Story: Home décor and furnishings

Renovating a villa

Renovating a villa

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.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PAColl-7327)
Reference: EP/1977/1232
Photograph by Ross Giblin

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Home décor and furnishings - Nostalgia and materialism, 1960s to 2000s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/40724/renovating-a-villa (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 5 Sep 2013