Appreciating the old & dated

Inside antique dealers' homes

Kim Newth takes a peek at the lifestyles of those who surround themselves with history.

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With an ornate front door that once graced the entranceway of an old chateau, the home of antique dealers Diane and Wayne Wright oozes French charm.

The couple own a very old house in a tiny French village in the south-west area of the Lot region, where they live for three or four months a year. The Wrights source many of the antiques for their Christchurch store there, as well as during their travels further afield to Spain, England and other parts of France. Diane acknowledges how fortunate they are to be able to combine travel and work as they do.

Their migratory lifestyle is echoed in their Fendalton home, which has an eclectic array of antique pieces from different periods. Among the many antique French walnut pieces is a suite of rococo seats and an inlaid 1850 sideboard, or bombe buffet.

The elegant 54-year-old house, once the home of tennis player Anthony Wilding, freely mixes modern comforts with its antique elements. Alongside French walnut and Chippendale furniture are English Regency, Hepplewhite and Art Nouveau pieces. The family room contains not only furniture from Europe, but also Turkish rugs and Asian artefacts and antiques.

"We love everything we have and enjoy being able to put pieces together our own way - that's what makes our home so comfortable," Wayne says.

Each room is thoughtfully decorated, with many original 19th century paintings adorning the walls.

Not all of their European antiques have been found offshore: a rare Italian marble sculpture of a young woman was discovered in Christchurch 40-odd years ago.

Exuberant colours add excitement to the open-plan living room and family dining room, where there is plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy books, magazines and entertaining.

Diane's touch is obvious in the choice of Pierre Frey French tapestry curtains in the living room, with the fabric sourced in Paris.

"I had to work quite hard on Wayne to convince him on that one, but we both agree the expense was worth it."

Living with the past

Bank statements and books jostle for space on a solid mahogany table dating back to 1825. It's a valuable antique, but it is not treated with any special care. It sits squarely in the main living area of an apartment occupying the top floor of Holliday & Sons, run by Barry Holliday. The Papanui Rd business buys and sells antiques, restores pieces and makes replicas to order. Next door, Barry's wife, Ali, runs a store specialising in hand-built limited-edition furniture (Chambers @ 241), and the couple split their lives between this apartment and another inner-city home.

Barry has been in the antiquities business for 50 years. His great-great-great grandfather founded Holliday & Sons in Britain in 1848, and the business moved to Christchurch in 1949.

Barry believes valuable old furniture should continue to be used as originally intended, so the 200-year-old table remains in daily use. When guests come to stay, they are welcome to drink wine from 18^th century glasses or settle into a 330-year-old walnut chair upholstered with red velvet.

"These were valuable modern pieces in their day; they have lasted so well that 300 years later they're still so good that no one would want to throw them away."

Leather chairs made by Holliday & Sons date back to 1890. The family business is still making chairs in the same timeless style, along with other items, such as antique-style wine tables.

The apartment's walls reflect a love of sailing, with paintings dating back to the 17^th century. Favourites include one of a sailing ship moored at Dunedin in the 1890s. Destined for the United Kingdom, it is being loaded with frozen meat, by way of a steam-powered winch. Another painting shows a steam vessel being unloaded at Lyttelton about 1900, with the time-ball station clearly visible.

Also part of Barry's collection are examples of wool work - pictures of sailing ships made out of wool by sailors - and ships painted on feathers, dating from early in the 20^th century.

Lending a dignified air to the living area is an imposing 1820 regulator clock, while an ornate French chest of drawers of similar vintage adds a touch of class at the top of the stairs.

Curios in a display cabinet include early New Zealand totara candlesticks, pill boxes, tea caddies and some saucy snuff bottles (with nature scenes on one side and adults-only material on the reverse).

"I've lived with antiques all my life, but I don't feel as if I'm living in the past at all," Barry says.

Timeless classics

Gavin Bain's penchant for old things extends to his choice of abode. Built in 1851 by John Dyer, 'Waitahuna' was the first house in Governors Bay built by a European and was comprised of just one room with a loft. Over the years, extensions, such as the adjoining study featuring pressed zinc panelling, have been added, but the original room of mud and straw plaster still forms the home's core.

One of New Zealand's most celebrated artists, the late Evelyn Page, lived at Waitahuna in the 1930s and Gavin says she returned to visit a couple of times as an older woman in a wheelchair. A couple of her drawings and paintings still grace the homestead.

However, it is little surprise that Gavin, who co-owns classic cars showroom Fazazz with brother John, prefers framed motoring art for the walls.

One of the most striking subjects is a futuristic bullet-shaped car, sketched in charcoal. Called ANZAC, this car was used in speed trials at Muriwai Beach in the early 1930s. The artist, Frederick Gordon Crosby was one of the world's foremost automotive illustrators at that time and worked for Autocar magazine.

A self-confessed magpie by nature, Gavin has filled his home with unusual furnishings, such as an engine plate from the Flying Scotsman train, a couple of Indonesian swords with carved ivory handles, and a large skeleton clock in a glass case dating back to the 1700s. "This used to be owned by a family in England who made superchargers for racing cars."

Waitahuna has beautiful views and established grounds stretching over 1.8 hectares. It's home to one of the oldest fruit orchards in Canterbury, still producing medlars, quinces, walnuts and Perry pears, and a massive Wellingtonia tree that was shipped out as a seedling from Kew Gardens for early settler John Dyer's wedding in 1853.

"The gum trees growing here apparently came from so-called onion seeds from Australia, purchased on the wharf at Lyttelton!"

Gavin has plenty of room for his favourite past-time - restoring old cars. Many have taken decades to bring back to good working order. A beautiful 1920 Bugatti started out as "three or four sugar bags and a pile of bits" and took 25 years to restore. He also has two 1927 Bugattis. One, an Australian Grand Prix racing car, is still capable of reaching nearly 220kmh.

Under restoration alongside the Bugattis is a 1915 Bebe Peugeot. Gavin has also accumulated a shed-full of Bugatti memorabilia.

Another shed holds his Mum's old car, a 1950 Citroen in which Gavin first learned to drive; his wife's 1932 Alvis; a 1936 Rolls Royce once owned by famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin; and a 1935 Bentley.

There's also a Voisin awaiting restoration. Gavin says Frenchman Gabriel Voisin, one of aviation's earliest pioneers, also made some exceptional motorcars during the 1920s and 1930s. Gavin believes he owns the only Voisin in the country and he is looking forward to getting it working again.