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Meet & greet: Libby (digital marketing advisor) and Jarrod Adams (farmer) and Monkey the cat.
The property: Four-bedroom, two-bathroom renovated ’50s home in Tai Tapu, Canterbury.
Life has a funny way of surprising us. We make plans for where we want to live, then we’re unexpectedly led astray by a beautiful view and a character house in a sought-after suburb. Before we know it we’re walking down a different path.
Christchurch couple Libby and Jarrod Adams know that scenario because it happened to them. It was March 2023 when the couple was preparing to move to Sydney for a new adventure. Having built their first home in Lincoln the year prior, they planned to rent it while living overseas.
But one particular part of Christchurch pulled at their heartstrings – Tai Tapu, a 10-minute drive away. Nestled in the Port Hills, its rural aspect and attractive houses appealed to the couple. “We had always partially been looking at houses for sale in Tai Tapu and we had hoped something affordable would come up,” Libby says. Sure enough, a 1955 four-bedroom home caught their eye, and they viewed it out of curiosity before putting in an offer that was accepted.
Two large oak trees grace the grand entrance to the 178sqm home. It sits on a 1100sqm section, allowing plenty of room for the couple to raise a family in the future. “Not only is Tai Tapu beautiful but we loved the home’s stunning view of the Port Hills and the beautiful grounds, which includes the 80-year-old oak trees surrounding the property. In summer, they make a big canopy,” Libby says. “The property opposite us is a farm, so we love that rural feel.”
“It’s hard to come by a nice yet affordable house in Tai Tapu. Since we bought the Lincoln home in June 2020 before the prices hiked up like crazy, we were lucky to sell the house after being in it for a year in order to buy this one. This house was too much of an opportunity to miss. We knew we could add some value to it.”
Over a year that’s exactly what they did, making the home more liveable after multiple minor renovations by a series of previous owners. They started by enhancing the indoor-outdoor flow to make the home lighter, notably in the kitchen where they knocked out a wall and installed glass bifolds to the outside deck. Reconfiguring what was an L-shaped kitchen, meant facing the kitchen island towards the back lawn.
“There’s about one metre between the island bench and the deck, which is nice,” says Libby. “On a sunny day, we like having it all open. It is stunning. Guests can lean on the kitchen island and it feels like we’re outside.”
Floor-to-ceiling panelled doors disguise two pantries, as well as a hidden entrance to the laundry. That needed no work thanks to the previous owners updating the room before selling.
The renovation was a family affair. Libby’s brother Tom Allison helped with construction. Her father Taylor Allison, an architectural designer, also helped to remove the old kitchen.
One of the pleasant surprises the couple discovered during this time was finding beautiful original mataī floorboards under four layers of vinyl. The native timber boards were sanded, then blonded with Resene Rock Salt. The natural wood has helped create a calming setting, especially with the space extending into a living area complete with a fireplace where relaxation calls.
The hexagonal shape of the separate lounge was tricky to work with given that every wall in that room has a window. “It was hard to navigate as we didn’t want the couch not facing the view. What helped was Tom and Dad installing a window seat there, meaning we could turn and face the view easily.”
The home’s classic decor has a quiet luxury about it. A veined stone sits on the kitchen benchtop to newly installed wainscotting for texture. “Our last house was very modern. We felt it was hard to put our own touch on it and were scared of using dark colours,” Libby says. “With this house, however, we wanted it to have a country cottage cosiness. I wasn’t scared of using too many dark colours, with a focus on character lighting such as the battery-run bronze wall lights.
The bedrooms are still a work in progress, but the couple installed wall panelling in one room to create a bedhead in Resene Regent Grey. Gradually the couple are sanding back and painting the architraves in each bedroom white to bring them to life.
The work hasn’t ended, though. “We’d love to create a bigger ensuite and deck next year,” Libby says. “At the moment, we’ve got a tiny wardrobe and an equally small ensuite. It’d be great to knock out a wall and do this.” But for now, they’ll happily settle for sitting back on the lounge window seat and soaking up the view of the hills.
Top tips
How to achieve a coherent look and style throughout your home.
- Mix the old with new. I love our new kitchen joinery on our original mataī flooring.
- Pinterest is your best friend. If there was an idea I was unsure about I would do a Pinterest or TikTok search in the form of: “Dark cabinets with oak flooring” etc to see whether it worked for other people.
- Functionality and aesthetics can live in the same space.
- Try not to be afraid of colour and contrast. We are trying to use more colour than just the usual white in our home. For our front lounge, we painted it Resene Foundry but had light furniture to contrast with the walls.
- You don’t have to stick with the same style or trend within your home. Fill your home with what matters to you and the rest will fall into place.
Shop Libby and Jarrod’s rural Christchurch home style
See more images of the rural Christchurch home below
Libby and Jarrod have been sanding back and repainting the architraves and skirtings in white, with progress slow but rewarding. Unfortunately, the couple’s budget didn’t stretch to the bathrooms, so that’s a project for the future.
Read this next:
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- A 70s brick home transformed by an epic mother-daughter duo
- This Castor Bay backyard is fun, child-friendly and full of native greenery
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