Our new house

My first big do-up was a sweet cottage, my second a somewhat larger arts and crafts-style bungalow (top) that we often used as a location for NZ House & Garden shoots. Both were pretty, feminine and white. My third – not a solo project but one involving a husband and a large extended family – is very different. A mid-century house set in a kauri grove, it poses building challenges we never anticipated and a complete change of aesthetic. That's a pic of it in all its unrrenovated glory above.

This is the inspiration for our new home. We have rather lofty aspirations. This is a picture of the Philip Johnson Glass House, an uber famous example of mid-century modern architecture. If only...