Interior designer Tania Earwaker is used to working with clients who have high standards. But one of the toughest people she has ever had to please in transforming a home has been herself.
"I am very fussy," she concedes. "I put a lot of thought into things, and they haveto be just right."
A feature wall in the living area of her Epsom villa is a case in point.
Tania wanted a brick-clad wall between the original part of the home and a new extension, and re-using bricks from a chimney that had been removed from the master bedroom would have made sense. But they weren't quite the right shade for Tania.
"The builders thought I was mad, but those bricks were too terracotta-y. I had to hunt around until I found ones that were exactly what I wanted."
It is this kind of attention to detail that has given Tania and her family -- husband Perry and children Spencer and Phoebe -- with a stunning home that combines the character and charm of a traditional villa with the style and practicality of a contemporary home.
Although the aesthetic appeal is, of course, very important to Tania, functionality is also crucial.
"The house has to work for the people living in it, and this house has worked really well for us."
Tania and Perry bought the house 11 years ago. They'd been living next door, and sold that house after completing a major renovation.
Keen to stay in the area, they asked the owner of number 83, which had been tenanted for some time, if they could buy it, and shortly afterwards moved in.
The house today bears very little resemblance to the tired villa the couple bought then.
They lived in it for several years before beginning the makeover, which Tania says was a good idea because they got a good feel for the property and how they wanted to use it.
One of the first things they did was put a swimming pool in the back garden.
Work then began on adding a large extension across the back of the house, creating a living/dining/kitchen where the family spends most of its time.
The original lounge at the front of the house became Perry's and Tania's bedroom and now has double wardrobes and a spacious en suite.
On the other side of the wide central hall are three more bedrooms. Tania has indulged her love of wallpaper in two of them, choosing a striking geometric pattern for a feature wall in Phoebe's room, and a padded-upholstery effect in the spare room, which also features original panelling.
A lounge/media room can be closed off from the living area by a swivelling door and it's a cosy spot for watching TV or reading books.
The main living area includes a designer kitchen with composite stone benches, large pantries and sliding windows that open to the deck.
"This is the sociable part of the house," says Tania. "We can get a lot of people in here, and even more if it is fine and the doors out to the deck are open."
Despite the addition of the swimming pool, the back garden is still spacious enough for a large expanse of lawn and a studio with an en suite bathroom. It's currently used as a playroom by the kids, but could be another bedroom or a home office.
A smaller office has already been cleverly tucked away next to the kitchen -- one of the many thoughtful concepts Tania incorporated into the renovation of the home.
Though Tania and Perry are delighted with their completely transformed home, and love living just a few minutes' walk from Mt Eden village, they have fallen for another property and have decided the time has come to move on.
