This month, we snuggle up 'At Home' as the winter mornings and evenings leave us inclined to make the most of the indoors. Ahead of this issue, we chatted to a selection of Shore residents from Devonport to the Bays, to find out about the place they choose to call home. On the following pages we also offer inspiration on ways to breathe new life into your indoor spaces, and suggest some local businesses that can help you achieve your home improvement dreams - big or small - this season and beyond...
Rebekah Juang, Beach Haven
A Beach Haven local of Korean heritage, Rebecca was the Green Party of Aotearoa candidate for Northcote in the 2017 General Election and 2018 by-elections. She is a doctor for the Auckland Regional Public Health Service and a PhD candidate with the University of Auckland.
Tell us about the type of home you live in?
I live in a house by the beach, looking out onto the Te Atatu Peninsula. It is surrounded by mostly native bush and we often see tui, pīwakawaka and kererū from our living room.
What is your favourite room to spend time in and why?
I really like our kitchen. It’s spacious enough to host group baking or cooking projects and opens out onto the garden so you can run out and pick a handful of herbs which is lovely. It also has one of the best views in the house and in our first year here, I spotted a pod of dolphins swim past while making a cup of coffee!
What is the one thing you would change about your home if you could?
The strong sea breezes don’t seem to be good for the garden, I haven’t had much luck growing anything other than greens in the backyard. It’s a bit of a running joke that our fruit trees seem to grow one piece of fruit a year despite getting lots of love and care. If I could change one thing about homes in general I would want to do something about the embarrassing mismatch between the 30,000 empty homes in Auckland and the thousands in our community who are homeless or living in precarious/substandard housing.
What was the last renovation project you undertook around your home?
We sanded down the old wooden deck and painted it a deep, Mediterranean blue.
Who would you do a house swap with if you could?
I don’t think I would! I really love living in this house.
Complete this sentence: For me, home is….. a fundamental human right and something we need in order to thrive.
Brynyce Owen
Owner of Shore-based business Moving Made Easy, Brynyce is a long-standing Milford resident who enjoys helping people in the process of moving home. She is in business with her son Tom Owen.
Tell us about the type of home you live in…
It's a single story, pastel-coloured, weatherboard house from around the late 1950s, which has the original remu floors.
How long have you lived there?
I have lived in the Milford area for many years, and in my current home for almost two.
What is your favourite room to spend time in and why?
The open-plan living area is filled with light and I love sitting there reading a book and glancing out at the trees.
What is the one thing you would change about your home if you could?
The view...I would prefer to be looking out to the South Pacific, but the trees are a wonderful substitute.
What was the last renovation project you undertook at home?
I haven't done one for a while, but recently my son, Tom, and I undertook a massive reorganisation of the business office and storage rooms. This involved rethinking our entire storage system, shelving one side of a room, moving furniture around, and a lot of cups of tea.
Who would you do a house swap with if you could?
Anybody with a magnificent sea view!
Complete this sentence: For me, home is….
Peace and tranquility.
Don Barker
Retired pharmacist Don Barker had lived on Jutland Road in Hauraki for six years when he decided to downsize to an apartment at Stanley Point this winter. Don is a member of Waitemata Golf Club and enjoys playing cards at Devonport Croquet Club, as well as attending fitness classes in the village.
Tell us about the type of home you live in…
It's an apartment which was built around 50 years ago. It's all on one level on the ground floor and has been well-maintained and modernised.
How long have you lived there?
Just four weeks. We've just about unpacked and got rid of all the boxes!
What is your favourite room to spend time in and why?
The lounge, with the view. I love to see the yachts coming in and out of the harbour. There are big windows with no curtains or blinds, so at night you can see the city become a twinkling wonderland over there!
What is the one thing you would change about your home if you could?
More storage! With downsizing we've had to get rid of such a lot of our stuff. The grandchildren have done very well out of us! As have the Hospice and Salvation Army charity shops in Devonport - they're now filled with our products!
What was the last renovation project you undertook at home?
No renovation here, but we had the place newly painted before we moved in.
Who would you do a house swap with if you could?
Somebody who has a cliff-top view of the next America's Cup!
Complete this sentence: For me, home is….
The place I am always happy to return to, when I've been overseas or even just out for the day.
Sue Stanaway, Takapuna
Sue Stanaway is General Manager of the Bayleys Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that supports communities around New Zealand, and which is proud to be the Elite sponsorship partner for Make-A-Wish New Zealand. We asked Sue about her home:
Channel Magazine: Please tell us about your home.
Sue Stanaway: A year ago my husband and I downsized to a three-storey townhouse in the heart of Takapuna and did a full reno to make it feel like our own. It’s compact but has all the spaces and character we need and is an easy walk to our favourite Takapuna restaurants and socialising spots.
CM: What is your favourite room to spend time in and why?
SS: The lounge has the ambience of the fireplace in winter and floor to ceiling windows where we look out to the hub of Takapuna and on to the Gulf, and we can open the french doors to a sunny deck for breakfast in summer.
CM: What is the one thing you would change about your home if you could?
SS: The next job is to carpet the garage.
CM: What was the last renovation project you undertook around your home?
SS: When we bought the property, it was in its original 23-year-old style and we fully renovated and redecorated to give it the aesthetics and tone on tone colour palate that works for us. The bones were great with separate dining, three spacious bedrooms and both a deck on one side and a private Italian style courtyard for summer entertaining on the other.
CM: Who would you do a house swap with if you could?
SS: If we are talking a holiday swap then the home of George and Amal Clooney on the shores of Lake Como would be a dream, but for a permanent swap it would be one of those stunning properties on Takapuna beach
CM: Complete this sentence: For me, home is…..
SS: …where we can welcome our family and friends to share our lives and enjoy warm hospitality and memorable moments, or where we can just retreat and relax. Our home offers us both these elements plus an exceptionally convenient position for the lifestyle we love.
Ami Kelly, Campbells Bay
Ami lives in Campbells Bay with her husband and two children plus a dog and rabbits (who love to get out and meet the neighbours). They own a cabinet making business where Ami works when she's not coaching one of the childrens’ many sports teams, walking them to school, or is at the gym.
Tell us about the type of home you live in?
It’s a 1970’s cedar home which has had a few additions and updates over the years while retaining the skylights and stairwell entranceway of the era. We’ve been here six years and have done some renovations to make it our own. We are elevated and look out over trees – our deck is a very sociable place to hang out with friends and their kids.
What is your favourite room to spend time in and why?
In the lounge sits my large wing-backed chair. This is positioned to capture the warm sun and is where I sit comfortably with my green tea, sometimes dozing off. Everyone knows this is my chair!
What is the one thing you would change about your home if you could?
We have a 10 year plan to rebuild a larger, modern home on this site that has all the right spaces for us and is technologically savvy with smart digital security and automation. For now, though, the next thing will be a swimming pool which will be lots of fun.
What was the last renovation project you undertook around your home?
Our master bedroom, bathroom and landing was the most recent but we’ve also done the kitchen. Being in the business we are able to do much of this work ourselves but call in the experts when needed. We are doing it bit by bit when we have time to work around family commitments.
Who would you do a house swap with if you could?
Oh, my mother-in-law who lives right on the beach! Her home captures all day sun and has a stunning view of the ocean. But I do love having the bush around us and that we can still walk to the beach. I couldn’t imagine not living near the sea.
Complete this sentence: For me, home is…..
Where my family is.
Fran Stafford
Fran is owner of Wild and Woolly Yarns in Milford, and lives in Belmont, though she’s originally from the UK, as details about her home indicate.
Channel Magazine: Please tell us about your home.
Fran Stafford: We live in a tiny 1950s weather board and brick and tile bungalow. Everything in it has meaning and purpose. All the furniture, crockery, cutlery, is from the 1950s; I inherited that from an aunty in England who had a house full of British-made furniture and who knew I loved the period.
CM: What is your favourite room to spend time in and why?
FS: It’s all open plan upstairs – kitchen, dining and living areas. My favourite place is in the corner of the living room, where I have my record player, my books and my armchair. It’s a lovely cosy, sunny, light-filled spot.
CM: What is the one thing you would change about your home if you could?
FS: Nothing. It’s perfect
CM: What was the last renovation project you undertook around your home?
FS: The kitchen. I designed it myself and had it hand-made in Glenfield in 1950s style to match the house. It has a cork floor and 1950s retro-style cupboard.
CM: Who would you do a house swap with if you could?
FS: The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, who have Chatsworth House, a stately home in Derbyshire. It’s steeped in history and has huge grounds. The previous Duchess, Deborah Cavendish (who was one of the Mitford sisters) brought in the tea rooms and a gift shop when the home was pinged with inheritance tax in the 1950s.
CM: Complete this sentence: For me, home is …
FS: … my home for life. I’m surrounded by what I love and who I care for. It’s oozing with special memories. And it’s on a bus route for when I grow old!
