that may accumulate over the years will be easily masked by its design. And better yet, should you find it in need of a good clean, it’s easily done with a simple machine wash. What more could you want from a rug?
2. Vintage Tribe Hemp Cushion
$173.50 at Shop Your Home and Garden
Crafted from recycled Turkish hemp rugs, this cushion adds the perfect amount of vintage style and comfort to your living spaces.
3. Powder Blue Duvet Cover
From $269.50 at Shop Your Home and Garden
A bright blue may not compliment every colour scheme, but that’s why we’re in love with this stunning powder blue duvet cover. Its shade effortlessly enhances any room theme or tone, and its Fairtrade cotton material keeps it light and cool for the best night’s sleep.
4. Carrington Outdoor Bistro Set
$408 at Trade Tested
This table and chair set is the perfect size to slot into any corner or outdoor space that needs some livening up.
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