Mixing work and play

What makes house-hunters fall in love with one home rather than another? For many it's the view from the street, the indoor-outdoor flow, or the entertainer's kitchen. But for Dan Hanks, it was the ability to combine lots of activities into one space. Well, that and the carparking.

Dan and his partner Sonia Pivac had been searching for a warehouse conversion for some time when they came across a former welding school in Onehunga. It was hard to see any potential in the dingy building, but when he found out it came with four carparks, Dan was sold. "That was a deal-maker," laughs Sonia. "For some crazy, unexplainable reason, Dan collects Volvos. At last count, we had five of them outside." Sonia took a lot more convincing.

"[She] took one look at it, and whispered, 'No way!' and went back to the car," says Dan. But he managed to get her out of the car to take another look at the dark, cobweb-infested building - and she eventually came around to his way of thinking. "Its charms were not immediately apparent but, with a bit of imagination, I could see what could be done to the place," she says. "It was obviously going to take a lot of creativity and effort, but it was a good proposition."

The next challenge was to convince the building's owners, from whom they were leasing the space, to allow them to convert the warehouse into a home. "Without this we would not have taken it on," says Dan.

When the owners gave them the green light, the couple began formulating plans for the building. They wanted to create a space where they could live, work and play. The couple decided to use bold colours to bring the decor alive, repainting every downstairs surface in the two-level space. "We wanted to have some fun in a space that was practically a blank canvas," says Sonia. "We spent a lot of 'wine-time' discussing what could be done, with the occasional far-fetched idea thrown in."

While it was obvious not much time or money had been spent on the interior, the building had a good structure for multiple uses. The couple work from home, where Sonia runs an interactive media business specialising in New Zealand Sign Language resources, so it was important that the space functioned as a home and office.

"The warehouse itself, despite being rather grim at first appearances, had a good layout," explains Dan. "It wasn't dilapidated as such, but it appeared to have had a few previous occupiers who had only practical purposes in mind, as you'd expect with a working warehouse. We were keen on keeping the industrial feel, but the bright orange and lilac walls had to go."

One of the major alterations was moving the kitchen downstairs. "We decided to save ourselves a journey up and down the stairs by moving it to the lower level," says Dan.

Removing a wall dividing the two upstairs offices created space for the master bedroom. Upstairs, the tatty and smelly polypropylene carpet was removed. "We decided to lay cork tiles and, to keep the warehouse theme alive, we coloured a walking strip around the upstairs hall and bedroom, imitating the safety lines you find in factories," he says. The couple also replaced the old ceiling and installed insulation. "When we moved in there was an old, stained suspended ceiling like you might find in a derelict office," says Dan.

"We started taking the worst panels off and a 10-minute job [to paint it] turned into a project that took about three months." With the conversion almost complete, Sonia and Dan are looking forward to more "wine time" - of the celebratory kind.

"It's taken almost a year, so it's time to bring out that special bottle of wine we've been keeping," Sonia says.


Industrial look

Home comforts: Sonia and Dan found it easier to make the warehouse feel like home by taking their time and seeing what inspiration came from living in the space. However, Sonia did insist on a walk-in wardrobe. Dan, who makes and sells industrial-style furniture, made many of the furnishings.

Divide and conquer: To divide the large space, the couple took their cue from the neighbourhood's collection of shipping containers and put one in the main living room to create a room within a room.
Work hard, play hard: The couple created a playful space with a blackboard, bright colours and a football table to help them switch off at the end of the working day.

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