Interiors: Mix and match

Katrina McKenzie's Auckland home. Photo / Your Home & Garden

An Auckland couple combined their own style with the original features of their new city home.

Changing jobs also meant a change to the way Katrina McKenzie styled her home.

McKenzie became the marketing and retail manager for Citta Design at the same time she bought an Eden Terrace home with Francis Glenday last August. And she attributes the more feminine look of this home - when compared with their previous house - to her new job.

"Before this, I would have said I had a particular style and I liked to stick to it," she says.

"I worked for Cite, which stocks high-end international furniture brands, selling masculine, clean-lined designs. Then I began working at Citta Design, which has homewares that are more feminine and decorative, and my style has evolved. I have more pretty things in my home now compared with purely functional items. But I'm not a frilly person - I know where to draw the line."

Because McKenzie and film editor Glenday are both busy in their jobs and planning their upcoming wedding, as well as caring for his son Jules, 10, and her son Liam, 6, they deliberately bought a home that didn't require work.

"The last thing we wanted was to be working on a renovation," she says.

The previous owner had renovated the home while retaining original features such as the high ceilings, wooden floors and fireplace surround.

"The house had also been well insulated and a home ventilation system, gas fireplace and heat pump were installed, so it is warm and dry, which is a luxury in a home built in this era," McKenzie says.

When McKenzie first saw the house, she looked past the dark wood features and visualised how it could look with their furnishings and styling. As well as some of the latest designer creations, it now features family heirlooms and op shop finds.

Graphics play a huge part, with displays of books, record covers, postcards and concert and travel posters.

Another source of inspiration is the travel that McKenzie does for work.

"Italian women are meticulous when it comes to presenting their homes and this has rubbed off on me," she says.

"When I travel, I look out for interesting interior ideas and the use of new and old designer furniture."

She is a believer in the concept of collage - combining different styles instead of building the entire interior around a certain look.

"I like my home to be full of many things that I love for different reasons - not because they match because of colour or style."

Style tips

Foundation pieces: McKenzie's advises investing in a few great things and then mixing them with whatever you have. "Record covers grace our lounge walls, blending graphic design and music, which are two of our favourite things."

Ban the box: The couple have chosen to keep their living area television-free. "We listen to music, do crosswords, play Scrabble, read and talk - it's a happy space, where everyone interacts."

Seasonal change: McKenzie likes to change the look of a room with seasonal accessories. "I've bought a new duvet cover for our bedroom. It's a beautiful Chinese-inspired lattice design. It gives the room a sophisticated look."

* Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. For the full story on this house see the latest issue of the magazine.