It's Hard to Picture This Gorgeous 125-Year-Old House Ever Being "Drab, Dull, and Brown"

"One-hundred-and-twenty-five years is a long time - especially for the home owned by practicing artist and mural painter Libby Chambers and her husband, Aaron. During that extensive history, it likely housed several families and has even been "chopped in half and relocated, from a nearby town, to a 5-acre block in the country," Libby explains. Twelve years ago, just a year after the mid-Canterbury, New Zealand home was relocated, the couple moved into the three-bedroom house."

"Libby and Aaron were both skilled DIYers and wanted to modernize the home for their young family (two sons and a pup) while also respecting the house's history and original character. "Aaron is very handy and has done most of the building work himself," Libby says. "Most of our furniture has been found in secondhand stores and restored by us.""

"When the family first moved in, Libby described the home as "unfinished, drab, dull, and brown," but since essentially updating almost every room in their house, it's now full of wonderful details that were crafted on a budget. Not only did the couple move their front door, but they also completely renovated the bathroom, updated the kitchen and dining room, and even built a deck and veranda."

The 125-year-old farmhouse was relocated to a 5-acre block in mid-Canterbury, New Zealand, and later became the family home of Libby and Aaron. The homeowners are skilled DIYers who prioritized modernizing the three-bedroom house for their young family while retaining original character. They restored secondhand furniture, moved the front door, renovated the bathroom, updated the kitchen and dining room, and built a deck and veranda. Many projects were completed on a budget, and the home continues to evolve as pieces are carefully selected and the family’s needs change.

Read at Apartment Therapy