Ask Sheryl Anton how she and husband Vern ended up in rural Martinborough and she laughs: “By a huge mistake.” They weren’t looking to move. In fact, they were happily living in Eastbourne in a beautiful spot “right out by the water”. Finally, she says, “we’d found a home that we didn’t have to do anything to”.

But they were searching for a development project. Vern, a builder who had been working on film sets, was offered an old home that was being moved off a property in Eastbourne. Says Sheryl: “We thought, what better place than the Wairarapa to find some land?” So they drove over the hill, as Wellingtonians say, and found the perfect plot in a real estate agent’s window. Alas. “I’m so sorry,” said the agent, “we have just this minute signed a contract on it.”

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They were about to leave when Vern noticed something else – “a little slice of Tuscany sitting in a paddock”. Not to use as a development project, but as a permanent home. When Sheryl pointed out that they already had the house of their dreams in Eastbourne, he reminded her: “You want to go to Martinborough, you’re a stylist, you’re a designer, we could do B&B and weddings…” The thought was rather appealing.

The truth is, Wairarapa had been calling for some time. Sheryl had always wanted to retire there – just not yet. The romantic notion was dismissed until one morning in May, when Sheryl got up and found Vern outside “in the freezing cold” furiously sweeping the path. Sheryl asked what was wrong. “I want that house,” Vern confessed. “It’s the last open day today.” Since Vern is normally the laid-back one in the relationship, Sheryl knew this was serious. So they viewed the property again – a wee one-bedroomed house on 4ha of land with olive trees and spectacular views. And the front lawn full of cars with other smitten buyers queuing up to speak to the agent.

The couple only had five days to put in a tender and, not wanting to take out bridging finance, four days to sell their own house. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” said Sheryl, and she arranged a twilight open home in Eastbourne. They received three offers that night and Sheryl promptly burst into tears “because I loved that house”. It was also a risk. If they didn’t get the Martinborough house, they would be all cashed up with no place to go. When they got the news that Olivio˜nor (as they’ve since named it) was theirs, Sheryl burst into tears again – but this time in a good way.

Although the couple had fallen in love with their baby Tuscan villa and its views over the sun-drenched hills, there was a lot to do. For a start, it was terracotta-coloured and sitting in a paddock. “The minute we got here, I was out there, digging and landscaping,” says Sheryl. Also, there was only one bedroom and one bathroom. The kitchen was tiny, “like a butler’s pantry”, and what was to become the new kitchen was a garage, inhabited by chooks, mice and a ride-on lawn mower.

There was a mezzanine floor which was freezing in winter and simply eating up space – the previous owner had used the property mainly in summer.

“The vision here was ‘let’s just start’,” says Sheryl. “We more or less gutted it.” The pair worked solidly for 12 months, “sleeping on the floor or wherever we could find room, gutting, rewiring, putting ceilings in”. Now the house has three small but perfectly formed bedrooms and three bathrooms, with skylights for extra light. Tall people have to be a bit careful in the upstairs bathroom, says Sheryl, but there’s a large bathroom downstairs.

Luckily, Vern is a “genius” with stealing space from every usable part of the building – the change that caused the most debate was creating enough room for the bath in the upstairs en suite at Sheryl’s request. A painter colleague from Vern’s film-set days was inveigled to create an aged look for the exterior, with just the right patina. “He and I worked together for weeks to try and get the right colour,” says Sheryl.

In the garden, Sheryl knew exactly what she wanted – simplicity. “I didn’t want a rambling look. I wanted straight lines, formal planting.” There are outdoor eating areas, a rustic pergola, petanque court, fountains, fairy lights and “a lovely fireplace at night”. The palette is simple green and white: bay, box and corokia for structure with roses, honeysuckle and star jasmine for flowers. The elegant pencil conifer is Sheryl’s favourite tree. There was a bit of a disaster with the white lavender, though: “We get a lot of hares here and they ate the lot. I was devastated.”

With such an idyllic hideaway, the couple decided to up the romance factor by hosting small weddings. Sheryl is a former florist and stylist after all and both of her sisters are marriage celebrants. People just “rock up” with their vows, rings, and close friends and family. “We’ve had an elopement when two people just came and got married around the fireplace at night; it was a twilight wedding with a full moon.” If the couple want to stay in the villa, that’s no problem; Sheryl and Vern hitch up their caravan (named Marcel) and camp out somewhere nearby.

“If someone had said to me 10 years ago, would you ever move rural, I’d have said not on your life,” says Sheryl. “We’re Wellingtonians, we’re city people.” But now: “I’ve given up the high heels and the earrings and the makeup for gumboots.

“We love sitting down every night with a glass of wine, looking out at the vista and saying, where else would you want to be? And it’s so peaceful.” Though, she adds, this being the country, “you do get the odd rooster.” What began as a mistake seems to have ended up being a wonderfully serendipitous one.

Q&A with Vern & Sheryl Anton

Best storage tip: Two shipping containers to put all my wife’s extra collections into. (Vern)

Favourite chore: The lawns. I love getting on the ride-on – it is my time away from the day-to-day workload. (Sheryl)

Tip for other homeowners: Try to think outside the box to find a solution to a problem. (Vern)

Best decorating tip: Move in, enjoy your time and get to know your property before you start changing things. (Sheryl)

Proudest DIY moment: The patio area in front of the villa. (Vern)

Best labour-saving device: My husband – jack of all trades and saviour of many. (Sheryl)

Bravest renovation decision: To let my husband take the reins when planning good use of the space. (Sheryl)

Worst moment in the garden: When I found I had out-of-control buxus blight.

Best money we ever spent: The kitchen table that we found on Trade Me for $75. It was black but Vern stripped it back to the wood. (Sheryl)

Best piece of advice ever received: My mother saying go with your heart. (Sheryl)

A quote I often use: Back up the bus. (Sheryl)