Photography: Gina Fabish
Cleo Bourke has long admired character homes with all their intricate details: her husband Nathan, a new-home enthusiast, not so much. When the couple viewed a 1908 villa, the 212sqm house and 2000sqm section on two titles immediately caught Nathan’s attention, and he quickly recognised its many advantages.
“He’s never claimed to be a villa enthusiast, but he quickly came around when he realised he could set up one of the downstairs rooms as a media room, complete with a 100-inch TV,” says Cleo, who’d fallen for the house instantly.
The couple secured bridging finance, listed their existing house, which quickly sold, and bought the heritage home believed to have been designed by noted New Plymouth architect Frank Messenger. In September 2021, they took possession of the five-bedroom, two-bathroom villa near one of New Plymouth’s jewels, world-renowned Pukekura Park.
Home profile
Meet and greet: Cleo (marketing manager for Taranaki Arts Festivals Trust, WOMAD, Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival and Taranaki Arts Festival), and Nathan Bourke (criminal defence lawyer), their children Harvey, five, three-year-old twins, Florence and Hugo, and Otis the cat.
The property: Renovated five-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-storey New Plymouth character villa built in 1908.
Beauty and the beastly
The two-storey house, featuring hallmark Messenger fish-scale shingles and hooded windows, looked beautiful, but it hid a few surprises that the pre-purchase report hadn’t revealed. Cleo and Nathan wanted to spend their money on a sensitive rejuvenation, but first came the nasty surprise of remedial work.
“We triaged the work, going from the most important – warm, safe and functional – and moving to the more fun decorating elements later in the piece,” says Cleo. “When we moved in, our twins were only one, so buying pretty wallpapers and decorative pieces within reach seemed a million years off. Fast forward three years and we’ve got almost everything on our wishlist – except Nathan’s swimming pool.”
They had the downstairs central heating ducting redone, an upstairs ducted heat pump installed and underfloor and ceiling insulation added. The insulation installer got a hell of a fright in the roof cavity, she says. “He leaned against the brick chimney, and the whole thing moved – a lot. We swiftly had the chimneys inspected, and they were both close to collapsing, so they quickly became the priority.”
Naturally, there was a knock-on effect – the scaffolding bill for the chimneys to come down quickly led to committing to a new roof. “We went from an orange roof to a white roof, a huge change that seemed to revive the villa. Then we moved on to what I called the boring stuff — and what Nathan called the important stuff — redoing some of the electrical work, installing a new switchboard, and adding an electric gate at the top of the driveway. The couple also painted parts of the exterior.
Enjoying the ride
Then, finally, came the fun stuff, says Cleo. “I purposefully took more than a year to land on my decorating choices,” she says. “I wanted to see how the light throughout the seasons affected each room, and wanted our kids to be a bit older so we could visualise how life would look once we’d emerged from toddler land.”
They installed new light fixtures in every room and laid tiles in the entrance, laundry/toilet, and upstairs bathroom. The painting was next. Every room was painted by “another amazing tradesperson who we’ll use for years to come”.
The couple saved the floors and carpet for last, mainly because they wanted the kids to be old enough to follow basic rules such as no coloured drinks on the carpet and no more scooters on the sanded and polished floors.
The project also involved installing shutters in the downstairs lounge and hanging custom-made thermal curtains in the main bedroom and Florence’s room, both of which have double-hung sash windows. They built a new deck off the north end of the lounge and installed a spa next to it. “This space is a gorgeous afternoon sun-trap and has given us that much lauded indoor-outdoor flow. The garage features a handy 40sqm loft space that we currently have set up as a gym and playroom for our kids.
They also installed a three-metre-long “wardrobe of my dreams” in the main bedroom.
Sense and sensitivity
Interior design is a hobby, so Cleo was “more than excited” to tackle the project. “We wanted to respect the villa’s character while tastefully introducing some new elements – a precarious balancing act. I did have a confidence crisis with the front whisky lounge, but [interior design expert] Gina Fabish came to the rescue and endorsed my colour palette.”
Selecting just the right shades and furnishings took time. They chose wallpaper and tiles to complement the existing character features in styles reminiscent of the villa’s era. “As a result, many visitors assume the entrance area is original.”
The couple had an “aha” moment when painting the front door. They stripped more than five layers of paint to reveal a dark green shade — almost identical to the one they’d chosen.
Cleo’s secret to choosing her palette? “Test pots. Lots of test pots. We have about 100 in the garage. I’d paint a square section of a wall and see how it looked with the rest of the house.”
Distilling successes
This is Cleo’s dream home. The downstairs whisky lounge is a favourite room, “probably because it’s gone through the biggest transformation. The wallpaper was in a terrible state and the carpet was 20-plus years old. We had it initially set up as a playroom, and I spent the better part of the year in there playing with three small kids, staring at the tears in the wallpaper. It’s also the room I’ve taken the biggest risks in design-wise.”
Fast forward three years and the walls are now painted in a rich cab sav and creamy pinkish purple. “I’ve lost count of how many times people have asked for the paint colours.” It’s currently set up as a cocktail lounge, but could also easily become a bedroom, office, or formal dining room with the right furniture.
The striking upstairs powder room is another of Cleo’s favourites: “I went bold up there – dark leopard-print wallpaper.”
The couple tinkered with the kitchen but did not overhaul it because it was practical and suited the villa. The cabinetry was looking a bit tired so the couple had them all professionally refinished, adding new brass handles – “and voila, it looks like it could almost be new”.
“If we’re still here in a decade, I’ll be working hard for a new kitchen. I’ve got an Annika Rowson kitchen on my bucket list,” says Cleo.
They also refreshed one of the upstairs bathrooms, tiling the floor and shower and installing a new mirror. The other one, with a claw-foot bath, had been updated in the past seven years, so they left it. Downstairs, they refurbished the powder room off the laundry, tiling the floor, repainting the walls and installing a new vanity and toilet.
In terms of furniture and art, most of Cleo’s special pieces are the ones that took the longest to find. She loves the thrill of the hunt, and aside from couches, she sourced almost everything in the home second-hand. “My Chinese writing desk and vintage Iranian rug are probably up there as favourite possessions, both bought at a Webb’s auction. The desk was a steal at $100 – I’ve had offers of $900-plus to buy it, but it’s staying with me for a very long time.
“And I have some pieces I truly adore from Gina Fabish’s [New Plymouth] store – the pair of mottled jade Chinese Foo dogs in my bedroom, and a Willy Guhl-style planter on the outdoor coffee table.”
Garden party
A grand villa needs a garden to match, Cleo reasoned, and theirs is a work in progress. “At the moment, it’s tidy and we inherited some amazing hard landscaping from the previous owners. We’ve done small projects, such as replanting some beds around the house and extending the lawn and parking space. However, I’d love to add some more garden beds with boxed hedging and interesting layers.”
French doors off the dining area open out to an outdoor lounge area and connect the cosy, sunny spot to the garden.
Cleo and Nathan love the location. It’s only three streets away from the park and close to schools, a kindergarten, shops, a supermarket and the CBD. It also offers something less tangible.
“Our neighbourhood is great, with lots of families. We have a weekly tradition with our neighbours – commune Fridays. We get together at the villa and feed our kids en masse, while the adults enjoy the whisky lounge.”
Forever, for now
Work on the house has been ongoing for three years. However, there are projects still to tackle, such as something “fun and bold with the upstairs loft above the garage”.
It’s the perfect base for the family. “We have space for the five of us to all be working or playing at separate hobbies, and as our kids grow, we won’t outgrow the house.
“I love organising and hosting, and it’s such a great home for entertaining larger groups, summer garden parties… Nathan grumbles when the lawnmowing bill comes in, but it’s worth being able to function as ‘commune HQ’, as the neighbours call us.”
Cleo says she and her husband have put a lot of time and investment into the house as if it’s their forever home. However, Nathan is keen for a new build at some point. “The perfect section in our current suburb might come up next week and that’ll be us onto the next project,” Cleo says.
“I’m hoping for at least another five years here, especially now that we can enjoy the house ‘finished’.”
Home truths
What did you save on?
It’s a 100-year-plus villa, so sadly, not many savings.
Any splurges?
My husband will say our heating system. Replacing the central heating system downstairs and installing a ducted heat pump system upstairs. It’s boring and expensive. My splurges were our entrance tiles and the light fixtures, purchased from Bianca Lorenne, Mr Ralph and Vintage Industries. I couldn’t resist luxe wallpaper from Cole & Son.
Best lessons learned?
Invest in a good builder’s report before buying a property. Projects inevitably take twice as long as projected, so plan for that and, most importantly, try to enjoy the process.
Anything you’d never do again?
We would do it all at once instead of staggered projects. We moved out while the team did the work, and I made sure we had a project manager. My husband would say we’re never renovating again – but I do love it, especially the planning phase.
Anything you’d change?
Nothing. But if we were going to spend more money, we’d add built-in storage in the kids’ rooms. Then, maybe a swimming pool as well.
Best advice?
Take your time with decorating. Notice how the family uses each space and room throughout the different seasons, and keep your future family in mind. Small children don’t stay small for long. Styling and furnishing a home takes time; enjoy the slow process of sourcing pieces. Spaces that feature a collection of pieces from different eras will always be timeless.
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