House with Antique and Vintage Furniture

The place of Vanaka, where decorator Anna Begg decided to settle down, is considered one of the most picturesque in New Zealand, so the girl was lucky at least with the views from her windows. The 400-square-meter house she bought seemed dark and unexpressive to Anna.

The house was old and Edwardian, and extensive renovation work was ahead. However, the presence of numerous ornate windows indicated that the space would still be filled with light. Of course, inside there would be something special and stylish – otherwise, it couldn’t be otherwise in the decorator’s home.

It turned out just like that. First of all, Anna painted the walls and ceiling white, leaving some beams dark in certain rooms, framed windows with light textiles, and planned a warm sand palette for the floors. The finishing touched up dramatically.

As for the styling, the owner didn’t hesitate long and decorated the interior in her favorite vintage style.

By the time she bought the house, Anna already had quite a collection of old items with great potential. Some were real rarities, such as the writing desk where Anna’s grandfather sat even in elementary school or the coffee table from India found at a flea market.

Of course, totally filling the house with old items would be at least strange—even if they were very charming. Anna mixes vintage with furniture from travels (for example, the hanging woven chair in the living room was brought from Bali), and supplements it with items from her own antique shop.

The decorator is convinced: it's better to buy one expensive, timeless interior item a year rather than frequently update the décor with cheap things that quickly lose relevance. It seems like she’s right.