Suzanna Pearson loves her 1910 villa so much that she has written a book about it, and now she is taking the brave step of opening it to the public for one day.
It’s one of six houses on the Cancer Society Nelson Tasman Historical Homes Tour on Sunday 6 April that can be viewed by purchasing tickets for the fundraiser.
For Suzanna, it was love at first sight when she walked into the Edwardian villa nearly 30 years ago, and even though she moved overseas with her family for many years, she insisted on keeping it so they could one day return and call it home.
“I remember the minute I walked in the door I couldn’t talk. Then I saw the coal range and I thought: ‘done’.”
For a few years, they enjoyed the Richmond house with a young family and carried out some restoration work but then rented it to tenants while they went to live and work in the United States.
“We thought about selling it while we were in the US, but I just couldn’t do it. I felt sick every time I thought about selling it. I don’t know what it is, but this house has really got it’s claws into me.”
Since they returned four years ago, they have been immersed in sanding, painting and building to turn it into a modern home, while retaining the features and originality that first captured her heart. When they built a proper bathroom, she added a time capsule into the wall cavity that includes a note saying: “you better love this house, or I’ll be back to haunt you”.
The modern kitchen is still the original lean-to at the back of the house, and though Suzanna finally had to give up the cream-and-green coal range because it couldn’t be restored, the brick surround remains around a wood burner and even the rack that once sat above it. When they built a walk-in pantry at the end of the kitchen, she planned it in a way to view the collected crockery and kitchen items of the villa’s era.
“All my life, I’ve just loved old things,” she says.
Photos of the villa show it in a state of disrepair at one time in its life and Suzanna has included an advertisement in her book that shows it was rented for one pound per week in 1931, then later sold for 800 pounds.
Suzanna has added her own flair to the house and the bright yellow front door is a clue to what is inside. She calls her style ‘retro pop’, and it makes a statement, including bold artwork in the hallway which is actually strips of wallpaper.
This is Cancer Society Nelson Tasman’s sixth year running the tour.
Tickets for the self-guided tour can be purchased at www.cancernelson.org.nz
