Our Life Our Home: Slow Country Living with Ash & Liam
Back in 2020, content creator, Ash Owen’s and her partner, Liam, stubbled upon their dream piece of land in the rural outskirts of Auckland. Although it wasn’t apart of their immediate plans, the couple was captivated by the land and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime: constructing their dream mid-century inspired home.
Inspired by the lush native bush enveloping the property, the home showcases warm, natural tones and is centered around a striking green kitchen that serves as a focal point. This design choice beautifully reflects the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. Given Ash's passion for creativity and design, it comes as no surprise that the finished home is simply stunning.
After a few-years long process, the home is now finally complete and Ash, Liam and their newest family member, puppy Maggie, are now relaxing into the slow country lifestyle and living out their dream.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?
Hello! I'm Ash. I live in south east Auckland with my partner Liam and our English Cocker Spaniel Maggie! I'm a full time content creator running our home account @ourlifeourhome_ and my personal fashion & beauty account @ashowens_ on Instagram & TikTok and seriously believe that I have the most creatively fulfilling job in the world.
What inspired you to build your first home?
In 2020 we were in the market to buy and had been attending and losing out at many auctions on property in the suburbs. Our dream was always to live on a lifestyle block but didn't think we'd be able to make that a reality anytime soon. My mum actually found the listing for our bare land on TradeMe in December 2020 and it was exactly what we wanted, the right size and the right price. We snapped it up quickly (my parents are in real estate so we had a lot of guidance) without thinking about building steps at all.. it truly was one of those funny moments where we went unconditional and looked at each other and said "well I guess we need to build a house?"
Where did you draw inspiration from when designing your home?
Pinterest, Instagram, the Architectural Digest YouTube Channel & The Block were 4 huge platforms that influenced our taste in design & architecture. We love mid century homes and our architect (recommended by our neighbours) specialised in building houses inspired by that era so we ended up with a very clear vision with the help of our architect!
How did you come to your flooring choices?
We had such an amazing experience in the Flooring Xtra showroom in Mount Wellington to help us figure out what type of flooring was going to work best for us. We ended up going for a premium laminate because it's scratch and water proof! We knew this home was going to be constantly full of friends, family, kids and dogs so laminate was a perfect option and we weren't interested in carpet either.
What was important to you when choosing your new flooring?
We needed the flooring to be easy to clean, hardy but to also mimic the look for real timber floors. Our laminate is the perfect warm oak colour with the most beautiful grooves and texture on it and all of our guests think that we have solid timber flooring!
What are your favourite details or features of your home?
We of course adore our flooring, but the real showstopper in our home is our green kitchen. We are so in love with it and it just beautifully mirrors the surrounding native forest around our home. It's such a calming colour!
Top tips for those who are embarking on a build or renovation?
Find a builder who will work with you on a fixed price.. banks prefer it and you'll be able to enjoy the build process so much more without worrying about going over budget!
Where are you shopping and sourcing from?
Our home is FULL of Facebook Marketplace finds. I'm addicted! I also love Danske Mobler, Pompeii Home, Citta, Nood & Bunnings of course!
Do you have anything left to do on your new home?
It's finally spring and we're so excited to get stuck into the garden. We're currently working on our cut flower raised beds which I'm really excited about. We have big plans for the veg garden this summer but that will be budget dependant! We also want to start working on a home gym corner in the garage.
What’s next for you? Do you have any other exciting projects you’re working on?
It took us 3.5 years from purchasing our land to completing our home.. so no major projects or life changes any time soon for us! You'll find me working with my favourite brands on our social accounts and enjoying the slow country life with our puppy Maggie.
