The now-lovely house on a Napier hilltop that was a firm no on first viewing

This story is from the team at NZ House & Garden magazine and ran in our March issue, which went to print before Cyclone Gabrielle. We have since checked in with Dael and family and their home is fine.

Dael Brady delivered a firm “no, this is not for us” response to the real estate agent who showed her the Napier hilltop property she now calls home.

But then she got thinking about her skill base and decided that, actually, it was a project she was perfectly equipped to tackle.

Dael, who’s the Brady half of Hawke’s Bay interior design company Bibby + Brady, says the home’s layout was severely compromised, and she was well aware of what it would cost to put that right. “I got thinking, ‘I can do this, if we move a few walls’,” she says.

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“Once I sorted out in my head how it would work and visualised a floor plan, I felt confident and happy to move forward. Once I had a plan, I was away. After all, about 80% of the homes we go into [for work] don’t have great flow, so I’m used to dealing with that.”

It’s been six years since the “no” became “yes”. Renovation began immediately in line with Dael’s vision, with walls being removed and spaces reconfigured to create a workable family home for her and her daughters, Neve and Ruby, now aged 17 and 16, as well as Monty the cat.

The main reason Dael initially baulked at buying the house was because it had previously been divided into two separate dwellings – one upstairs, one down – with a kitchen and laundry for each. There was much to change.

A top priority was opening up the main living areas downstairs and adding decks. Dael has always believed that the removal of just two walls can unlock a whole house – and she proved herself right.

It was farewell to the sunroom and laundry walls, and hello to a larger “harmonious, sunny and usable open-plan, main living space”. She also created a pantry, and the laundry was relocated to a cupboard in the family bathroom.

Upstairs, a second lounge is now the main bedroom. There was no point having a living area so far away from the fridge, reasoned Dael. The upstairs kitchen is now the main bedroom’s walk-in wardrobe.

The girls each have a bedroom downstairs, a third bedroom serves as an office and another became the family’s media room where a custom-made sofa nearly fills the width of the room – perfect for movie-watching. Wall panelling was added to this room to create architectural interest, Dael explains, then painted navy blue Resene Blue Night to create an inviting, cosy vibe.

“This room is one of the coldest, darkest rooms, so I painted it blue to embrace that. Colour always pays you back, you get a lot out of the right colour,” she advises.

Panelling has also been added to the main hallway and references the home’s origins as a 1930s art deco bungalow.

While most of the interior walls of the house are painted a “really warm” white called Resene Half Bianca, dramatic wallpapers have been used to add interest to otherwise non-eventful areas, such as the stairwell. Dael plans to paper her wardrobe next: “It’s joyful and unexpected to add colour, texture and pattern to those small hardworking spaces. The laundry is another example.”

Trying different colours and materials, as well as sourcing various products, comes with the job for Dael and business partner Vic Bibby. Material and product knowledge is “massively” important, so the two often use their own homes as testing grounds. This is how Dael ended up with her new kitchen’s porcelain benchtop and splashback, and walnut timber features. She loves the timber for its natural qualities and the warmth it exudes, while the porcelain is wonderfully practical and looks great.

Temptation is part of the territory when you work in interior design and Dael confesses to going weak at the knees over art and light fittings.

A pair of David Trubridge lights add wow factor to the hallway, there’s a floral fabric number in the entranceway and Dael was drawn by the “freshness and organic shape” of the lights suspended from the dining room and lounge ceilings.

“As for art, I am definitely the person who would sit on a deck chair and instead put my money into a piece of art. I have been like that for a wee while, with about 90% of my art by New Zealanders and mostly from Hawke’s Bay,” says Dael. There are artworks by Robyn Fleet, photographer Florence Charvin (who photographed this feature) and by Dael’s neighbour Bridget Oliver. Then there’s work by Billie, Leanne and Brian Culy – “we love that whole creative family,” says Dael.

The Bibby + Brady duo have a collective desire to create spaces that have style and longevity; spaces that are welcoming and encourage people to linger.

Dael feels she has achieved this within her home – although there are a few more projects on the drawing board. She is quick to point out the exterior is in desperate need of attention.

“My challenge is to put the design intention back to the outside. It’s a bad 1980s extension on top of a 1930s stucco art deco home. I want to marry the two together and know I can do so by adding softening architectural detail to the top floor.”

It will be worth the effort, says Dael, who loves her home’s hilltop location and the convenience of being two minutes away from work at a renovated warehouse in Ahuriri. “Where I live really suits my life.”

Q&A with Dael Brady

Top renovation tip: Add panelling to give texture, interest and a bit of drama. It’s a reasonably priced way of putting an architectural detail back into a house.

Money well spent: I did a lot of research before adding a substantial heat pump that heats or cools the core of our house. We also double glazed some windows, which made a massive difference. People are so much happier if they are warm.

An interior designer’s advice: Plan. You will be asked hundreds of questions when renovating so the better the plan, the better equipped you are to answer those. Surround yourself with a trusted team of professionals to help make decisions that are considered and right as opposed to rushed – often the case if you are time-poor and trying to do this on your own.

Favourite purchase: My long green sofa in the media room because it’s custom-made to fit and we got to choose the fabric. I also love my round, stone coffee table with round legs in the main living area. Both the couch and table represent my style in that they are relaxed, modern and classic.

Favourite piece of art: The Robyn Fleet piece which I specially commissioned. She created it just as dawn was about to break and it reminds me of a new day, new hope, new possibilities.

Favourite local eatery: Te Awanga Estate for lunch, sitting on the hillside overlooking the vineyards with a grazing platter and wine.