BREAKFAST BAR Natasha used wood on the island work surface and waterfall to soften the black units, treating it herself to stabilise the colour. Stools, John Lewis
and stayed with my parents, about 45 minutes away. I was managing the project as I was driving over every day to bring the boys to school, then I’d come and see what was happening on site.’ Part way through the build, the family flew back to New Zealand for a wedding. When they returned, Natasha went to the house to check on progress, and realised there was a problem with the new side window. ‘It was placed too low,’ she recalls. ‘That was a bit stressful because the whole point was that it had to be bench height. It meant we had to fiddle with a few things – we ordered a slightly narrower window, and the builders saved some height on the floor. A bit of compromising went on, but we got it to fit in the end.’ Natasha added a few personal twists to the kitchen, such as having the sink in the island so she could talk to people while filling the kettle or washing vegetables. The hob is in the counter facing the back of the kitchen, as Natasha felt it would be a safer position. Part of the old kitchen now functions as a utility. Next to it is a big sliding door to the entrance hall. Such doors are a common feature in New Zealand. ‘I wanted the doorway to be the size of the hall, so you get the feeling you are coming straight down into the kitchen,’ says Natasha. ‘The theory was the dog wouldn’t be able to get out, but she has worked out she can push it with her nose, even though it’s quite heavy!’ Two sets of glazed sliding doors to the garden keep the space flooded with light and offer easy access outside for the dog, and for the boys to play football. In contrast to the dark kitchen, the rest of the room is painted white, in keeping with Natasha’s love of clean lines. Colour and texture are offered through favourite pieces of furniture, including a squashy corner sofa in on-trend indigo. ‘I think it is nice if someone’s house tells you something about 54
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LIVING AREA Right Indigo is another colour Natasha loves – the Bend sofa is from B&B Italia. CH25 chair designed by Hans Wegner, Carl Hansen & Son. The coffee table was brought over from New Zealand; for similar, try Made.com
them,’ she says. ‘I lived in China, the Middle East and Africa growing up because my father was a foreign correspondent for Reuters, so we moved every three to four years. The armoire is from China and I have some African basketwork. My granny’s plates are on the wall, as is one from a Terence Conran restaurant that I asked to keep after a special meal with my sister. The Philippe Starck Attila gnome was in the boys’ bathroom in New Zealand. We brought him over and I liked him here, half in the garden and half in the home.’ The kitchen part of the house renovation came in on budget, and cost just over £11,000. ‘It wasn’t a ridiculously cheap kitchen, but for the look of it, I think it was a very reasonable price,’ says Natasha. ‘We had a party here for 70 people, partly as a house-warming and partly to thank everyone who had helped us during the renovation. And if it works as a party house, then that’s okay by me.’ FOR STOCKIST INFORMATION SEE PAGE 15765
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