How would you describe your home?

My husband and I have moved from a sprawling five bedroom home with five children, to a gorgeous two-bedroom cottage with one child left at home. We’ve always had a casual, relaxed environment full of art, colour and mid-century pieces, but we’ve learned to operate on a strict one-thing-in and one-thing-out rule. This rule obviously does not apply to shoes, children or pets.

The Axe's oak-framed two-seater Rapaki sofa, $1,995, from The Axe has impeccable mid-century proportions.

What inspires you about living where you do?

Wellington is such a cool place with so much to do and I love the wild nature of our weather. Working at our airport store with an uninterrupted view of the runway, you certainly appreciate how wild it can be at times. We live beside Wellington Zoo in a street lined with magnolias and surrounded by pohutukawa – it’s lovely to be around so much native birdsong, not so much the screeching gibbons at dawn.

The last thing you bought for your home?

Two hundred tulip bulbs. I plan to plant them densely in vintage tubs.

Favourite room in the house?

Without question, the kitchen. It’s where the cheese and wine are kept and also where the children congregate
when they are home.

Trend you wish would make a comeback?

The classic 1970s conversation pit. I love how they are slightly secret and built just for socialising.

If money were no object, what would you buy?

An original mid-century chair is top of the list. I saw some of the most incredible chairs in Copenhagen last year. In the meantime, we’re lucky enough to design furniture and have incredible craftspeople realise the designs. The Rapaki chair takes pride of place in my home.

Where would you spend the bulk of your renovation budget?

Flooring and joinery, quality products and attention to detail will make the difference. I also have a crush on black steel joinery.

What would you spend less on?

Dining chairs. Let’s face it, they take a hammering, are often situated in sunny spots and you need a lot of them. You can get stunning, well-made chairs at a very reasonable price.

You’ve got a day to refresh your house – what do you do?

Have an art refresh. It’s too easy to hang some art in a particular place and never look at it again. Take everything down and have a really good think about new and interesting combinations and places for each piece. If it all gets too much, I can’t recommend highly enough hiring a professional art installer.

What should every home have?

Plants of every size, colour and personality. They’re great for de-stressing your home and bringing real life to any room.