Home Tours

A new-build with a relaxed beachy vibe

A residential development north of Auckland provided this family with the ideal blank canvas on which to build new

Who lives here?
Joe Byrne (property developer at Byrne Homes), Lisa Byrne (graphic designer at Bright Creative), Sophie, Jack and Molly the dog.

Lisa, what advice do you have when it comes to being colour confident?
I like the idea of starting with an artwork that you love, and drawing two or three colours from it to use as accents in your soft furnishings. This means it all comes together and looks cohesive. Group objects of similar colours together. Play with shapes and textures but stick to a colour palette, and you can’t really go wrong. And use plants; they add life to a space.

What was the most important thing you wanted to achieve in decorating your home?
Warmth. The timber floors give a lovely sense of warmth and we are so pleased that we went to the extra expense of installing them.

Is there anything you would do differently?
Joe would build a three-car garage to house his ‘project’ VW Beetle and have space for all his other stuff. We’d also love to have a music room to keep all the guitars in – there are quite a few.

What is the most special thing about your home?
It has a great feel, almost like a bach. Some new houses are a bit impersonal and sterile, but this house feels like a home. When we moved in, we all sat around the table for dinner and our daughter said to us, “This feels like we’re on holiday!”

Text by: Annick Larkin
Photography by: Emma MacDonald

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