Photography: Tim Williams
Home profile
Meet and greet: Chrissy Irvine (owner of online vintage and antique store The Workers Cottage), her husband Marcus, their two daughters (four and two), plus Luna the dog.
The property: A 1920s 112sqm Nelson cottage with three bedrooms, open-plan living, a joint bathroom and laundry, plus a lean-to used for Chrissy’s studio and shop for her online business.
In a quiet Nelson neighbourhood sits a modest three-bedroom cottage with Georgian windows, a hip roof and a story that stretches back more than a century.
Once home to a labourer-turned-caretaker, this historic home was among the country’s first state houses, built in the early 1920s as part of a government scheme to help working families into home ownership. Today, it’s home to a young family of four, a flourishing “dry” garden, and a thoughtful, creative renovation that brings past and present beautifully together.
“The first time I walked in, it felt like the house was giving me a hug,” says Chrissy Irvine, who bought the property with her husband Marcus in September 2023. “The sun was streaming into the front porch and, most importantly at the time, I could fit the double stroller through the front door.”
The previous owners had taken care of the big stuff: a new roof, fresh paint, rewiring, a new kitchen and landscaped outdoor areas. That gave the new owners a solid foundation – and a bit of breathing space. “We were essentially handed a beautiful blank canvas,” Chrissy says. “All the hard work had been done.”
That blank canvas didn’t stay blank for long. Before they moved in, new curtains were ordered and retrofit double glazing was installed. Underfloor insulation and borer treatment followed, along with wool carpet. The original floorboards were sadly too far gone to save.
“They were riddled with borer and splintered as soon as we tried to lift them,” says Chrissie. “A builder even put his boot through one.”
One of the first big changes was in the kitchen. Though modern and stylish, the existing layout wasn’t working for a family with small children.
The bar-height island bench had to go and, without enough storage or a dining table, the space was feeling cramped. A fortuitous trawl of Marketplace found the solution: a pre-loved Shaker kitchen for $2000. Made with maple and MDF and fitted with Hafele hardware, it was in such good condition that even the joiner was impressed.
“We were so lucky,” Chrissy says. “The joiner had the availability to view it with us the next day, and he reconfigured the entire thing to fit our space.
We sold off the old kitchen and the leftover bits from the new one. It meant we saved tens of thousands of dollars and we felt great knowing we were reusing quality materials.”
To complete the look, the cabinetry was hand-painted in calming Aalto colours and finished with matching painted wooden knobs. A run of recycled rimu tongue-and-groove was laid over ply to replace the laminate flooring, restoring a touch of the home’s original character. A vintage French workbench with hidden enamel basins was added as a kitchen island, which is now used to store fruit and vegetables.
Just behind the kitchen sits the laundry, cleverly relocated to a purpose-built cupboard in the bathroom.
“It’s a great use of space and actually incredibly useful. I had a huge laundry previously and it seemed a totally superfluous use of space. In small homes, you have to get creative.”
Living here is quite a shift from their previous home, a 212sqm new-build in Christchurch. Downsizing by half has been a lesson in careful curation, smart storage and thoughtful design. It also inspired a new direction.
“I used to own a lot of mid-century furniture, but it didn’t suit the style or scale of this house,” Chrissy says. “That turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When I sold it all, I realised how much I loved the process of selling vintage furniture – and The Workers Cottage was born.”
She sources vintage and decorative antiques – some of which makes it inside and some of which heads to Chrissy’s on-site studio and stockroom, where it waits for a new home.
When buying for herself, Chrissy says, “There’s a calm beauty in the austerity of this house. No frills but good bones. I try to reflect that in the pieces I choose.”
Contemporary art is placed alongside vintage and antique art; if she buys a piece of new furniture, she will put old cabinet knobs on it (like she did with the bathroom vanity). She also studied Japanese art history, so there is a strong influence of that craftsmanship with some of the pieces she collects – whether the pieces are Japanese or, say, New Zealand potters inspired by Japan.
Colour is another key part of the story. The couple have slowly changed the all-white colour scheme: the nursery is now a cheerful yellow, while the front pink bedroom glows in the sunlight with its peachy, soft tone. Vintage pendant lights hang throughout. Even the shed and the front door wear coats of freshly painted pink.
And the green window frames? “We started painting them and then were given a very old photo of the house and saw the windows were green back then, too,” says Chrissy. “It felt serendipitous.”
The home’s tiny footprint is balanced by generous outdoor space. The previous owners landscaped the back and added a large kwila deck; the Irvines turned their attention to the front, where they made the bold decision to remove the traditional plantings of golfball pittosporums and “prickly” standard roses to make way for something special.
Inspired by Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf, the new garden bursts with perennial colour and movement in the hotter months.
“People stop in their tracks to admire it. My dad says it makes him smile every time he visits.”
Though they still have plans for more paint, a new bathroom floor, and the results of an occasional Marketplace hunt, the family are firmly settled in. “The location is perfect. We walk to the kindy, library and river almost daily. And the connection with our neighbours is just the best. Low fences, friendly chats, kids calling over the fence to say hi to our neighbours and swap baking… it feels like a true community.”
Home truths
What is your favourite spot? We sit at the dining table for almost every meal, which feels like a lovely family ritual. For parties, we put it in the centre of the room and fill it with plates of food. It’s a small but mighty table, really old with lots of knocks and bumps. I don’t worry about it getting scratched when the kids use it to craft on.
What about this house works best for your family? I love how compact it is and that there is no wasted space, plus a small house is so fast to vacuum and clean. I love the deck in summer, I fold all the washing on our outdoor daybed while the kids play outside. The studio has a separate entrance, which is fantastic as it keeps all of my stock safe from toddlers’ hands.
Best memories? Pizza parties on the deck with a paddling pool for the kids. Marcus has honed his pizza-making down to a fine art. Absolutely delicious.
Which aspect are you most proud of? Taking part in the annual Historic Homes tour by the Nelson Cancer Society. We had 300 people through in one day. It’s fun getting to tour historic homes with like-minded history and interior nuts.
Read this next:
- A 1890s villa with an old soul, new glow, and a fish tank
- Art and comfort go hand-in-hand in this extended Three Kings bungalow
- This couple infused this rural retreat with joy and rigour
See inside this worker’s cottage
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