From software development to creating artworks in steel – Auckland designer’s happy trajectory

Visit Lisa Turley at home and there’s no escaping the fact she’s a lover of steel. Examples of her work, at LisaSarah Steel Designs, feature in pretty much every room; some especially attention-grabbing, such as the “Don’t be a d…” art in the kitchen.

It’s a good behavioural directive especially for teenage boys, jokes Turley, who shares her Mairangi Bay, Auckland, home with husband Baden and sons Corban, 18, and Denham, 16. Barley, a maltese shih tzu completes the family unit.

LISA TURLEY: My love affair with steel happened purely by chance. My fabulous husband Baden and I were looking for outdoor art to spice up an unattractive large feature wall outside the kitchen / dining space at our Mairangi Bay property. There weren’t a lot of options.

I ended up researching the best materials and coming up with some of my own sample designs – originally creating just in stainless steel, which I appreciate is timeless, low maintenance and incredibly durable. Everything grew from there. I launched my first wholesale range in 2010, picking up more than 80 stockists in two days and I haven’t looked back.

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We have ended up in Mairangi Bay as I grew up in the bays and my family is nearby. Baden, who owns LDE, an engineering business, grew up in Nelson and didn’t like Auckland until we moved to our current home.

He sees that Mairangi Bay has a relaxed and great local community feel. I love being close to the beach and being able to walk everywhere – beach, cafes, supermarket, fruit and vege shop…

I work from home now – I have an office and have basically taken over the garage.

We bought the house 17 years ago. From the outside it was a bit boring but when I walked in, it just opened up. It has a 2.7m stud on the bottom level.

I decided it was my absolute dream home. There is a fabulous space upstairs, a small lounge, with the boys’ bedrooms off it and that sold us too. The indoor flow downstairs is great with kitchen, dining, living and lounge pretty much flowing on to our deck. This will be all the more amazing when we finally put in the pool and do the outdoor space.

It was outside our budget and I remember my husband jokingly saying that we would somehow work it out, if I let him put a basketball hoop and mini court in. I agreed in an instant – not realising that that would be the fastest he has ever done something house-related!

We have recently re-clad and renovated. I love the lightness and simple clean feel of our home now. It’s really easy to live in. My nearly accomplished mission has been to create a relaxed, simple, coastal home that is easy to live in, plus it feels like we’re on a beach holiday.

As for my art at home, there is steel art almost everywhere – laundry, front door (inside and out), garden, main living spaces, bathrooms, my office, our bedroom. My poor husband!

There’s a large white “hello” sign inside the entrance, our bedroom has a white steel fan palm, the lounge features a corten steel feather and hemp rope hanging, the living area has a “beach life” sign, and outside there’s corten steel fantail on a koru garden stake. That’s but a taste.

Part of the beauty of steel and my work is that I use different types of steel and rope and have had 16 years to build a wide collection of styles, so it doesn’t all look like it’s from the same artist.

I once did an interior design night school course and although I loved – and still love – interior design, I’m exceptionally indecisive, so always felt it wasn’t my forte.

What I do now is vastly different to my early working life. I studied psychology and maths at university (BSc) and worked in IT, in software development before moving into a strategic analyst role.

I love what I have ended up doing, and where we live too.