Interiors: Small but perfectly formed

Juliana Yelavich. Photo / supplied by Your Home and Garden

Juliana Yelavich's home tells a story not only about her love of fabrics but also the friendship she has developed with designer Kathleen Haines.

The two met about 12 years ago, when Yelavich lived in her first home in the Auckland suburb of Sandringham, near Haines' design store, Uno.

"I'd call in and see one or two things I liked and get an idea of what worked for me and what didn't," says Yelavich, who owns Volapuk Design International, a streetwear design company.

Her next move, to an apartment, allowed her to build up some of the foundation pieces that she still has today, such as her Uno-designed couch and her vintage Noguchi coffee table.

"I loved the couch but I wondered whether it was going to fit and work in the space. Kathleen offered to come and have a look and our working relationship evolved from there," she says. "Her 'eye' has helped me refine my own style and I've learned to appreciate how big pieces can work in small spaces."

When Yelavich moved to her current home in Ponsonby, she again sought Haines' advice — especially in regard to making the spaces work better for her particular circumstances. Yelavich regularly has her two nieces and nephew stay over, and her extended Croatian family is an important part of her life.

Kathleen suggested some layout changes that have opened up the interior and connected it to the outdoors.

"It was a little Pandora's box," says Haines. "Now Juliana has a lot of house and a lot of outside living as well."

Part of that process was removing a fireplace in the formal lounge and a coal range on the other side of the wall in the reading room, to better connect the spaces in the house.

Now, a vibrant print curtain acts as a divider between the two areas.

"I didn't really want to close the room off," says Yelavich. "This separates the spaces but still gives the house a really cosy feel. Everyone comments on it because this curtain is such an eye-catching feature within the house."

Yelavich then slowly brought more furniture, artworks and family mementoes into her renovated home.

"I like modern lines with a bit of retro, but with softness," she says. "To me there has to be something individual in each piece."

Style tips
Buy once, buy well: Invest in well-made furniture when buying a big-ticket item. Do your research and look around before making a choice.

Read and learn: Juliana Yelavich has several files packed with pages torn from magazines that have helped inspire the look of her home.

Small scale: If you have a small home, group together small items with a common element rather than spreading them around a room. Arrange photos together on a wall and display small mementoes alongside larger items.

Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. See the latest issue, on sale now, for more achievable home ideas.