A Farmhouse Filled With Colour
The open plan living area with acid washed copper dome lights overhead, walls in Resene Pavlova, timber flooring and couches accessorized with bespoke cushions by Becky Lee.
When John and Grania Ryan said goodbye to their old villa, the local kids came out to watch. It was taken away in two pieces on the back of a couple of wide load trucks on a warm spring night.
words: Pattie Pegler
images: Dean Mackenzie Photographer
That was in 2019.
“It was a good house, we did a lot to it over the years,” recalls John. “We had en-suite bathrooms and big verandahs added. But in the end it was still a cold, 1905 villa.”
Today a newly built, 4-bedroom, architecturally designed farmhouse sits in the mature garden left by the villa. With floor to ceiling windows, large outdoor entertaining space and a mud room. An open plan living area is bright with pinks and greens and a cosy log burner. And huge glass windows frame the surrounding views of the Port Hills and the Alps.
“It’s an unusual feeling to be in a new home in the same spot,” says Grania.
During the two-year build, Grania would come across every day to water the garden– she particularly wanted to make sure the old rhododendrons and camellias survived the process. They did.
The couple have lived on their Tai Tapu sheep and cropping farm for 45 years and there have been many changes in that time.
“I wasn’t a gardener when I moved here” recalls Grania. “I had 3 young children. But it was John’s mother that gave me the inspiration to do a little every day.”
Those three young children are now all grown up and living overseas. The old villa is gone and the new house stands in its place. But it’s far from a blank slate. John is a fifth-generation farmer and Grania is originally from Ireland, where her mother dealt in antiques.
“We selected a lot of the colours around our artworks and nostalgic pieces, old family furniture. Nothing is modern,” says Grania.
They wanted to create a warm, inviting interior that reflected the feeling of a farmhouse – and they knew that off white walls were not for them.
In the old villa Grania recalls painting a wall in a vivid colour called Sunset Sand. “People would come in and go ‘oh my goodness’. It was magnificent. I think my love of colour has always been there.”
So they got in touch with interior designer, Becky Lee, who turns away from shades of neutral instead helping her clients embrace the joyful, vibrant nature of colour.
The initial brief to Becky was to keep in mind the classic country style even though this was a new build and also to ensure that any scheme considered the pieces of precious family furniture that mean so much to the couple.
The powder room incorporates a rich, fire-toned wall covering and Pioneer Red paint. In the master bedroom a dreamy verdigris green, textured wall sets a moody atmosphere. The walls in the ‘den’ are West Coast Green. And whilst Grania was initially hesitant at the colour, it is now one of her favourite rooms, with its comfortable couches, artworks and warm woods – it’s both cosy and elegant. And also the perfect spot to retreat to when you have a ‘rugby mad husband’.
Meanwhile in the kitchen copper tiles change colour during the day as sunlight moves across them. And a wall to ceiling glass cabinet, suggested by the architect, displays all sorts of curios from wedding gifts to wine glasses. “When they first suggested it I said ‘don’t be ridiculous, what on earth would I put in it?’” says Grania. “Now I find I’ve put out all those memories on display that I had previously packed away in cupboards and boxes.”
As well as big colour on walls, Becky has brought pops of colour into rooms with her vibrant and unique cushions – there are detailed hunting scenes, fabulous florals, rich grape and emerald greens. It could easily be too much, busy or garish – and that could be why often we shy away from colour in our houses, we’re a little bit nervous. But when it’s carefully orchestrated and considered like this home – the results can be both beautiful and unique.
