Photographer: Alice Veysey
On the front veranda of her Te Puke home, she shares with her fiancé, Paddy, Viarni Bright savours the tranquillity of their orchard. The couple has created a peaceful rural setting here. Chickens cluck sweetly in their coop nearby, and the native birdsong carries across the treetops.
“It’s a sheltered sunny spot,” she says. “The dogs love to lounge there with us; it’s where we like to have coffee and breakfast.”
Viarni, who works in events, and Paddy, who works for an orchard fencing company, have strong ties to the Bay of Plenty. Viarni comes from Mount Maunganui, and Paddy is from Te Puke itself. On this land, the couple has poured four years of hard work and big dreams. Today, they have pride in the place they now call home.
Their home is a testament to imagination and drive. It’s proof that those dreams you envisage can be brought to life, bringing with them pleasant surprises.
Home profile
Meet and greet: Viarni Bright (@viarnibright, events account manager and stylist at Lucy’s Events), Paddy Torr (operations manager for KOS Fencing). Plus, their dogs Earl and Lady, chickens Clucky and Chai, and Latte the goat.
The property: A two-bedroom, 2007 home situated on four hectares in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty.
Slow living
When the couple were looking for a rural property in 2021, they left their Mount Maunganui home with a yearning to live in the countryside.
“We had both dreamed of living the rural life and wanted to purchase a home together, but didn’t know how that looked,” Viarni said.
“Did it mean buying an 800sqm property with some fruit trees or a much larger property we could develop, like this one?”
They set their sights on Te Puke, a small town renowned for its kiwifruit and citrus industries, thanks to its warm climate and fertile soil. This four-hectare lifestyle block captured their hearts, complete with a basic house that had been built within a new shed-style exterior. Both the land and house were in a huge need of attention, but Viarni and Paddy saw the potential for the rural life they had in mind and ran with it.
The personal touch
The house, built in 2007, originally had three bedrooms. The couple converted the third bedroom into a two-bedroom dwelling, featuring a new kitchen and bathroom.
“It was quite a basic layout, so we completed the majority of the renovation inside in two weeks,” Viarni says. “We ripped up all of the flooring and removed one wall to open up the living area, repairing the remaining walls.”
Viarni gave the interior a white, neutral base, layered with a creative combination of decor items. “We brought in an eclectic mix of furniture, which I wanted to add personality and provide lots of colour. There’s a strong retro feel.”
Take the kitchen’s checkered splashback tiles – their eye-catching element is indicative of Viarni’s creative touch.
A neutral canvas
“Because we renovated in two weeks, I had all of the tradesmen booked. But I forgot to choose tiles,” Viarni says.
“I went out and bought plain white ones, which I was happy with, bringing in colour elsewhere, but felt the kitchen didn’t fit with the rest of the house. So I bought a dark maroon tile paint, taped off the areas and painted a checkered pattern on. Now it fits much better with the overall vibe.”
A richly coloured artwork with a personal touch for Viarni creates a vibrant focal point in the living area.
“I commissioned this painting from my friend Rosie Ackland for my 30th birthday,” she says.
“She is a creative and wonderful painter. I asked her to bring in all the colours we had in the home, and she nailed it.”
The small home allows for an intimate setting and a cosy atmosphere for the couple.
“I love that one can cook in the kitchen while the other is watching a TV show or putting on a record and still be able to have conversations.”
With so much natural beauty surrounding them, it would have been a crime not to let the house embrace the outdoors, so they extended the deck, building a pergola over the top.
“Being an 86sqm house, this made it feel a lot bigger and flow better.”
Working with the land
Prior to the couple buying the property, it had been a dog-training business with a kennel on it. Ultimately, it was a mess, she says.
“We had big visions for it, and it needed a lot of work to bring it to where we are now.”
Paddy cleared and levelled out a lot of the land, building the orchard himself (along with some of his KOS team). The pair then planted their red kiwi berry plants in winter 2022.
“They’ve been growing ever since, and we plan to export this summer,” Viarni says.
After clearing out unwanted greenery and junk, the couple built the back vegetable garden area. They edged it to hold the pumice they added, which wraps around the house into the
side areas.
“Paddy did a lot of earthworks on the lawn and surrounding areas to flatten or contour areas, and we planted about 80 per cent of what surrounds the house, driveway and bank,” Viarni says.
“We think we have planted nearly 1000 new plants, from groundcover to fruit and flower trees. About 2.5 hectares of our land is protected native bush, so we are super lucky to have that as a backdrop.”
Sustainable surprises
As part of their project to rejuvenate and renovate the house and land, one of the ripple effects was a focus on sustainability.
“We had always wanted to move into that way of living, but when we were looking for a property, it wasn’t at the forefront of our minds,” Viarni says, “but rather a rural piece of land we could build the orchard on. “When we learned the house was off-grid and ran only on a rainwater tank and solar panels, and that we could grow our fruit, it made sense. We went from there. It was never connected to the mains water system or power. We updated the old solar system and used the existing water tank. All our power is solar, and our water is all from the rainwater tank.”
They converted a milk vat into a wood-fired hot tub. Tropical greenery planted around it creates a relaxing, sanctuary-like space.
“We also built the greenhouse and added the chicken coop and a large-scale compost bin to that area.”
This sustainability mindset lent itself to decorating the inside, too, with a focus on buying used goods. “I mainly bought secondhand only, such as all of our furniture and lots of glassware pieces,” Viarni says.
The bar stools (which were reupholstered), glass cabinet, dining table, chairs, lounge suite, and bathroom vanity (sanded back and relacquered) were all secondhand, found online.”
Looking ahead
While the landscaping on this site is never-ending, Viarni hints at adding a room if she and Paddy grow their family. Otherwise, they love it the way it is.
And while the saying “you reap what you sow” rings true here for Viarni and Paddy, with the two expecting their first proper crop of kiwi berries that they will export overseas in summer, they are planning another special event on the property.
“We are getting married here later this year – so that will be very special for us.”
Home truths
What areas of your renovation did you save on? Splurge on?
We saved by doing as much as we could ourselves. We prepped and painted the interior and handled much of the demo and labouring ourselves. This included ripping up carpets and flooring, and removing the bathroom and kitchen fit-outs. We were doing eight- to 10-hour days for two weeks straight.
I tried to be smart with how we spent our money. But I did splurge a bit on our authentic terrazzo kitchen and bathroom tiles, which I had custom-made in New Zealand. They are 40mm thick, and I got them to put in tiny bits of coloured glass. We really love the vibe they bring.
Best lessons learned?
Probably not to rush choices. I truly love our home, but since we set a very tight turnaround for the renovations, I had to make quick choices when it came to selecting things like tiles, etc, in time for when they needed to be installed.
I ended up using tile paint to create the checkerboard look on our kitchen splashback. The all white look just wasn’t our vibe, but it’s always something you can change.
What’s one thing you would change about your home if you could?
We would love to add on and make it bigger, an extra main bedroom and ensuite with a walk-in wardrobe would be the dream. Plus a larger garage.
Most memorable experience you’ve had in your home (good or bad)?
So many memories. Two summers ago, we held a “friendsmas” on our lawn where we set up a long decorated table and all shared a meal. It was so amazing to have everyone there. We’ve also had mini-festivals held on our land. We are getting married here later this year, so that will be really special for us.
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