The English cottage garden that immediately surrounds this 1860s Dunedin homestead is pretty in its colonial charm. White roses punctuate the front lawn. Wisteria clambers up verandah posts. Topiary baubles lend shapely interest to the perennial borders and box hedging trims the decks.But beyond the glossy black front door, there's a surprise. Like Alice slipping down a rabbit hole, the scene transforms into an exotic wilderness. Charlotte Ford fell in love with the wallpaper that evokes this fantastical entrance: "It gives an immediate sense of opulence," she says.In late 2018, Charlotte and husband Richard Buitenhek relocated to Dunedin from Queenstown to take up ownership and management of The Chamberson Hotel, a five-star boutique hideaway. The deal was done quickly so they didn't have long to find a house forthem and 11-year-old son Hugo. "At the time, there was so little on the market," says Charlotte. "I'd travel down on weekends but usually only have one house to look at."
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