A family affair

Being the first of her four sisters to own a house meant Melissa Field's do-up had the undivided attention of her father Jeff. "After this, Dad won't want to do another house," she laughs. Her husband, Paul, roped his father, Brian, in to help as well.

The Fields certainly needed all the help they could get. Their former student flat had borer in the floorboards, which had been shellacked and carpeted. The walls were stained and cracked.

One potential buyer pointed out the borer holes under the house and told her son, "Look at that. This house is gone," Paul recalls. "I thought, 'awesome. We've got character floorboards under here'," he says. "Now we've got these beautiful honey-coloured floors that were hidden under layers and layers of shellac and the old carpet. They give the house warmth."

While the home was in pretty bad nick, the couple knew it was structurally sound because they had asked a builder to check whether it was salvageable. When he gave it the thumbs-up, the hard work began, with the couple working most weekday evenings and putting in long weekends for six months. Those cracks in the walls were fixed and the walls and ceilings were stripped. Paul and Melissa ripped up the old carpet and the floors were sanded.

Melissa picked up some skills from her father during the renovations. Having watched him tile the bathroom, she took on the job of tiling the kitchen splashback herself. The sunny kitchen retains much of its original character, including the cupboard doors and stainless-steel bench.

The couple did rip out the old under-bench corner cupboards to create a space for a butcher's block that works as storage, extra bench space and a trolley. They considered replacing their kitchen windows, which open to the deck, then reconsidered. "We looked at quotes for putting in bifolds but they were horrendous so we took these off, stripped and repainted them and rehung them," Paul says. They had a different sort of dilemma when it came to restoring the two Victorian fireplaces - the cost of doing the work was so high they decided to install central heating for about the same price.

One kitchen wall has been covered in blackboard paint and is host to memos, children's drawings and shopping lists. Elsewhere, the home serves as a great backdrop for their art and collectables. Paul, an art consultant, and Melissa, a teacher, love cooking and entertaining, and visitors often retreat to the deck to take in the urban views.

In the bathroom, rotten floorboards were replaced and the space reconfigured to include a shower. Despite the inconvenience of not having a proper kitchen or bathroom for some time, Paul and Melissa are glad they did the renovation work one room at a time. "We didn't want to be extravagant," Paul explains.

"This was our chance to learn. It's not perfect and it's not cushy but it has character. We love it and we plan on being here a long time."

Style tips

Black magic: The Fields first planned to paint their kauri fire surround glossy black, but instead put a large ornate mirror with a black frame above the fireplace. It ties in with the vintage 1940s lamps and favourite art pieces.
Right white: By painting their walls white with a hint of grey (for warmth), the Fields showcased their art.
Changing look: The Fields kept moving furniture around until they got the look they were after.

* Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden.