The owner of this Westmere home is an expert on eclectic style

Article by Simply You

Natalie Parke, of design consultancy Dessein Parke, says the key to eclectic style is all about balance. We step inside her Westmere home to see her theory in action

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The owner of this Westmere home is an expert on eclectic style

“It’s a bit of a weird house, as we don’t have open-plan living. We wanted a whole bunch of little spaces that we could use for different things, so we deliberately made them smaller to have more of them,” says Natalie Parke of the Auckland home she and her husband Gerry built.

“I’m not a fan of open-plan living.” Designed by architect Dominic Glamuzina and built two years ago, the nine-roomed Westmere house is also home for their five-year-old daughter Cassie, two-year-old son Oren, cat Basil and dog Benny. The interiors are a testament to Parke’s personal style, which is behind the success of her design consultancy Dessein Parke, set up last year.

“My style is eclectic. It doesn’t all have to come from the same place. It’s all about balance,” she explains. “I believe in buying one or two investment pieces that you then design everything else around. It’s also about not being afraid to throw in random things that might clash.”

My style is eclectic
...It’s all about balance

Heirloom pieces, items bought on Trade Me and then revamped and lots of artworks add to the individuality Parke is seeking. She encourages people to display china and knick-knacks rather than keeping them hidden in cupboards. The glass-fronted cabinet in the kitchen/dining area, bought from Vitrine in Auckland, provides the perfect showcase for her collections, many inherited from her grandmother. “My grandparents were avid collectors and I’ve inherited that. People don’t display things anymore which is a shame.”

Under the Dessein Parke brand, she is currently working on an apartment complex near her home and a beach house. She is also designing a line of furniture, including mirrors, chairs, stools and tables made from recycled plastic panels, steel and lucite. “I’m obsessed with innovative, new material,” she says. Due out next year, the range will definitely be worth looking out for.

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The purple Togo lounge suite by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset was an “investment piece” bought at Domo. Parke chose the ombre curtains because there are a number of windows in the room and she wanted to add both colour and texture. She bought the lamp base on Trade Me and recovered the shade.

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Basil the family cat sits in front of a glass display cabinet from Vitrine.

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The portrait of actor and friend Karl Burnett was done by Parke’s husband Gerry and the other painting is by Jae Hoon Lee. The sideboard was her grandmother’s and she bought the chair off Trade Me.

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Cassie’s room is dominated by the colourful artwork on the wall, made by her father for her first birthday. The white circular internal brick wall mirrors those on the exterior.

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The wallpaper in Oren’s bedroom is by Sydney-based design studio Quercus & Co, the book holders are painted spice racks from Ikea and the bed is by Twigged Design.

Words by: Naomi Larkin. Photography by: Rebekah Robinson.