Levels of living

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It didn't take long for Mike and Dellany Drew to decide a rambling Christchurch villa was the right place to raise their family.

"We drove past this house when it was open to view and decided to have a look," says Dellany. "By the time we had walked out the back door we knew it would be perfect.

Besides, we knew the neighbourhood really well." As it happened, they were living only a stone's throw away - and determined to move from a townhouse that seemed to be getting smaller by the day, catering for three growing boys as well as Mike's home office.

The 90-year-old villa sits on Christchurch's Port Hills overlooking the sea, and had already been extensively remodelled when they bought it seven years ago. With seven bedrooms over two levels and a large garden, the property had all the space they could want - plus potential for better indoor-outdoor flow. Through his business contacts, Mike, a property investor, found tradespeople who could help the couple stamp their mark on the home. There are generous living areas downstairs, as well as bedrooms and Mike's office.

The next level is a real paradise for the boys - Jack, 14, Flynn, 10, and Will, 7. It has a designated Lego room, a guest bedroom for sleepovers and a teenage retreat and communal kids' lounge that runs the entire width of the villa. "When we moved in the boys wanted to be around us, so for the first six months we all lived downstairs," says Dellany. "Then we decided, 'this is a big house; let's use the space'.

It changed our lives." Jack has adopted the attic space as his own but shares it with his siblings and friends. Carpet with thick underlay ensures the "boy noise" does not reverberate around the house. The walls of the home are painted a warm white, which creates a perfect backdrop for artworks and family photographs.

When the Drews moved in, the home had only one bathroom and two toilets. A cloakroom and toilet next to the master bedroom have been remodelled, extended and relined in porcelain tiles to create a luxury en suite with a freestanding bathtub and large corner shower with two overhead dumpers and six wall-mounted jets. "We wanted the bathroom to be a luxury; extravagant and sumptuous," says Dellany.

Elsewhere there are more offbeat touches, such as the breakfast bar topped with a slab of macrocarpa, which sits on a base of corrugated steel, backlit through slices in the rusted metal. A booth with a matching macrocarpa table top provides an alternative dining nook.

The couple has plans to turn another lounge into a media room when they find the right furniture. They are in no hurry, though, as the home already works well.

Style secrets

Light relief: Mike admits he is a "lighting freak", so the home is a showcase for many lighting features and effects - theatrical, dramatic, extravagant and modernist. "It is an eclectic collection, with surprises inside and out, which is what we intended."

Personal favourites: The Drews have built up their collection of furniture and art over the years to achieve the look they want. "It takes time but it really is worth the wait."

Think outside: Prepare for all weather. Pictured above, roll-away awnings, a louvre ceiling and a gas heater allow al fresco dining all year round.

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