Feature article
Transforming a traditional Christchurch home into a family-friendly oasis
A post-earthquake masterpiece.
By all accounts, when this grand, six-bedroom home came onto the market in 2021, many potential buyers took one look and baulked. With its bold blue, green and yellow walls, a lounge sunken not by mid-century style but by the Ōtautahi/Christchurch earthquake, and a vast footprint, the project’s scope was just too daunting for most people. But Isabelle and Tim Weston are not most people. “We just saw potential,” shrugs Isabelle. “We knew straight away we could do something special here.”
It helped that the couple had a first-rate back catalogue of renovations, most recently the revival of Isabelle’s childhood home: The Britten Stables. You may have caught the project on Grand Designs or Instagram, where Isabelle generously led followers through their painstaking post-earthquake fix. Transforming it into their family home and business (boutique accommodation and venue), they were finally coming out the other side when Covid hit, and bookings waned.
The dining room’s mirrored wall and floating cabinet were inherited, but were sharpened up with fresh paint and handles. Before renovating, the space was closed off to the kitchen, so connecting walls were opened for a more practical flow. The Cara dining table and chairs are from Coco Republic, the bowl and candle holder from BoConcept, the Koru rug from Freedom Furniture, and the linen lantern is from Home Lab Store.
“Suddenly, we had to work much harder for far less gain. We had to rethink things,” explains Isabelle. “We asked ourselves, ‘Do we want to spend time with our kids when they’re young, or do we want to own this house?’” It was no contest. They sold The Stables, bought this home and a new project began. “The former owners loved this place and had put all their personality into it; it needed a new family to do the same,” she says. What that boiled down to for the Westons was a three-pronged plan.
Stage one involved modernising the 1990s dwelling with fresh paint, finishes and bathrooms. “I didn’t feel like I had to take away a lot; it was just about toning things down and changing the colours to match our personality,” says Isabelle. In the foyer, the original marble floor, wall panelling, tall doors and glossy finish remain, complemented by a fresh, pared-back palette. “When we bought it, the blue paintwork was intense — and it was everywhere,” says Tim. “We had to use three coats of Dulux Super Hide just to get it back to neutral.” The entrance walls are now finished with matte stone paint; its subtle texture plays up as sunlight and shadows stream through the space.
Isabelle engaged Finesse Joinery on the fitout of the kitchen, opting for soft grey cupboards with Lo & Co’s Sphere Pull polished brass handles. The benchtop is from The Granite Benchtop Company and is made from two unique book-matched pieces, aligned so the grain matches up. The installers even painted the grout between the pieces to match the grain, making it appear as one enormous stone slab.
The bathrooms, with blue carpet and cramped showers, required a more intensive intervention. Stripping back the existing, the couple honed in on a palette of marble, brass accents, neutral tiles and textured glass. It’s a modern, light aesthetic, but it fits the architecture, melding into the structure in a way that feels comfortable and familiar. “A home has its own personality and if you try to change that, it looks ridiculous,” explains Isabelle. “My taste skews towards raw, natural materials, so I used those principles of texture and warm tones, but with a more polished finish.”
By pinning down that aesthetic early on, the couple had clear parameters to work with in the second stage — that wonky lounge damaged in the earthquake. The space was all kinds of awkward. Lime green, with a low ceiling and unlevel floor, it served as a clumsy link between the house and pool.
The billiard table in the bar area belonged to Isabelle's grandfather. "We use this room all the time in winter when we're entertaining," says Tim.
“We went to W2 Architecture asking for something simple, and what they came back with blew us away,” says Tim. “They listened and then over-delivered.” Replacing the offending lounge with a sprawling outdoor design, the architects also extended and reoriented the kitchen so that the spaces flowed together in a cohesive, family-focused experience.
From the kitchen, you now spill straight out to a sheltered courtyard, complete with built-in barbecue, fireplace, sauna, outdoor bath, conservatory, extended patio and refinished indoor pool. Protected by a towering transparent roof and louvred ceiling, the design flawlessly blurs the boundary between inside and out. The architects also made good use of the lounge’s sole remaining wall by puncturing it with a glamorous arched window and tacking on a built-in seat.
Originally a staircase to the lower level, this passage is now a craft space, with three stations set up on Mocka’s scalloped Maisie desks. “We were going to make it into storage, but I loved the idea of a dedicated space for creating,” says Isabelle. A datum line in Dulux Fantail wraps the room, where upcycled chairs were re-covered by Moto Trim using leftover leather from the kitchen banquette. A carpet runner from the Persian Rug Gallery adds colour, along with artworks including those by Adaline and Raphaela.
Softening the hardscaping with garden beds and using wall and roof louvres for shelter, the space is split into zones — to gather and to escape. “I wanted it to feel like you’re in a resort, at home,” says Isabelle. Safe to say she met the brief. Rolling down into the garden, fragrant roses, cosmos and dahlias circle the lawn and buxus-bordered beds. Established trees create a privacy screen from the 16-odd neighbouring houses, while the vegetable plot is tucked around the back.
“After we sold The Stables, I wanted to step back and do something I was interested in, so I studied floristry online. I’ve taken those principles and put them into my own garden,” says Isabelle. The final stage of the project will see her showcase those skills as they replant the driveway for a more impactful entrance.
There’s a casualness to Isabelle and Tim’s home that puts everyone at ease: a warmth that’s remarkably difficult to achieve with a building of such size. It’s beautiful yet robust, with child-friendly considerations subtly woven through the design. Like the curved banquette with its outdoor-grade (aka washable) bouclé cushion and concealed storage. Or the secret door in the kitchen joinery that connects to the family lounge. Ultimately, moving here was about the girls — and the design wraps around whānau life. The house has already faced the ultimate test, hosting 47 children for Raphaela’s fifth birthday. “There was a fairy, face painting, bouncy castle and all of their friends’ families,” says Tim. “The place held up great. It’s meant to be enjoyed.”
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