b'feature houseWhen Kat and her husband bought the house 10 years ago, it wasnt the serene space it is today. A friend, whod also visited the open home, describedRain gainthe rundown 1910s villa as derelict. Kat wouldntThe family\'s garden, go so far: Derelict is a bit harsh, but the old girl diddesigned by Zo Carafice for need a lot of love. It needed insulation, new paintXanthe White Designand the windows wouldnt shut, yet they loved it(www.xanthewhitedesign.co.nz), anyway. And renovation was always part of the plan.is also planted with zones and Butonthefirstnightintheir\'new\'home,Kat\'spathways. "There\'s hardly any dreams of doing up the old house deflated, literally. lawn, and that doesn\'t feel I thought it would be romantic to go into theThey came back with a 60-square-metre extensionlike the best use of space, but house on the first night we owned it and camp outthat was a modern take on a lean-to. The newactually, the girls use and play in sleeping on an airbed. But it was freezing cold, andliving area is connected to the original villa by athe garden a lot," says Kat. The the airbed went flat within about two hours. So, wenarrow linking laundry. The snazzy design meantgarden is planted with bee and left the house in the middle of the night and wentthe villas roof didnt need to be touched. butterfly-friendly plants such as back to our rental. Colourwasoneofthewaysthearchitectssalvia \'black knight\' and verbena Cash-strapped and mortgaged up to the hilt,createdsynergybetweenthetwodisparatebonariensis. There is also a rain thecoupledidsomestopgaprenovationsjustspaces. Rather than matching the extension togarden near the outdoor seating enough to make the villa liveable. They patched upthe original house, they used contrast to createarea designed to mitigate holes, painted walls and installed insulation and Katcohesion and comfort.water that runs off the roof. paid $100 for a second-hand kitchen. They sketchedResene Whitewash was not only used on theThe rain garden connects to plansforafutureextensiononthebackofanexterior but also in the new interior living area.the stormwater drain and has envelope. Eight years and two children later, whenThe whitewash highlights the wood grain, whichlayers of sand, pebbles, mulch themortgagereachedanacceptablelevel,gives the larch a natural look. and an overflow system. A rain Above top left: Siberian larch finished with Resenetheymadetheirdreamsareality.ButtheydidntKat was initially unsure about the prospect ofchain encourages water to run Colorwood Whitewash is also used in the kitchen andknowwheretostartandsoconsultedStrachanwhite on both the outdoor and indoor wood.into the garden from the roof. living areas. The whitewashed wood grain ties inResene Group Architects (SGA). The upside of not rushingWe didnt want it to feel like a show home; weCanna \'panache\' is planted on with the natural materials including the slate kitchenCabbage Pont into the extensions was that the family had beendont live like that, but she warmed to the idea bench. The walls are Resene Merino and the ceilingResene able to spend time heatmapping those parts ofwhen she learned that the exterior wood colourtop and the peach-coloured and trims are Resene Half Merino. Half Merino the house which they lived in the most. would age and weather over time.flowers blend into the soft-Above top right: The lounge of the original villa is Resene WeobservedwhichroomsweactuallyspentThe architects suggested dark green for thecoloured Resene Woodsman also painted in Resene Merino to tie the two parts ofMerino time in. We love entertaining, but recognised that itvillastreet-frontexterior,butKatwasagainWhitewash cladding. Consult the home together. Resene Half Merino highlightsResene was just the four of us a lot of the time. It wasnt aunsure about the bold colour.Above: The weatherboards of thewith your local council before the beautiful moulded ceiling. Double Sea Fog priority to make entertaining spaces. We noticed weTheysuggestedgreen,butIwasntverystreet-facing end of the house areinstalling a rain gardenResene painted in Resene Lumbersider tinted toconsents may be required.Above: The green theme on the villa exterior carriesWhitewash needed little zones around the house for reading,confident.Ikeptsuggestinggrey,butthe into the bathroom where Resene Cabbage Pont isResene working and playing games, says Kat. architects very politely said no. They told me that,Resene Siam to tie in with the stained used on the ceiling with more woodwork finishedSiam Thearchitectslistenedtotheirfeedbackandtraditionally, villas were a lot more colourful. So,glass. The trims and balustrade are with Resene Colorwood Whitewash and ReseneResene painted in Resene Double Sea Fog andReseneResene Merino walls. Gravel politely tossed out the couples envelope drawings.at first, we opted for Resene Flax, says Kat.the concrete steps are in Resene Gravel.Cornflower Flax20 21'