Q&A: We transform Antonia Prebble’s living room into a relaxing family hub
Your living room is the heart of the home. It’s a place to relax and unwind, as well as a place to bring family and friends together to create special memories.
To help you create a space you love, we’re proud to offer a consultation service with our expert Città stylists. Our team were thrilled to work closely with Westside actors Antonia Prebble and partner Dan Musgrove to help style their Auckland family home.
It hasn’t been a straight-forward journey—Antonia was six weeks’ pregnant and the couple had just moved into their new home when a disastrous fire caused extensive damage. The rebuild took 14 months with the couple—and adorable baby Freddie—moving back in just before the country’s first lockdown in March.
We recently visited the friendly couple to help add the finishing touches to their living room. We chatted to Antonia and Dan about their unique journey.
Hi Antonia and Dan! Tell us about yourself and what you do.
Antonia: I’m Antonia and I’m an actress. I’ve been acting in film and TV for about 20 years now.
Dan: I’m Dan and I’m a screenwriter and actor. I’ve been doing it for about 10 years now. I’m originally from down south but we meet up here in Auckland.
You had just moved into your home when a freak fire seriously damaged it. Can you talk us through your rebuild journey?
Antonia: It’s been an interesting journey. We bought this house with it in mind that we would have a baby. We moved in here, had the Città team over for a styling consultation, and then the house burnt down. I was in my early stages of pregnancy so it was a really crazy time. We were out for 14 months while the rebuild happened. During the rebuild, we changed a few things about the house and made some spaces different. We moved back into the house just before the first lockdown happened. We’re grateful to be back in a space that’s ours and that we love being in.
On this journey you’ve worked closely with our stylists. How did Città’s style consultation help bring your vision to life?
Antonia: I would totally recommend people to get a Città styling consultation. It took all the leg work out of deciding what we wanted. It can be agonising deciding on things such as the colour of the sofa or what style of coffee table. We had a home consultation so the stylist came to our house, looked at the space and gave us their expert opinion, which was just so valuable. We’ve got really busy lives—everyone’s got really busy lives—and to take away that guesswork was great when you’re making some pretty big decisions. It was just so helpful to us and we’re thrilled with the results. We had so many challenges with the house fire and Città helped us create a really lovely environment that we love being in.
You have a beautiful Karl Maughan artwork in the space. Did you style your living room with this statement piece in mind?
Dan: We knew we wanted to put a large artwork in the space. We had it painted for us but then we had the house fire so had to keep it in Wellington at Antonia’s parents’ house. So they had the good fortune of having it on their wall. We did wonder if it was going to be too big for the wall until we put it up. But once we did, we were like, it works really well it’s a great focal point for the room.
Antonia: We knew it was in the works as we were choosing our furniture so it was important to choose pieces that would complement it opposed to take away from it.
What’s your favourite part of your living room? Do you have a favourite piece?
Antonia: I’d say it’s probably the sofa for me—it looks great and suits our style. We both like form and function so we both wanted something that looked right and suited our aesthetic but was also practical. We tend towards the Scandinavian style with pieces that are quite simple and unfussy. The Eve sofa meets that with slim lines and slim legs. We liked that the sofa was custom-made so we could have the L-shape that we wanted. We also knew we were about to have a baby so we chose a practical dark colour. It’s also really comfortable and big enough for both of us to stretch out on it.
Dan: I love the sofa but I also love the Radial Shelving. It looks contained but it fits so much on it. At the moment it does dual purpose by storing Freddie’s toys at the bottom and our records towards the top. It gets a little ‘more adult’ as you move upwards!
We love doing styling consultations! From styling your sofa to a full home makeover, we’re here to help. Our styling services can be done at-home, in-store or via email or phone—we’re happy to work around you! Our stylist will help you to define your needs and come back with a recommendation that reflects your tastes and lifestyle. You’ll also learn tips and tricks on how to pull a look together. Click here for more information on our styling consultation service or pop into one of our stores to have a chat.
