Home on a hill

Building a home on a narrow, sloping site is not for the faint-hearted - especially if you've never owned or built a house before. But Emma Febvre-Richards and Francois Febvre were looking forward to building in the Wellington hillside suburb of Ngaio, especially as they had been renting draughty old railway cottages for seven years while Francois established his restaurant business and they raised their two daughters, Margaux, now aged 9, and Manon, 6.

"Coming from the warmth of Provence to uninsulated Kiwi houses was a shock," recalls Francois. "We were determined to have as warm a house as possible, so we installed underfloor heating and louvre windows that keep out the wind."

The couple, who met in Britain while New Zealander Emma was studying fine art, came to Wellington to live in 1996 after five years in Provence. They were drawn to Ngaio because of its proximity to the bush and to Francois' restaurant, and one day while out walking they saw a skinny, steep section that had been on the market for months.

In 2003 the couple commissioned another French/Kiwi pair, Cecile Bonnifait and William Giesen from Atelier Workshop, to realise their vision of a home with good insulation and lots of storage, light open-plan spaces that maximised sunshine, and a view over the valley.

"They really understood our need to make the most of the 120sq m space, so they incorporated elements such as soaring ceilings to make it look bigger and used sliding doors throughout that give us more room to play with," says Emma.

The architects also made clever use of windows so the family could maintain their privacy despite being surrounded by neighbours.

The entrance to the house takes you straight into the open-plan kitchen/dining/living area, where white walls provide the background for art by Emma and her all-female art collective, Sub-Art. Emma took charge of a lot of the design decisions in the home, but Francois asserted himself in the kitchen.

"We entertain most weekends and I want to see my guests while I cook," he says. "My only non-negotiables were a decent stove and twin sinks."

A granite slab bought at a recycler's yard for $30 has been inserted into the stainless steel benchtop and is an ideal surface for making pastry.

The couple's collection of furniture and fittings is shaped by Emma's artistic eye and her fondness for rescuing and recycling furniture. Many pieces, including the dining, coffee and bedside tables and the desk in the office, have come from second-hand shops.

Emma's friends often call her the "queen of recycling", which she takes as a compliment. "When you don't have a lot of money to spend, it forces you to be creative and come up with other solutions."

Style Tips

Honest materials: If you can't afford top-end materials, don't try to imitate them with cheaper products. Emma and Francois used Melteca, MDF and strand-board and say they would never try to disguise these cost-effective materials.

Be thorough: When building, use an architect and don't rush the design or building phases. Think through every detail and don't be pushed into hasty decisions.

Storage rules: Incorporate as much storage space into your designs as possible. Along with Emma's many artworks, the couple have furniture and collectables from all over the world and needed room to store them.