Houzz Tour: Family House With a Surprise Around Every Corner

Alex Fulton’s design aesthetic is anything but boring. “Our house makes us smile,” she says. Some elements may even make you laugh (for all the right reasons, as you’ll come to see). Fulton set out to transform what she says was a soulless house into a family fun house that could also hold their ever-changing collections. “There was originally no storage in the house, so that was a big priority,” Fulton says. “We have a strong design aesthetic, and that’s really important to how we live as a family.” Despite the menagerie of “stuff,” there’s no sense of chaos in this vivid wonderland. Keeping it all organized is something that comes easily to Fulton. Her biggest challenge was getting the family onboard with her daring color choices.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Alex Fulton; her husband, Jeff; daughters Isla, 11, and Violet, 10; and their “dog daughters,” Daisy the hairy Jack Russell terrier and Moo the Italian greyhound
Location: Springlands, Blenheim, in the wine region of Marlborough, New Zealand
Size: 2,906 square feet (270 square meters;) 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

The color blue was the inspiration for the formal living room. It started with the sofa, which was a bargain find online. “We loved the variations of blue it had,” Fulton says. The walls were then painted in Dance Floor by Dulux to complement the sofa — Fulton wanted a bright hue that would also add an element of depth to the room, to balance the high ceiling. “I knew the right hue immediately, but I put three in front of Jeff and the girls to get them involved in the process,” Fulton says. “Surprise, surprise, they all picked my blue!” White paint — on the window frames, baseboards, fireplace and ceiling — helps make the blue pop.

Paint by Dulux: Dance Floor (blue) and Mt. Aspiring Half (white)


The blue walls have some fierce competition on the other side of the living room from the sofa, where a custom-made cabinet unit helps disguise the family TV and provides oodles of storage. The irregular open and closed shelving is a design feature in itself, with cabinet doors painted in an equally bright green that offsets the blue backdrop.

Fulton and her family have filled it to the brim with souvenirs, collectibles, books and pottery, to show off their personalities. “There’s quite a lot going on in the house, but I’m a real Virgo in that things have to be ordered,” Fulton says, “and that’s where good storage comes in handy.” The green cabinetry allows the family to hide clutter and create curated displays.

Cabinet door paint: Grass Court, Dulux


One of Fulton’s many collections, these Russian nesting dolls were a gift from her grandmother.


The luxury of high ceilings enables a framed Marimekko fabric to sit above the fireplace. “In our old house, which didn’t have very high ceilings, the fabric was so big that it looked like it hung from the ground. So it has actually worked in two different spaces quite well,” Fulton says. “I love it as an art piece, because I love black and white and color.”

The curios don’t stop yet. While the room is a formal space, it shows an eclectic personality through bold artwork, displays sprinkled throughout and colorful patterns.

Ceramics: Fran Maguire; artwork over mantel: stretched piece of Marimekko fabric





A long hallway running through the home with adjoining rooms enables privacy and alone time when needed. “The two living spaces mean you can all hunker down together or separate out into kids’ and adult zones when necessary,” Fulton says.

Upon entering the home, you are greeted by Golden Girl, a proud watchdog made of aluminum by New Zealand sculptor Ben Foster, who does a range of pixelated animals. “I would’ve got the horse, too, if we had the space and money,” Fulton says, laughing. Behind it is a multicolored coat stand, topped with a wig, which sets the tone for the rest of the house: fun and tongue-in-cheek.

Paradise Tree coat stand: Magis; Coral pendant lights in white: David Trubridge; Fredericks & Mae arrows (on wall): Douglas and Bec; ball garlands: Out of the Box


The first room to the left is 11-year-old Isla’s. She knew exactly what she wanted in terms of design, creating a feature wall out of gray dot decals. Moo the Italian greyhound peeks out of the doorway.

Lamshade fabric: Ikea; blinds fabric: Marbles, Sparkk; red dog figure: Magis Puppy


The toy nest above the bed was, however, Mom’s grand idea. “Isla sleeps with soft toys, but I didn’t want them all over the bed,” Fulton says. The contraption allows Isla to effortlessly pull her toys up and down when she needs them, while keeping them contained and off the bed. It also makes more room for Moo, who loves sleeping on the girls’ beds. As a quick solution, Fulton designed and made the nest using a net from Bunnings, some rope, a pulley system and a hook that sits underneath the windowsill.


Jeff plays the drums, so there’s no question who contributed the music-inspired art to the hallway walls, which are lined with the family’s Lego figurines and a vintage Smurfs figurine collection, too. A 30-foot custom-made hallway runner spans the space, adding even more color, pattern and vibrancy to the entrance. Fulton holds a paper tiger head she bought on a trip to Paris.


At the end of the hallway lies another unusual display, including a cuckoo clock collection. The pink and brown clock to the left, which is made of felt, kicked off the obsession, which was spurred on during a trip to Switzerland. “We’d go into shops, and cuckoo clocks would cover the walls from floor to ceiling!” Fulton says. Laughing at the novelty of it all, she says she often feels like a 14-year-old girl.

The half-moon was a secondhand find purchased to fill the end of the 39-foot (12-meter) hallway. “It’s a nod to the era of the house,” Fulton says. “I just had to put my color stamp on it.”

Little Twist wall lights: Accent Lighting; pottery: West German


The galley-style bathroom maintains its original charm with the likes of a claw-foot bath, but doesn’t retreat from Fulton’s design aesthetic. Party decorations and an acrylic Kreuz wall lamp by New Zealand designer Catherine David have found their way into the bathroom, for no other reason than “they needed a home,” Fulton says.


The family room — or jungle room, as the Fultons call it — is wallpapered in a lush greenery design from Arte. Fulton had been working on a project for the Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch, and had planned to use the wallpaper in her design. But about halfway through preparations, Christchurch was hit by a devastating earthquake, and the flower show was cancelled. When the family moved into the house, Fulton saw an opportunity to finally put the 15 rolls of wallpaper to use. The sofas here were re-covered in a matching fabric to complete the look.

Faux tiger-skin rug: Cosmic


The blow-up monkeys pictured here were part of a Jeff Koons installation, and reiterate Fulton’s love for oversized (and undersized) objects. Take a look at their size in comparison to the animal heads in the next few photos.

Monkeys: Brown & Co.


A collection of faux animal heads is featured above and around the fireplace. “My daughter is an animal lover, so she’d never allow any real taxidermy in the house,” Fulton says. The moose head pictured is a plastic blow-up.


When asked where she found the animal heads, Fulton says they’re from all over — vacations, souvenir and party shops… “It’s gotten to the point where people now point them out to me on Instagram,” she says. They are made out of materials such as plastic, felt, papier-mâché and plywood. “My favorite is the paper tiger,” Fulton says. “I found him in Paris in a kids’ shop. He folds out, so I could put him in my suitcase.”


The dollhouse-esque dining table and chairs, more secondhand finds, were originally painted for a design event, and now take pride of place in the dining room, which adjoins the kitchen. “A lot of people have dining rooms but they don’t actually use them — I wanted it to be a usable space,” Fulton says. “I wanted a big family table that the kids could do their homework on and the family would eat at.”

Nearly black, navy blue walls deeply contrast the brightly colored table and chairs, and help them stand out even more. The artwork was purchased on a family trip to Bali.

Paint by Dulux: Waipawa (table), Napier (chairs) and Piha (walls)


The kitchen was previously dominated by a mossy green hue that Fulton says made it look old and dated. While there are plans to renovate the kitchen — it will be the last room in the house to get an overhaul — painted white cabinetry, navy walls and shelves pulled in from the garage suffice for now.

Can pendant light: Simon James Design


Ten-year-old Violet is lucky enough to have what was initially the master bedroom. “It was originally [mine and Jeff’s bedroom] and en suite, but we’re such amazing parents that we gave it up for our daughter,” Fulton says with a laugh.

It is now a mecca for inspiration. A felt pin board holds artwork, photos of family and friends, and fanciful ideas, while a four-poster bed fit for a princess is embellished with bunting, pompom garlands and flowers.

Bed: Meluka; bedding: Kip & Co.





Violet initially wanted an all-white bedroom, but it wasn’t until the paint hit the walls that Fulton realized the height of the ceilings exaggerated the color choice. “The room has black carpet, and the contrast against the tall white walls was just too much, so the gray was a fun way to break it up,” Fulton says. “Violet was quite clear with what she wanted, and she loves muted colors, so the gray worked perfectly — she went on to add the gray drops on her wall.”


The dresser was Fulton’s grandmother’s and has been upcycled with the same gray paint used on the walls. “I thought it had a really good shape, plus it’s functional, so we decided to spray-paint it,” Fulton says.

Dresser paint: Timeless Grey, Dulux; shelves: Ikea


A vintage sofa bed is covered in material from Unique Fabrics.

Artwork: Evie Kemp; wardrobe: Meluka


What was once a dark and dingy bathroom — with an old chimney everyone had to maneuver around — is now a shared bathroom for the girls. Both have access via their bedrooms through oversized barn doors. An extra door was added for access from Isla’s room, and another door leads outside. “It means the kids can run in and out of their bedrooms through the bathroom and go outside as well,” Fulton says.

“I had this idea: I wanted a white space with a yellow box at the end, which is why there are two tiled areas,” Fulton says. And so the contrast in the mostly white bathroom is acute. The hexagon tiles in white and yellow are from Academy Tiles and make a surprisingly big statement. Unlike most bathrooms, this one is fun. The bottom of the shower is large enough to be filled up as a bath — or a pool, as the kids prefer to see it. “They absolutely love it. They can have their buddies over, get into their [swimsuits] and kick around in it,” Fulton says.


A Lego-style vanity, yellow Muuto pendants and bright accessories make this an especially lively bathroom that even visitors get excited about.

Sink fixtures: Icon + Lever, Astra Walker


A trio of footstools adds color and functionality — they can be used as seating and help little ones reach the shelves. The chrome towel rack was professionally painted in Boyzone by Dulux.

Hexagon tiles in white and yellow: Academy Tiles; washcloths: Marimekko; suction hooks: Ikea; bath mat: Country Road; soap dispenser: Urban Outfitters


The master bedroom is a feast for the eyes. The star of the show is the Hanna Werning wallpaper, which Fulton says is what makes this room her favorite in the house. “It has a repeating pattern, but it always seems different for some reason,” Fulton says. “I never get sick of it.”

It’s not just a floral pattern; look closer and you’ll see jumping foxes and gliding fish — a little bit of fun in what Alex describes as a “granny chic” pattern. It sets the scene for everything else in the room, too. “Everything started from that wallpaper,” Fulton says. “We built around it.” The navy base provides a moody tone for the room, while the corals, greens and pinks add that dose of color you’d expect in this house.

Fulton has taken shibori classes and has every intention of making over the duvet with the pleat-and-bind technique, but for now it remains quite possibly the plainest item in the house.

Bedding: Kip & Co. and Bedouin Societe; wall-hung sconce lights: Catherine David Designs; blue dresser: Tim Webber Design; side table: Nood


Daisy the Jack Russell terrier loves to snuggle on the bed.





From the outside, you wouldn’t guess the myriad of colors and patterns awaiting inside. The heritage home sits on just under half an acre (2,000 square meters) of land — it used to be a cherry farm — and retains its original exterior character and paint colors.


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