This week on our Home Life Series, we’re in Eaglemont visiting the home of Interior Decorator and Co-Owner of Design School Studio, Holly Miskimmin.
As soon as you step inside this thoughtfully restored 1960s mid-century home, it feels warm, creative and deeply personal — a space where original architecture, collected treasures, art-covered tables and everyday family life exist in perfect harmony. Shared with her husband David and their three daughters, the home is layered with colour, nostalgia and the kind of lived-in charm that instantly makes you want to settle in and stay awhile.
Keep reading as Holly shares the story behind the home, how motherhood has shaped the way she designs, and why the most meaningful spaces are the ones that reflect the people living within them.
Hi Holly, thank you for having us over in Eaglemont. Could you tell us a little about yourself, your family and the life you’ve created in your home?
I’m a Kiwi-born interior decorator, illustrator, educator and co-owner of Design School Studio, as well as a busy mum of three girls. Home has always been incredibly important to me, probably because I’m such a homebody at heart. Creating this space was never just about aesthetics. It was about building a home base for our family, somewhere that feels warm, connected and deeply personal. A place where our girls feel safe to be themselves, explore creatively and grow into who they are.
We wanted the house to feel relaxed and lived in, with a strong connection between indoors and outdoors. There’s always music playing, art materials spread across tables, friends dropping in, doors open to the garden. It’s a home that reflects how we actually live, layered with pieces we love, collected objects, vintage finds, artworks and little traces of our family everywhere.
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You first found this 1960s mid-century home several years before it became yours - what stayed with you about its history and architecture, and what drew you back?
The home had such a strong identity from the beginning, the materiality, the warmth of the timber ceilings, the brickwork, the split levels, the way it connected to the landscape and garden.
There was a calmness to it that felt really special. It didn’t feel overly designed or forced, it just flowed beautifully.
I also loved that it wasn’t trying to be anything other than what it was. There’s such honesty in mid-century homes, and this one had been preserved so thoughtfully. Even before it was ours, I could already imagine our family living within it.
What renovations have you made to your home, and was there a particular moment during which it started to feel like it was truly yours?
Structurally, we really tried to preserve as much as possible. The home already worked beautifully, so it became more about restoration and refinement than reinvention.
We updated the kitchen and bathrooms to better support modern family life, restored and exposed original features, improved the landscaping and introduced new flooring in some areas, but overall the intention was always to complement the home rather than compete with it.
I think it truly started to feel like ours once we began layering ourselves into the space. Bringing in colour, vintage furniture, locally made ceramics, art, books, objects collected over time and of course all the little things our girls make and bring home. It slowly shifted from being a beautiful house designed for another family into a home that quietly reflected us and the way we live.
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Your home has been described as a sympathetic restoration rather than a reinvention. What were the non-negotiables in preserving its original character?
Retaining the original structure and flow was incredibly important to us. The brickwork, timber ceilings, split levels, glazing and overall floorplan were all things we never wanted to lose.
The beauty of the home was already there, our role was really just to uncover it again and bring it back to life.
Living in a home with such a strong architectural identity also teaches you restraint. Rather than constantly adding or changing things, it becomes about responding to what’s already there and making decisions that feel respectful to the original intent.
One of the most important moments was having our 94-year-old neighbour, who knew the original owners, telling us how happy she was to see the home restored so thoughtfully, and how proud her friends would be. That meant a lot to us.
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How has becoming a mother shaped the way you think about how you design your home?
Completely. Becoming a mother has shaped almost every part of how I think about home.
My girls are the heart of our home, so creating a space that nurtures them has always mattered deeply to me. I never wanted a home that felt too precious or overly styled. I wanted it to feel welcoming, expressive and lived in.
There are spaces to gather, but also quieter zones to retreat to. The heavy use of glass throughout the home creates this beautiful sense of connection, even when everyone is off doing different things.
I also think growing up surrounded by original design, art, colour and creativity subtly shapes how children see the world. I hope our home encourages individuality and reminds them that spaces don’t need to look like everyone else’s to feel beautiful.
When you think about this home years from now, what do you hope your children will remember most about growing up here with you?
I hope they remember how connected it felt. The warmth of it, the creativity, the sense of comfort and freedom within the space.
More than anything, I hope they grow up feeling confident in who they are. We live in such a visually saturated world where it’s easy to feel pressure to follow trends or fit into a mould, and I’ve always wanted our home to quietly push against that.
There’s so much originality in this house and I hope being surrounded by that teaches them to value character, individuality and authenticity over perfection.
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You’ve recently stepped into the role of co-owner of The Design School, what does this next chapter represent for you?
It honestly feels like a real full-circle moment. I studied with Design School almost ten years ago as one of the early cohorts, then worked within the industry, returned to teach, and now co-own the school alongside Melissa Rettore.
Because I’ve experienced every stage of that journey myself, I feel incredibly connected to our students and graduates. I understand the excitement, the uncertainty, the confidence building and the desire for connection that comes with stepping into a creative industry.
This next chapter feels less about simply delivering education and more about building a genuine creative community. Melissa and I are really passionate about creating opportunities that bridge the gap between study and industry through immersive experiences, conversations, collaborations and real-world learning.
For us, it’s about supporting people not only during their studies with us, but also long after they graduate and helping them confidently find their place within the industry.
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You’ve built The Design School centred on accessible, thoughtful design education - how do you see this vision evolving over time and what are your tips for creating a space that's uniquely you but, considerate of design principles?
I think the future of design education is moving towards something much more connected, collaborative and experience based. People are craving real conversations, industry insight and practical application, not just theory.
That’s a huge part of where we see Design School Studio evolving. Creating opportunities for people to engage with real spaces, suppliers, creatives and projects in a meaningful way, whilst also building confidence in themselves and their own perspective.
In terms of creating a home that feels uniquely you, I think the biggest mistake people make is trying to replicate what they see online instead of understanding what genuinely resonates with them.
A considered home should reflect your personality, your lifestyle and your story. Trends come and go, but spaces that feel personal always have longevity.
At the same time, I do think good design comes back to the fundamentals. Paying attention to flow, scale, light, balance and functionality creates a home that not only looks good, but feels good to live in. Once that foundation is there, personality naturally follows. The most beautiful spaces are usually the ones that feel authentic, considered and genuinely lived in.
