The great thing about renovating your home is that you can tailor it to your aesthetic and the way you live. Leanne Moore gets the lowdown on the transformation of Lucy Coote and Mark Leong\u2019s Wellington home, a 1905 brick villa on an urban corner site. <\/p>\n
\n Working together is
\n something Wellington couple Lucy Coote and Mark Leong do every day. But the pair, who run Wellington-based architecture and interior design practice Studio Myla, put their pooled talent to the test on their most personal project yet, the renovation of their home in Berhampore, southern Wellington.\n <\/p>\n
The award-winning result has been described as \u201cbeautifully composed and considered\u201d by the New Zealand Institute of Architects. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted rooms that could be adapted to our changing needs,\u201d says Coote, who has a ceramics studio within the new extension, where she makes wheel-thrown pieces under the name Salad Days Ceramics. <\/p>\n
The renovation significantly reconfigured the home\u2019s layout and, with the new extension at the rear, created a home that works for their family now \u2013 and in future. \u201cIt\u2019s been designed to anticipate different demands,\u201d says Coote. \u201cThe use of the rooms can easily be changed to suit our needs, when required.\u201d <\/p>\n
Lucy Coote, interior designer and potter, her architect husband Mark Leong, and their twin daughters Daisy and Margaux, aged 8. <\/p>\n
Lucy, how did you and Mark split your reno roles? <\/p>\n
He took the lead in terms of the planning\/layout, exterior cladding, construction details, and I took the lead on colours, materials, soft furnishings, fixtures and fittings. However, we talked (often at length!) about most of these decisions. The integration of our perspectives became our strength. <\/p>\n
How was it being the client and wife of the architect?<\/p>\n
A renovation is an extremely challenging and complicated process. We worked well together as a team, as we\u2019re both very detail-oriented. We found the project improved our communication skills, and we also made a rule not to talk about the renovation past a certain point in the evening. Surprisingly, we often challenged each other to simplify and distil the design intent more clearly and through more economical means. <\/p>\n
The greenery of Wellington’s Town Belt, before the rear extension was added.
AFTER: The renovated 120-year-old home and new extension have been designed with modern family life in mind. Photo \/ Simon Wilson<\/p>\n
Did Mark have much say in the interior decor? <\/p>\n
It was very much a collaboration. Mark sees interiors as an extension of his work. He\u2019s the one who sets out the clean lines and proportions, then I add character and soften the spaces, sometimes breaking his rules, but in a welcome way! Mark designed the architecture to be a backdrop for our family life. The girls and I add our creations and some whimsy. In this regard, the interior design is constantly evolving.<\/p>\n
What was the most dramatic improvement? <\/p>\n
The carefully considered placement of windows in the extension, which opened up beautiful views of Wellington Town\u2019s Belt. It makes the spaces feel more generous, more optimistic in the way they make you look up and out, whilst still achieving a balance of privacy. These windows are the best money we spent. <\/p>\n
Designed to showcase the greenery of Wellington\u2019s Town Belt, the window above the kitchen bench perfectly frames the view. Photo \/ Simon Wilson<\/p>\n
Where did you make savings? <\/p>\n
I stopped work for a year to project-manage the build and also did a lot of the painting, siliconing, and rendering myself. We also sourced materials and fixtures from suppliers ourselves, so we didn\u2019t have to pay the mark-up. My dad is a talented joiner, and he did all the joinery in the house, which also saved us a lot of money. He did the built-in sofa in the lounge, the bench seats in the dining nook (which house all our kids\u2019 crafts on one side and all our shoes in the other), all our wardrobes and kitchen, as well as the joinery in my studio. <\/p>\n
Colour was another affordable design technique we used throughout the interior to evoke mood, reference the history of the house and bring in our own personalities. <\/p>\n
Stainless steel plate kitchen bench, fully tiled bathrooms with a curved shower in one and a sunken bath in the other. <\/p>\n
The kitchen, as it\u2019s where we spend the most time together as a family, and it opens to our lovely courtyard garden. We wanted it to be very simple and elemental in appearance (but fully functional at the same time) and evoke a nice domestic space. <\/p>\n
The dining nook overlooks the rear extension, where the kitchen flows to a courtyard garden. Photo \/ Simon Wilson
The original kitchen, pictured here, is now a dining nook, pictured below.<\/p>\n
What would you never do again? <\/p>\n
Paint the interior ourselves. No more renovations until we can afford to pay someone else to do the painting! While it\u2019s really satisfying to know we painted every surface of the home inside and out ourselves, it was much more work and much more time-consuming than we expected. <\/p>\n
Anything you wish you had done? <\/p>\n
We omitted a skylight in the lounge for cost reasons. We\u2019d love to add it at some point in the future. <\/p>\n
Interior designer and home owner Lucy Coote relaxes in the lounge, on the built-in sofa made by her dad. Photo \/ Simon Wilson
The lounge before interior designer Lucy Coote worked her magic.<\/p>\n
We went over the contract sum, but we had allowed some contingency funds. <\/p>\n
$970,600 ($844K, plus GST) <\/p>\n
Best advice for someone about to renovate? <\/p>\n
Be patient, understand that it\u2019s a process rather than something that happens overnight. Take time to plan things out before you start. Have a clear idea of your priorities. Be prepared for decision fatigue. It\u2019s not like the TV shows, where it all happens at once; there\u2019s still work to do once the builders are gone \u2013 that\u2019s when the home-making begins. <\/p>\n
Your award-winning home has been recognised by the New Zealand Institute of Architects for its excellence. What makes it special to you? <\/p>\n
We considered everything very thoroughly and created a home that perfectly suits us, but will also allow us to grow as a family. Currently, we\u2019ve got a den\/office\/playroom\/music room, but this space will eventually become our primary bedroom. When the girls no longer want to share a bedroom, Mark and I will use this as our bedroom, and Daisy and Margaux can each have their own bedroom. <\/p>\n
We also allowed ourselves to have some fun and do things that would perhaps be hard to get across the line with clients. Some of those decisions have created the special moments within the house that give it personality, such as our sunken bath and curved shower. We also went for a kitchen layout that isn\u2019t traditional, but it\u2019s completely functional. Some people have commented that, in a party situation, the space feels more like a cool bar than a kitchen.<\/p>\n
Floor plans for Lucy Coote and Mark Leong’s Wellington renovation.
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