Home Tours

How a renovation project brought a dash of glam to this home’s interior

The interior of this recently renovated home features some grown-up glam thanks to a black and white scheme inlaid with gold and navy

Meet and greet

Sally Bosley, owner of Cocktail Collective, Simon Bosley, chief financial officer, Lily, 16, and Fletcher, 12.

How a renovation project brought a dash of glam to this home’s interior

What were the main areas in which you saved money during the renovation?
Rachel from Style My Abode saved us so much time and money because of the network of suppliers she works with.

What is your favourite space and why?
The main living area (including the black sliding barn door) for its height, space, light and views.

How have you maximised comfort in your home?
The new open-plan spaces, the extra rooms that were created (spaces we’d never had before, such as an open study area and a second living area), the double glazing and ducted heat pump throughout the house – they’ve all made the house so comfortable and easy to live in.

Why was it worth hiring an interior designer?
Rachel understood and shared our passion and vision from the start. She saved us many hours by not having to trawl through the shops and be completely overwhelmed by all the choices. Instead, she simply and instinctively knew what we liked and would bring us a few samples so we could quickly and easily make decisions.

Rachel’s renovation tips

  • When choosing decor, start with something you love. Sally loved some black-and-white Goroka tiles from Tile Space, so we took this as our starting point and created a black-and-white scheme for the rest of the house. The interior was painted Resene ‘Black White’ with a Resene ‘Nero’ black barn door. We used black door handles on white cabinetry and internal doors, and black-and-white kitchen cabinetry.
  • Let the style of the exterior guide you. This ultra-modern, architecturally designed home called for something edgy and chic on the inside to match.
  • Restrict on-trend colours or features to easily replaceable areas. We had Lily’s bathroom vanity painted in Resene ‘Blanched Pink’ as an alternative to using blush pink tiles. This is an easy swap-out if required at a later date.

Expert Q&A with interior designer Rachel O’Connell from Style My Abode

How long were you involved in the renovation?
From pre-build to finish.

What was the brief?
To help create a contemporary, comfortable interior that would suit the entire family.

What were the main challenges you faced during the project?
The project ran fairly smoothly, largely thanks to Coastline Builders and the great tradies on site. Budget was always top-of-mind for me when suggesting suppliers and furnishings to Sally and Simon, and we managed to create a stylish interior on budget.

Words by: Catherine Steel. Photography by: Helen Bankers.

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