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The Butterfly House, a fibrolite bach at Mangawhai Heads painstakingly furnished in classic 1950s and 1960s decor, will be opening its doors for the launch of a book celebrating its interior style on Labour Day weekend.
Owner and author Christine Fernyhough has written Mid-Century Living – The Butterfly House Collection as a celebration of New Zealand design history, from furniture, ceramics and tableware to Crown Lynn, scenic posters and royal memorabilia.
Christine, who is the best-selling author of The Road to Castle Hill, says a passion for interior decorating morphed into the obsession of a serious collector when her family found the classic 1960s bach in 1994.
Inspired by childhood memories, 1950s interior design magazines and a love of hand-made items, she incorporated classic designer elements with Kiwiana kitsch to create “a beguiling mid-century fantasy’, as well a much-loved and lived-in family home.
The Butterfly House, which can be accessed either from the end of Findlay Street or Awatea Street, will be open for two sessions on Saturday, October 26, from 10am to 12 noon, or 2pm to 4pm. Tickets cost $5 from The Mangawhai Museum, Bammas surf shop and Mangawhai Books and Gifts, with all proceeds going to the Mangawhai Museum.
