This Napier home is filled with eclectic thrifted treasures

Article by Your Home and Garden

A couple’s decision to buy a Napier home sight unseen turned out to be the right one – and it had a surprising family connection

Home Profile

Meet & Greet: Jassher (content creator and drum tutor) and Tiffany Clayton (full-time mum and owner of Arowm), their daughter Odelia, 19 months, and Kazuki the dog.

The Property: A 1920s three-bedroom character home with studio/shed in the seaside community of Napier.

Over the years, Tiffany Clayton has bought many things online. But the purchase of a 1920s three-bedroom character home in Napier is by far her most expensive, even without the need for shipping.

At the time, Tiffany and her husband Jassher were living in Hamilton. It was two years ago, right in the middle of lockdowns, so they couldn’t visit the house to inspect it in person. Instead, they pored over the online listing, After carefully going through the photo gallery and watching the video on repeat before they bought it, sight unseen.

The couch is from Kindred Road, pink lamp from Freedom and rug from Etsy. One of Tiffany’s favourite secondhand finds is this marble coffee table, which she almost didn’t buy. “I actually left the store without buying it, then made my hubby turn the car around to go get it.”

Hit the jackpot

“When we turned up on settlement day, it was even better than the photos, it felt like we had hit the jackpot,” says Tiffany. “It felt like home. It was warm, sunny, had a gorgeous kitchen/dining/living-room flow, had beautifully kept gardens and it was so tastefully renovated. In the first few weeks of living here, Jassher and I kept saying, ‘It feels like we are living in an Airbnb’ – but it’s ours.”

Because the previous owners had done an extensive renovation, the only thing Tiffany and Jassher chose to do was paint a black feature wall white in the bathroom. Which was fortunate considering Tiffany was six months pregnant with daughter Odelia at the time and not really up for a large renovation. “We basically walked in, plonked down our stuff, drilled a few hooks and shelves into walls, and called it home.”

A familiar connection

The Claytons were pretty shocked to find the existing hanging shelf in the kitchen had a family connection. “It’s a pretty special story: Jassher’s dad and his friend bought a beautiful church in Hastings before we moved here. They did some renovations and a few locals ended up with some of the beautiful wood they removed. It just so happened that the previous owners got some of that wood and turned it into the hanging feature. It felt precious to have a piece of that church in our new home when we moved in,” she explains.

The piano in the lounge came from the church Jassher’s dad and his friend bought.

The piano in their lounge came from that same church, a gift from Jassher’s father and his friend. Musician Tiffany has used it to write original songs, despite not knowing what the actual official notes are.

A thrifted mix

The Napier home’s gallery-white walls, high ceilings and wooden floors made the perfect backdrop for the Clayton’s array of possessions, which have been thrifted, gifted or carefully chosen and purchased over the years. Everywhere you look there’s a selection of beautiful items and stylish vignettes made from candle holders, vases, glass fruit and hand-blown glass.

Tiffany’s finds for her home are an eclectic mix. These are mostly sourced from secondhand stores or Facebook Marketplace, often on a whim because she falls in love with them. However, Jassher takes a more considered collector’s approach, says Tiffany.

“I collect knick-knacks, sculptures and objects while Jassher is quite the collector. He loves adding to his collection of Bear Bricks, anime figurines, Labbits, shells, silver coins and gemstones.”

The knick-knacks on the shelving include a collection of cookbooks and thrifted books, as well as a secondhand ceramic fruit bowl and glass grapes. There’s also a vase by New Zealand potter Holly Houston, a couple of Tiffany’s original works, Jassher’s beloved Hario V60 coffee set-up and hand-blown glass cups.

One of her favourite secondhand finds is the striking marble coffee table in the lounge, which almost slipped through Tiffany’s fingertips.

“I actually left the store without buying it, then made my hubby turn the car around to go get it because I just had to have it. I’m so thankful we did because it’s a stunner. It’s been put in storage for the near future while Odelia is crawling around and needing fewer hazards.”

Pastels, pastels, pastels

Tiffany’s love of colour is evident throughout the home, particularly her penchant for pastels. “I love colour. It can brighten a space and make a room speak for itself, and also for how it makes you feel. I’ve been pretty committed to the pastel thing for the last four years or so. Before that I was more into the bright and bolds, and before that, I was all about the greys, blacks and whites. I have certainly gone through the colour wheel,” she laughs.

The dining table was bought for the house when the couple first moved in, it’s from Home Sweet Whare and the white chairs are a secondhand find. The candle holder is from Sitting Pretty Design.

“I find the use of pastels a little less jarring and think they occupy less space than primary colours. However, I’m loving the fusion of pastels with earthy tones, the mix of depth and lightness. I think when pastels are paired with more earthy tones, it gives a vibrant yet soothing feel to a room. I’m big on our home feeling peaceful, comforting and restful – it’s like a warm hug for anyone who enters.”

The Claytons still can’t believe how lucky they got with their online purchase. “Even though we have been here for two years, we still wake up and think, ‘how is this our house?’”

In the morning we love sitting at our dining room table because the sun streams in. In the afternoon, it’s the window seat and couch for the same reason. Our bedroom is also glorious in the morning, it gets saturated with sunshine. When Odelia was a newborn, we would sit in bed and enjoy the sunshine and snuggles,” says Tiffany.

In Odelia’s room, the painting by her cot is a secondhand buy.

Style Lessons

The Claytons adore wooden floors: Not only are they practical with a dog and toddler in the house, but the warm tone contributes to the interior aesthetic.
Mix new artwork with old: Tiffany’s art sits alongside thrifted prints, such as Monet and Matisse prints.
Get creative with paint: Tiffany painted the drawers in the office and the shelves in Odelia’s room.

In the main bedroom, the artwork above the bed is painted by Tiffany.

A place to call home

Despite how much they love the home and treasure the memories they’ve made in it as a family, the Claytons are moving back to Hamilton.

“We have an incredibly beautiful life here. We will miss our family and new friends here but are being drawn back to the Waikato,” she says. “This season here in Napier has been so enriching, life-giving and challenging at times, which is natural when moving cities. I am looking forward to taking the slow-paced, intentional living aspects of our life here back with us.”

Now a new family can fall in love with this beautiful sun-drenched house. The Claytons feel lucky to have called home for two years.

The bedside shelves are from Made of Tomorrow and the squiggly hook from Sitting Pretty Design.

Home Truths:

What are the best memories in your home so far?
Definitely bringing Odelia home from the hospital when she was born – that is our top highlight. Other lovely memories include pretty much any time we have people over for kai; I love cooking up a big meal and having conversations over the dining room table or cosy yarns by the window seat. Celebrating Jassher’s 30th, our baby shower and Odelia’s first birthday with our loved ones were all special. A lot of our close friends and family live in other cities, so we often have them stay with us. It’s always a treasure hosting them here in our home.

What are you most proud of about your home?
The functionality of it and how easy it is to keep tidy. I’m typically a messy gal, so I organised our house to make it easier for me to keep it clean. I don’t keep our home pristine but I am a lot tidier than I used to be.

I make the bed every morning (breaking news), clean as I go and everything has a place. Of course, things get messy, but it’s like a 30-minute burst around the house to put everything back. Not only does making sure everything has a place help, but being in a beautiful home makes me want to keep it tidier.

Text Debbie Harrison Photography Florence Charvin