Behind closed doors

The ''jungle room'' is kept fresh with bursts of hot pink and yellow. The owner has playfully used a zebra-printed cowhide, bright artwork and blow-up animal trophies to give it a hunting lodge-meets-Alice in Wonderland feel.

The long central hallway is bathed in white to accentuate interesting pops of colour along the way, like that of the Paradise coat stand by Magis. Pendant lights by David Trubridge cast interesting shapes and shadows on to the ceiling and walls.

The owners love to collect graphic prints to fill the wall spaces and have created a piece of art by stretching Marimekko fabric over a canvas above the fireplace. Music posters are a favourite because of their hyper graphics and punchy colours.

An artwork called Sita, by an unnamed Balinese artist, sits above the yellow dining-room table.

The kitchen and dining room are painted in Dulux Piha, a dynamic dark hue with a sophisticated feel, and highlighted by Dulux Half Mt Aspiring on the trims, framing and windows to create a sense of drama.

The traditional exterior of this villa gives no hint of the colourful interior within. Photos by Larnie Nicolson.

The interior of this very traditional villa is anything but, thanks to its creative colour-inspired owner.

Alex Fulton never does things by halves, whether it's designing for her clients through her interior design business, sharing her take on the design world and inspiring a mystery audience via her design blog, setting up her own studio and design resource for clients and a future design school, or decorating her own home.

Alex was born into a highly creative family and her parents were her original inspiration: her father is a trained tailor and has always worked in the fashion industry and her mother is a crafting powerhouse.

''They have always encouraged me to create, be adventurous with colour and to follow what feels good. I set up Alex Fulton Design about eight years ago and I have not looked back; it's completed me both personally and professionally. There is something to be said for getting paid for what you love,'' she says.

Alex describes her style as ''original, nonconformist, challenging, amusing, cheeky, but of course functional. The house is a full-on fusion of all our personalities, loves and memories.''

For Alex, her husband Jeff and their two daughters, Isla and Violet, home is a place for them to express who they are as a family, and is the complete antithesis of the minimalist look.

''We have designed our home to reflect who we are, not what others prefer to see.

"I can put my hand on my heart and say that we do not bow down to conformity or trends, rather we follow the beat to our own colourful drums!'' she says.

This is something Alex and Jeff feel very passionate about and it is not only an integral part of their personal life but very much Alex's professional ethos as a designer.

Alex and Jeff have had a long-standing love affair with the Marlborough region and after seven years living in Christchurch, decided to make the move north. Alex says it wasn't easy to leave their ''beautiful community'' in Sumner in 2012 but they ''like to try new adventures.

Most of Jeff's family is here, which is lovely for the girls growing up, and we also love the rural aspects and the stunning Marlborough Sounds, world-class wineries, big skies and outdoor pursuits all on our back doorstep. The clincher was finding this house - it's an amazing 1903 villa and it's delicious.''

The house is a beautifully restored villa that had been lovingly preened and gleamed into a blank canvas just ripe for Alex to breathe some of her colourful life into.

It was painted in a single colour throughout - something Alex and Jeff quickly remedied.

''We have used paint everywhere as we both prefer the way it brings out the wood's shape to lighten and brighten as well as contrasting against wall colours. It's playful and fun, which is more our style than traditional unpainted original wood features,'' Alex explains.

And if they tire of anything ,they simply reorganise; along with painting the walls, it's an easy way to reinvent rooms.

''I love ordered chaos, with everything having a place. Apart from being practical, it allows me to have lots of stuff in an orderly way. Every little `thing' in our home has a story - it has been picked up while on a holiday or given with thought; it triggers a memory or symbolises a good time,'' Alex says.

With a passion for seeking out bargain buys and making them work alongside designed statement pieces, Alex says, ''I would rather save up for the real thing than buy something poorly made that will usually end up in the rubbish in a couple of years.

"These days I prefer to upcycle, save up or rehome items rather than shelling out for something you really can't trust. I prefer to buy from the source, support local and international talent and buy consciously.

"I understand that it's not always easy and affordable but it's worth a good think before you commit.''

Her most coveted piece in the entire house is the 12-seater yellow dining-room table surrounded by a set of pink chairs.

Spotted on the internet, it has Sri Lankan origins and had been a family heirloom for more than five decades.

''I immediately fell in love with its olde worlde traditional shape and once it had been painted, I used it in a competition where I designed a dining room based around traditional design shapes but in unexpected colours,'' Alex says. It was a hit, winning the people's choice award.

The table was too big for their home at the time and spent two years in storage before their move to Blenheim.

''When I first saw this house, I knew it was the perfect space for such a statement piece. It is still a family heirloom but just for a new family with a different take on tradition,'' Alex says.

Reproduced with permission from New Zealand Interior Style by LeeAnn Yare. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $65. Copyright text, LeeAnn Yare, 2013. Copyright photographs, Larnie Nicolson, 2013.