Inside the Home of French Antique Specialists Chrystelle Baran & Nick Ferneyhough

20 October 2025

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The Auckland home of Chrystelle Baran and Nick Ferneyhough, the couple behind antique boutique Baran de Bordeaux, is a love letter to craftsmanship, romance, and the art of collecting. Every object here tells a story, and many, like their owners, have travelled across oceans to find their place.

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At its heart hangs a treasured French trumeau oil painting, in gold and Aegean blues, depicting Zeus and Europa’s mythic love story. It’s a fitting emblem for Chrystelle and Nick, whose lives are steeped in the art and history of Europe. For four months each year they travel through France and Italy, often staying at their 15th century moulin home in Gironde, Bordeaux, sourcing antiques for their boutique and immersing themselves in the textures of old stone villages and centuries-old châteaux.

Their Remuera home, built in the 1930s by renowned architect Horace Massey, is designed in the pure Georgian style, elegant and restrained. Its weathered jarrah weatherboards, small-paned white windows, and terraced buxus, bay laurel and jasmine gardens lend the house a relaxed romance. The path to the arched entrance passes a 20th-century Danish armillary sphere sundial, setting the tone before you even cross the threshold.

Inside, the couple’s refined but eclectic taste takes centre stage. The formal lounge is a blend of centuries and styles; Louis XVI armchairs, a mid-century slate coffee table, an English Chesterfield sofa, and a 17th-century portrait of Philippe, Duke of Orléans (brother to Louis XIV) coexist effortlessly. A Line Vautrin convex mirror, designed by the French modernist dubbed “the poetess of metal,” reflects the flicker of firelight and the warm glow of evenings shared with friends.

Music, too, fills the space. Nick, a professional composer, often plays one of his 1950s Gibson guitars or the upright piano that anchors the room. The home’s former maid’s quarters have even been converted into a recording studio. “We love sharing our house with friends,” says Chrystelle. “Every room is really lived in, nothing is just for show.”

The dining room is an intimate, softly lit sanctuary. A silvered Louis XV chandelier hovers above a French cherrywood table, surrounded by delicately faded painted chairs; the kind of pieces Chrystelle and Nick have long been known for. The walls are lined with hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, a tranquil chinoiserie design custom-coloured to match an 18th-century Venetian secrétaire. “We like things that are one-off,” says Nick. “It’s not about filling the house with antiques — it’s about choosing pieces that have soul.”

Throughout the home, the architectural bones have been subtly adjusted for contemporary living. Doorways have been widened, creating sightlines that lead from the living room through to the garden, where a stone statue of Poseidon watches over the clipped greenery. Yet each room retains its own character and sense of privacy. “You could open everything up completely,” says Nick, “but you’d lose that feeling of discovery. We wanted each space to feel like an event.”

Upstairs, the master bedroom continues the theme of quiet luxury. De Gournay’s Plum Blossom wallpaper, in misty neutrals, wraps the space in calm. Painted Louis XVI bedside tables, an 18th-century oak commode, and a Maison Baguès silver chandelier balance elegance with restraint. A 1920s Louis Vuitton trunk adds a note of wanderlust, one of several vintage Vuitton pieces the couple has collected, each in its original canvas and patina.

These thoughtful details speak to Chrystelle and Nick’s shared heritage and instinct for timeless design. Chrystelle grew up surrounded by 18th-century French antiques in Bordeaux, while Nick developed an early appreciation for 19th-century New Zealand craftsmanship. Together, they’ve created a home that feels both European and deeply personal, a sanctuary shaped by years of collecting and a lifetime of curiosity.

“Italians and French people are so romantic,” says Chrystelle. “It really shows in their interiors- they let emotion lead.”

And that’s exactly what this home does. It’s not just a showcase of beautiful things, but a celebration of feeling; a place where history, craft, and comfort live side by side, glowing softly beneath a chandelier’s gentle light.