Karen Burge, co-owner of Good Thing in Mount Albert, shares her home style and reveals how she finds her treasures.

In 2015 Karen Burge and Sarah Twist opened their gift, homewares and clothing store in Mount Albert, Auckland. The women live locally and wanted to open a store offering beautiful things, but they also wanted it to be a friendly and welcoming place. Five years on, they still look forward to going to work every day.

Karen Burge at Good Thing, the homewares, gift and clothing shop in Mount Albert, Auckland, she co-owns with Sarah Twist. The women live locally and wanted their shop to be a welcoming space as well as a place to buy gorgeous wares.

How would you describe your home style?

Our house is a 1921 Californian bungalow that I'd admired from afar for more than 10 years, so I still pinch myself that I live here. My style is a bit of everything… I guess it’s contemporary vintage? While I love beautiful designer items I often have to find a more budget-friendly alternative and vintage delivers that. I don’t do fast fashion for my home… I hate landfill fodder. I like quality items that have been designed with thought.

What inspires you about living in your region?

I’m an Aucklander born and bred and I love so many things about this region. Auckland really is a beautiful city and I love the sea and of course the harbours and the maunga. I really love the multi-cultural people of Auckland and what everyone brings… There is a place for everyone in this city. Great food, good shopping and beautiful green spaces on our doorstep.

What’s the last thing you bought for your home?

I am always buying things for my home and changing things around. I’m a lover of second-hand stores and just did a road trip from Wellington filling the car as I went, so my most recent purchases are a beautiful striped lounge chair with feather seats, some 1970s pottery, an oil painting of a landscape and two 1950s vinyl stools with chrome legs. I also just ordered a beautiful Ercol tallboy – a rare purchase of something brand new. I felt very grown up.

What is your favourite room in your house?

It’s hard to choose as I love all the rooms, but I love our bedroom in the morning. I sit in bed with a cup of tea and the curtains pulled and look out through the bay window to trees and sky, and I can watch the tūī hopping through the kōwhai tree. Weirdly, I also love our hallway as it’s 2m wide and runs though the middle of the house. It welcomes us home and has art hanging and treasures displayed all the way down. My porch is also the perfect cool spot in summer to enjoy a late afternoon gin and tonic.

T Morgan squiggle painting, Fane Flaws print, large Jodi Newnham piece, small Matilda Julian oil, Ikea sideboard.

Which trend do you wish would make a comeback?

For me a home is something you layer up over many years with objects, art and furnishings, in a style that speaks to you. I think you can bring back any trend you love if you reinvent it to suit yourself and your home. Nothing is off limits. If you want a trend to return, then go out and get it. The only person that has to love it is you… and maybe the people you live with.

If money was no object, what would you get for your home?

A beautiful big silk floor rug for my living area and a Patricia Urquiola Tufty Time couch, oh and a genuine Scandinavian sauna room.

Where would you spend the bulk of a renovation budget?

We’ve done a lot of renos on our house over the past three years as nothing had really been touched inside for 50 years, so if I had a reno budget I’d put it into the indoor-outdoor flow and the back garden. I’d add decks, an outdoor room, a spa and pool.

What would you go budget on?

Most things as I have lots of ideas for our home but often not the budget to match, so I get inventive. Second-hand buys have always been my way of getting quality items for my house for just a fraction of what they would cost new. I’ve bought so much stuff on TradeMe over the years, including our current kitchen, which I shipped up from Christchurch. When it comes to furniture I’ve reupholstered, painted, stripped and refinished things to get the look I want. When it comes to renos you can do a lot of things on a budget and you can do a lot of stuff yourself to save money, but don't scrimp on the crowning glories, like a beautiful feature light, a wall of tiles, or your most used furniture, like the couch. Don’t go for a cheaper option if the result is going to annoy you every time you look at it. Save money on something else.

Kinto metal lanterns, Queenie Aitken painting, Japanese dolls, glass dish and Jai Vasicek cross.

You’ve got a day to refresh your house. What do you do?

Clean it! No, seriously I’d change the furniture around, add some new cushions, a new rug or runner, lots of plants in new pots or baskets, re-style the shelves, get rid of all the clutter and hang the art in different places to make it feel fresh and interesting. Scent is also a mood changer so fresh flowers, a diffuser or scented candle works wonders.

What should every home have?

A gorgeous garden is pretty high up the list for me as it’s a source of pleasure to work in it and look out at it. Also, full book shelves, the world’s comfiest couch with lots of feather-filled cushions and woollen throws to snuggle under, a seat in the sun and a fire. I just love the ritual of getting in the wood, lighting the fire and then enjoying cosy heat on a cold night.