TOPOFTHEPOPSA base
ofwhiteandnaturalwood
meansjoltsofbrightly
colouredfurniture,art,books,
floraandtextilescreate
plentyofinterestin this
unique home.
L
ookingatLilyRichardsand
MatIliohan’sDevonport,
Auckland,unit,you’dnever
guesswhatlieswithin.The
humble1960sbrickbuilding
couldbeoneof thousands
aroundNewZealand.Infact,
it wassoordinarythatatfirst
LilyandMatdidn’tthinkmuchof it,either.
“Wewerelivingina rentalonthesideof
[Devonport’s]MtVictoria,”saysLily.“This
unithappenedtocomeupforsalearoundthe
cornerfrommyparents’house.Wewentalong
totheopenhomebutdidn’tthinkanythingof
it.ThenextthingI knew,Mum and Dad had
boughtit forustolivein.”
Thecouplemovedinwiththeirbabyson,
Osis,soonafterandsetaboutmakingit their
ownwithcolourfulfurnishings,artandcopious
bookshelves.Despiteseeinglotsofwaysthey
couldreimaginethelayoutofthehome,the
smallfamilylivedtherefor three years without
changinganything.
Duringthattime,daughterWinterRose
wasborn(inwhatis nowthehallway)and,
whilemanyfamilieswouldhavetradedupto
somethingmuchlargeratthatpoint,livingso
closetoLily’sparents,GeoffandJaney(not
tomentionMtVictoria,CheltenhamBeach,
localshops,thelibraryanda 12-minuteferry
ridetoAucklandcity)meantthefamilynever
consideredmoving.“Itwasallweneeded and
absolutely no more,” Lily says.
HAPPYFEETTheliving,hallway
andkids’roomsareflooredinpastel
bluelino.“I wantedcolourbutnot
carpetsoI foundthisamazing
industriallino.I hadtopleadwith
thesupplier,Polyflor,toletususeit
so unconventionally,” says Lily.
60 |yhg
