In the home of Stacy and Adam Middleton, along with their two energetic Samoyed pups, Boki and 97% blind Toddy, who they adopted late last year.

Newlyweds Adam and Stacy Middleton aren’t so new to the renovation scene, getting their first taste and a crash course in home improvement on The Block NZ, where they renovated a retired fire station into apartments in the sought-after location of Kingsland. Returning to their home city of Wellington, after a season on The Block NZ, the creatives dived straight into a project of their own, purchasing their first home which needed a complete remodel. This work was done by the couple themselves for the most part. Where most weekend warrior DIY’ers stick to the lighter side of renovating, Stacy has impressively tackled sanding and polishing floors, plastering, and even tiling a bathroom, all while sporting a perfectly manicured set of nails. This labour of love and can-do attitude has earned her a career in sharing DIY advice to tens of thousands of followers across social media channels.

Not ones to sit idle, as soon as Stacy and Adam finished renovating their first home, they put it up for rent and purchased their second home, a 1970’s two-bedroom cottage with views towards Mount Kaukau. This second renovation is where they’ve hit their strides, nearly completing it in under a year.

There was no love lost when it came to pulling up the original carpet in the living areas and hallway, the couple found the underlay was practically non-existent having been down for so long. In its place, Stacy ordered DIY laminate from the Flooring Xtra website which would flow through the entry, hall, kitchen and living spaces. Stacy shares this as a piece of advice for those planning new flooring, advocating for the use of one type of flooring to create a seamless and uncluttered look, which also avoids unsightly connection points of different flooring types in odd places. Opting for a laminate with a waterproof surface allowed Stacy to achieve just this, as it was suitable for their kitchen too.

Not afraid of rolling up their sleeves, the couple ordered their click and collect DIY flooring and set out to watch a myriad of YouTube tutorials that stepped them through the process. Together, over a weekend, they installed their new laminate floor. Most satisfying to the pair was the instant visual impact the new floor had, taking the house from feeling like a work site to looking close to finished.

The medium oak tones of the new laminate flooring is perfectly fitting for the home located in the green belt of Wellington. Looking into the kitchen from the hallway, a glimpse of this beautiful bushscape can be seen through the perfectly scaled picture window. Drawing on the tone of the floor, Stacy has subtly introduced the shade elsewhere for a masterfully cohesive and balanced look; the weaving detail of the barstools, in the choice of picture frames and the pendant lights above the breakfast bar. This addition of the breakfast bar is a clever use of space in a compact sized home in lieu of a dining table.

When undertaking a renovation, Stacy likes to start with the bedrooms as it gives you a quick win, a retreat to escape to when the rest of the house is a construction site and they’re less costly than other areas to complete. Our favourite feature in the freshly updated master bedroom is the v-groove panelled nib wall which provides a ledge which can be effortlessly styled and changed out to keep current.

With two busy Samoyeds whose favourite past time is finding new ways to get themselves dirty, a durable cut pile solution dyed nylon carpet was the obvious choice for the bedrooms. Stacy opted for a dark charcoal tone to balance the femininity of the rooms.

If we were to use one word to describe Stacy and Adam, it would be fearless. The couple show how through DIY, any home can be your dream home and can be done so without an overwhelming renovation budget. With an obsession for interior design, a willingness to learn and a devotion to evenings and weekends spent improving their home, Stacy and Adam transform spaces from uninspiring to magical. They are the poster couple for climbing the property ladder.

Stacy and Adam documented the process of selecting their flooring through to installing their DIY laminate - head to Flooring Xtra’s Instagram to watch. You can also follow along on more of their renovation journey and Stacy’s latest venture, Studio Reno, where she helps other homeowners transform their homes.

Credits

Who: Stacy Middleton
Where: Wilton, Wellington
Instagram: @stacyheyman
Photographer: Olivia Atkinson