This Bay of Plenty home is a lesson in how to make the most of your views

Article by Your Home and Garden

A refined architectural vision for a bare Bay of Plenty section has resulted in an uncomplicated home with views from every angle

This Bay of Plenty home is a lesson in how to make the most of your views

Meet and Greet

Sally Lines, late 40s, and Andy Lines, early 50s, (owners of Urban Lounge Interiors), Georgia, 22 (now living independently), Mack, 18 (student), plus Mavis the black Labrador and a handful of goats and lambs.

How did your budget forecast compare to your actual spend?

Andy: We worked really hard, prior to getting off the ground, to pre-select everything, have it specifically priced and then run a spreadsheet through the build with quotes versus actual spend. Therefore, our only over-runs were on engineering, which we couldn’t forecast.

Do you tend to buy high-end homeware or seek out a bargain?

Sally: I buy things that I like because I just like them – I don’t care what their cost is, although having an interiors studio means contacts are endless so expensive items are not out of the ballpark.

Best advice when it comes to spending money on a home?

Sally: Don’t spend all your money on all the hidden things because usually the budget runs out and there’s nothing left for finishings like drapes, rugs and furniture bits that make it feel like yours.

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Style secrets

The Lines family home has no passageway ceiling lights. Instead, they opted for wall illumination so light is thrown down onto the art displayed there.
Window dressings in bathrooms don’t have to be conventional. In Georgia and Mack’s bathroom, Sally has had a shower curtain in a Marimekko print made into a Roman blind.
Knobs that would traditionally be seen on chests of drawers have been used as coat hooks in the home’s front entrance.
Hang a favourite garment on the wall as a piece of art. Sally has done this with a black dress with feather collar she found at a market. When not being worn, it adorns a wall in the master bedroom.
Bar stools at a kitchen island are not mandatory. Sally and Andy don’t have any at all as nobody would want to sit with their backs to the view.
Sally likes to keep her duvet covers quite simple (ie not patterned) but then changes out the sheets, pillowcases and euro pillows to create all kinds of different combinations. Her clients know this is a signature Sally Lines look.

Favourite things

Two antiques – Sally’s grand piano (a 40th birthday present) and Argentinian dresser – both live in the snug room.
The contemporary chaise by late NZ designer Bob McDonald – this favourite of Andy’s lives in the main living area and converts to a daybed. Above it hangs art by Tauranga artist Leana Buxton.
The couch in the snug – Sally and Andy’s 27th wedding anniversary present to each other combines leather and fabric, forming a patchwork.
The kitchen’s Patricia Urquiola splashback tiles by Mutina – Sally has mixed two different colourways as she wanted warm ginger in the mix.
The kitchen lamps – reminiscent of Tom Dixon designs, purchased from a roadside pop-up store.
Flamingo wallpaper – in Georgia’s former room.
The studio’s indoor swing, which Mack made for Georgia for Christmas.

See more photos below:

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The kitchen splashback tiles are by Patricia Urquiola for Mutina. Sally blended two different colourways as she wanted a hint of ginger in the mix.

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A neutral colour palette is punctuated by splashes of colour such as those seen in this artwork by Leana Buxton.

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Large windows in the living room look over an internal courtyard, designed to bring light into the home and allow spectacular views to be glimpsed from a number of vantage points.