At Home With Becks
We visited the beautiful North Shore home of our Birkenhead store stylist Beck: a 1960's weatherboard bungalow full of calming colours & textures to inspire.
Tell us about you and your home and the people who love with you?
I’m Beck and I’m an Interior stylist here at A&C. I live in a 1960’s white weatherboard bungalow in Auckland with my husband, my son Beau and our cat Thumbs.
We bought the house 2 years ago, though we had actually been renting it for 7 years before that. When we got the opportunity to buy the house, it was a no brainer, we’d already spent endless hours discussing what we would do to the house if it was ours and we’d created some awesome memories here. Not forgetting the panoramic views of the Harbour Bridge and Sky Tower from the kitchen and city views from the garden. So by the time we bought the house we already had a million plans in our head. Within the first 6 months we were knocking down walls , demolishing the kitchen and sanding back the Matai floors …. a note to anyone renovating, don’t catch covid in the same week you rip your kitchen out…to say it was challenging would be putting it lightly!
What’s the last thing you bought for your home?
The A&C Quilt in oatmeal and I’m completely obsessed, it is without doubt my best winter purchase so far.
How would you describe your design style?
Having grown up in the UK I have always adored period properties, think high ceilings, cornicing, ceiling roses and large sash windows, a Parisian style apartment would be my absolute dream - though a Ponsonby villa would be lovely too. My husband and I are huge fans of minimalist styling, though sadly our house doesn’t really lend itself to a minimalist look (this is where the spacious Parisian loft apartment would come in handy!). So instead we try to have as little clutter around the house as possible.
I love natural materials so it was important when doing our renovations that there was a good balance of new and ‘old’, the last thing I wanted was for everything to look all new and shiny and straight out of a box. Op shopping was great for ceramics and mixed in with natural stone and rustic wooden pieces I also collected along the way, I think I’ve created a comfortable balance.
My favourite room without doubt is the master bedroom. With its floor to ceiling windows, purposefully bare walls, and a simple and natural colour pallet, I wanted to create a space that was really calming, light and airy and I could honestly spend all day in there.
The hallway is a completely different vibe and with intention. Whilst the rest of the house is styled in neutral tones, the hallway i felt was the perfect space to do something a little different. The steel framed sliding door into the kitchen was the first thing I locked into the design plan and is my little piece of European loft style living. I knew this was the space where I wanted to add some colour and make a bit of a statement and artwork is definitely where I feel most comfortable doing this. I’ve always been a fan of Bauhaus and love how the prints lead the eye to another favourite print of mine by Hanna Peterson. The 1940’s pendant light from the Czech Republic was a birthday present from Luke and probably my proudest find and it finishes this space perfectly.
Any advice for creating a home you love?
Take your time and don’t rush the process! It’s so tempting when you are creating a new space to just fill it as quickly as possible or fill it with whatever is currently trending, but i really believe you should only bring pieces into your home that you either love or that have meaning to you. It doesn’t matter if that space on the wall or corner of the room stays empty for a while, if you fill it just for the sake of filling it you will find you haven’t actually filled it with something that brings you joy. Oh and mood boards…lots of mood boards!
Proudest DIY.
I’m generally not great or very confident when it comes to DIY. I’m that person that knocks 10 holes into a wall just to hang that one art print . However I did paint every room and all ceilings in the house by myself, and although not a difficult job I am proud to be here to tell the tale because once you have painted your fifth room in a row white, the will to live has most definitely left you by that point!
The coolest place you’ve been to;
Glastonbury Festival 1999…there is no place cooler!
Best cup of coffee / tea is at:
Oh gosh I actually don’t drink coffee or tea I can’t stand it, that also goes for avocados and wine so yes, I am constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for my New Zealand residency to be promptly revoked!
Your go-to local eatery:
Cotto on K Road is a favourite for Italian and they do the most delicious vegetarian options. When we fancy something a little spicier then Saan in Ponsonby is incredible!
Favourite interior account to follow;
A&C of course! Also @thelocalproject @apartment_34
If you could bring back a fashion or home trend what would it be;
I wouldn’t - like all trends do, it died for a reason!