Story: Home décor and furnishings

From 1972 to 1977 Kurt and Sylvia Otzen ‘did up’ their villa in Thorndon, Wellington. Like many renovators of that era, they preserved character features such as native timbers and high ceilings but tried to make their house more suitable for modern living – in this case by demolishing walls around an old coal range to create a large open-plan space. This was a common home improvement practice at that time.