Memphis Robson-Frentz is an artist and mum to teenagers Torbin, 17, and India, 14. She lives in one of Tauranga's oldest houses, Taiparoro Homestead, listed with the Historic Places Trust as a good example of "carpenter Gothic" architecture and one of the few surviving buildings of its era.
The house was built by John Adams in 1882 - he was a mayor. It's on an old Maori pa site. Everything is kauri. There's a ballroom that's got the original parquet flooring and the sarking ceiling and big rosette. It's got a chandelier - we call it the chande-f'ing-lier room - because when my friend and I first came in here it was like "holy s ... , it's got a chandelier".
It was a really social house. There was a tennis court and they'd have tennis parties and those sorts of things. I've been here with the kids for two-and-a-half years now. My marriage split up and I ended up flatting here with a friend. Since she left, I've had a few language students staying and a couple of temporary flatmates. I'm going to open a gallery/studio here next month and a design store. I make jewellery, homewares, T-shirts and things, and I'd like to run workshops on self-empowerment and art.
Memphis is a nickname I've had for ages. I'm quite an emotional bunny. I'll cry at the drop of a hat - I really feel for myself and others. My friends would say "oh, go get her a Memphis Meltdown" - I loved those icecreams ... it started from there.
There's a felt rabbit in my room. He's seen the wars, that rabbit, he's been around. The house is very much a place of calm and healing and my room is the same. It's a cocooning space where I contemplate and meditate and read and dream. I love landscapes at the moment, so there's a few of those in there, plus I get a lovely view of the inner harbour out the window. The bedroom is actually in two halves - there's a stairwell in the middle and the other half is my textile room where I make things.
