family home

Timing, good connections, and a positive attitude led to the home of their dreams

Uninhibited use of colour and pattern delivers a home that’s merry and bright – and not just at Christmas

The design, construction and decorating of a Taranaki family’s new build was made all the sweeter thanks to family and friends.

Spatial design expertise helped turn a south-facing ’60s unit into a light-filled family home

A renovation pro tackles her most personal project yet – a forever home for her parents

A plan to build in Tolaga Bay changed when this homeowner chanced upon an unpolished gem

With hints of the tropics and relaxed Hamptons style, this laidback house invites people to shed their shoes and embrace coastal living

Taking cues from Hamptons style, this luminous home suits its family perfectly

A full-time home with a holiday feel, this renovated bach is as bright and merry as a sunny day at the beach

Opening up the rear of this bungalow with a cool new extension resulted in a seamless blend of old and new

A family has created an absolute gem out of a rundown bungalow that needed a whole lot of love.

A character home, perfectly positioned for communal get-togethers, came with a few unexpected surprises.

This Manawatū home embraces slow living and a bond with the natural world

Keen to care for the planet, a savvy designer revamped a harbourside home destined for demo with a light touch – no bulldozers required

An extensive Mount Eden renovation, 10 years after the first one, has transformed this bungalow into an open-plan oasis

Creating a child-friendly garden was a priority for this Auckland couple

Let there be light.

Connection was the goal of this Wellington renovation, which now has room for the whole tribe.

A small family who missed Mount Maunganui beach life had big plans for a rundown little bach.

Entering a new life chapter inspired a family’s move to a simpler, less laborious way of living in a cedar-clad black houseThe 1990s home was extensively renovated and reclad in black-stained cedar. Home Profile Meet & greet: Maree (founder of skincare company Evre) and Brad Glading (research and insight manager), children Frankie, 14, and Louie, […]

For their sixth house, this family opted for a farmhouse build that combines dramatic architectural details with practical, family-friendly living

Inspired by Japanese and Scandi design principles, a Bay of Plenty couple create a serene family retreat.

A downsizing move became a more ambitious project than anticipated for a retired Auckland couple and their wider family.

Advised to bowl this old Auckland house, its new owners opted for a transformation of epic proportions.

Amid the waves of headlines about Kiwis immigrating across the ditch, Sarah and Ben Pickersgill-Brown decided to buck the trend — swapping their home in Melbourne for a quaint Māpua rental home on the Tasman Bay coastline.

A coastal farmhouse-style renovation gave this Taranaki cottage a fresh look to suit its pasture-to-sea outlook Jane loves the textural contrast of the brick fireplace in this white-painted space, but added a new wood burner. The dining suite is from Danske Mobler. “I have always longed for a French farmhouse table and iron cross-back chairs,” […]

The arrival of their first baby had an Auckland couple on a frantic hunt to buy their first home

Sleek, low-maintenance and with a five-star hotel vibe was the design brief for this family home in Ōmokoroa Meet & greet Andrea Howden (construction business manager), Steve Howden (operations in construction industry), Thea, eight, Phoebe, three, and Riley the dog. The property A three-bedroom house in Ōmokoroa. When the pandemic happened in Aotearoa in 2020, […]

Sustainability and a love of nature are some of the design elements that inspired this countryside-loving family’s new-build Meet & greet Kate Crooks (interior designer at Kate Crooks Design), Jesse Crooks (builder and co-owner of Astute Build), Willow, six, and Siena, four. An interior designer and a builder make a handy combination. Throw in an […]

When dreaming up their new family home this couple wanted open spaces, a timeless look and to bring the outdoors in. Here’s how they achieved it When Bay of Plenty couple, Geoff and Cris Seavill, set out to build a new home that was uniquely their own, they were clear about what they hoped to […]

This elegantly designed Hamilton home wraps around a lush gully of native bush and boasts almost seamless connections to its outdoor spaces Meet + Greet Katie and Matt Williams, (owners of a painting and decorating company), Boh, 11, Lola, 9, Rocco, 6, plus Margaux the French bulldog As our families grow, most of us look […]

A new build can be a daunting task. We’ve pulled together five essential tips for a stress-free start  5 essential first steps to getting a new build off the ground 1. Set your budget. There’s no point buying an expensive piece of land if you can’t afford to build on it. Talk to your bank […]

Oliver and Ella are about to embark on a new build. Follow us as we document their building journey through our helpful series My New Home  Meet the family behind the My New Home project Oliver’s face will be familiar to many New Zealanders from his acting roles on Shortland Street and many other local […]

Join us as we follow Oliver and Ella’s home build over a six-month journey – from dream to reality It’s the great Kiwi dream – build a home of your own, designed especially for you, to suit your taste and your lifestyle. In this ambitious first-of-its-kind feature, we follow the story of a real-life home build […]

With pared back colours, oversized artwork and lots of lush plants, this young family’s home is a boho-chic dream. Its indoor slide is pretty incredible too! Meet and greet James Rigden, director of Superette, Renee Rigden, founder of Renee’s Kitchen Food & Wellbeing, Sloane, 5, and Bay, 3, plus George the cat. This freshly renovated family […]

Clean-lined furniture and industrial surfaces are given rustic warmth to this family home in Waihi Beach with wooden slabs and bountiful botanicals  Meet and greet Mel Kaczon, florist and owner of Waihi’s Koru Florist & Home, John Kaczon, owner of engineering company Pinnacles Civil Group) Miller, 8, Janina, 7, and McKenna, 6, plus Brew the […]

Designing and building their ultimate family home in Waihi Beach was the realisation of a long-held vision for this creative couple Meet and greet Mel Kaczon, florist and owner of Waihi’s Koru Florist & Home, John Kaczon, owner of engineering company Pinnacles Civil Group) Miller, 8, Janina, 7, and McKenna, 6, plus Brew the chocolate […]

Colour and creativity flourish in George Hewitt’s family home, inspiring her daughter’s coveted fashion label, Maggie Marilyn A European aesthetic A visitor finding themselves in the Hewitts’ lounge would be forgiven for thinking they’d wandered into a European sitting room. The room gleams with polished antique gold mirrors and silver 17th-century French candelabras. Turning their […]

This newly built home in Mt Maunganui suits this family so well it could have been designed just for them. We talk to owner Stacy about her fun interior style Meet and greet Jake Pyne, managing director of clothing company You Know We Ain’t Ltd, Stacey Pyne, full-time mum, Milla, 13, Hayes, 11, and Ari, […]

Soft greys – from fog to thunderhead – team with wood and moody cement in a sophisticated, nuanced scheme in this beautiful Millwater home Meet and greet Joe Byrne, director of Byrne Homes, Lisa Byrne, designer at Byrne Homes, Sophie, 11, and Jack, 9, plus Molly the retrodoodle. This new home in Millwater is proof that […]

The interior of this recently renovated home features some grown-up glam thanks to a black and white scheme inlaid with gold and navy Meet and greet Sally Bosley, owner of Cocktail Collective, Simon Bosley, chief financial officer, Lily, 16, and Fletcher, 12. How a renovation project brought a dash of glam to this home’s interior […]

This Auckland couple spent a very relaxed 15 years working out how to renovate their family home and the stunning result proves it was well worth the wait Meet and greet Sally Bosley, owner of Cocktail Collective, Simon Bosley, chief financial officer, Lily, 16, and Fletcher, 12. This Auckland family nailed their renovation after 15 […]

Open and airy white spaces have been sketched in with black accents, rustic wood and touchable, organic accessories in this bright homestead in Queenstown Meet and greet Justine McLellan, owner of Kinsfolk online store and customs officer, Carrick McLellan, operator of Sunrise Balloons, Fletcher, 6, Carter, 4, and Milla, 9 months, plus dogs Buddy and […]

With generous spaces and bright Nordic-inspired interior style, this new-build in Queenstown adds style to busy family life Meet and greet Justine McLellan, owner of Kinsfolk online store and customs officer, Carrick McLellan, operator of Sunrise Balloons, Fletcher, 6, Carter, 4, and Milla, 9 months, plus dogs Buddy and Olly. This beautiful Queenstown new-build proves […]

This creative couple put a Kiwi spin on a classic style of Australian house when designing their seaside home in Snells Beach Meet and greet Andrew Gowling, account manager, Rachael Gowling, account manager, Grace, 6, and Harry, 3. This new-build in Snells Beach has laid back seaside style When it came to securing the perfect […]

An extra bathroom, a smart new kitchen and refreshed interiors upped the family-friendly appeal of this renovate-to-sell property This tired home went from boring to breezy on an impressively tight budget This three-bedroom brick property was an ideal project for building student and renovator Fiona Bouchier, who was looking to undertake her third “cosmetic flip”. […]

A major kitchen renovation helped this disjointed villa transform into a space that makes living easy. Discover how they achieved such seamless style A heritage villa in Wellington is reconfigured to suit modern family life Anji Foster, real estate salesperson and co-owner, Jason Lowe, business consultant, Bella, 15, and James, 12, plus Jock the miniature […]

An efficient home that could easily accommodate the kids’ teenage years was the design brief for this new-build in Takapuna. Take a closer look at how this home will fit its family’s next phase Meet and greet Davina Henderson, commercial property manager, Grant Henderson, managing director at winesofnz.com, Aria, 9, and Lennox, 7, plus Jingles […]

This clever couple have built their dream home in Northland by balancing cost effective materials with architectural style. We get the details on their new-build tips How a Northland family achieved architectural style on a budget Best lessons learned? Don’t sweat the small stuff – some of the things I freaked out about during construction […]

Moving the kitchen from one end of the house to the other is no small feat but it turned this beautiful Wellington villa into a fabulous family home Meet and greet Anji Foster, real estate salesperson and co-owner, Jason Lowe, business consultant, Bella, 15, and James, 12, plus Jock the miniature schnauzer. A major kitchen […]

This family has a deep connection to the land and sea of Parua Bay, in Northland, where they’ve spent the past few years building the home of their dreams Meet and greet  Annwen Thorne, spatial and interior designer, Kane Thorne, 41 builder and project manager, Bella, 15, Pippi, 7, and Lennox, 4, plus Bear the […]

Indoor outdoor flow was key for this long, corridor home, which was designed to take in the spectacular view of Orakei Basin and the city skyline This distinctive Orakei Basin home was inspired by nearby boat sheds Distinctive, streamlined and beautiful – Julie Sayes’ family home is a landmark in the Orakei area, recognised and […]

A tricky Dunedin site was no match for this determined family, who have rebuilt their lives after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake damaged their beloved home A Dunedin new-build tackles a steep sloping site with ease Best lessons learned? Sarah: Work with people you can trust, who are good communicators, creative thinkers and on the same […]

Extending this tiny Waiheke Island cottage over the past 15 years has resulted in enviable indoor-outdoor flow for this botanical stylist and her family Meet and greet  Gemma Yeoman, botanical stylist at Flora n Fauna, Greg Yeoman, director and designer at Stormwater360, and Ivy, 5, plus Cha Cha the cat. Gemma’s Christmas styling tips  Use what […]

As the founder of colourful furniture and wallpaper design store Miss Lolo, it’s no wonder that Tamzyn Adding’s Riverhead home is brimming with vibrant style Meet and greet  Tamzyn Adding, founder & creative director of Miss Lolo, Ben Adding, director of Object Construction, Poutu, 12, Caitlin and Nikita, 11, Cedar, 7, and Bowie, 5, plus […]

After living in 10 houses within the past nine years, the Adding family are thrilled to celebrate a big, colourful Christmas in their new Riverhead home  Meet and greet  Tamzyn Adding, founder & creative director of Miss Lolo, Ben Adding, director of Object Construction, Poutu, 12, Caitlin and Nikita, 11, Cedar, 7, and Bowie, 5, […]

After losing their house in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, this family built a new life – and a new home – on a steep section in Dunedin Meet and greet Sarah Gallagher, Steve Gallagher, both work at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, and Iris, 11, plus Maisey the tabby cat and Barrie […]

 Renovating a central Auckland cottage and transforming its concrete backyard into a mid-century oasis proved to be a six-year labour of love for one family A concrete cottage in Auckland is softened with mid-century vibes Who lives here? Andre Van Wonderen, 34 (project manager), Jolene Van Wonderen, 35 (part-time teacher aide and graphic designer), Willem, […]

After a long stint overseas, a pair of clever renovators landed in Herne Bay and transformed an historic villa into a home fit for the modern family This freshly renovated Herne Bay villa is an oasis in the city Fraser Wallace, builder, Anna Reinstein, freelance event manager, Frankie, 6, and Jude, 2. Problem  The house […]

With its muted palette, textural accents and desert-chic style, this Waikato home is what Pinterest dreams are made of. We discover the special DIY journey How a Waikato cottage went from DIY disaster to the ultimate dream home When the Keirs bought their house it was in a sorry state with peeling floral wallpaper, tatty […]