Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i Your Home and Garden

Welcome to our cosy winter issue. Grab a cuppa, find a comfy spot and snuggle down to savour it page by page. This month we’ve put all the crappy parts about winter aside and embraced the good. Winter style doesn’t have to be dark and gloomy – we say inject a riot of rich colour and make your home feel like your very own retreat. I’m so inspired by our cover home, the colourful sanctuary belonging to Hayley Pannekoecke, co-owner of lifestyle brand Kip & Co. Her interior style is unique to her and her family, which is something I reckon we should all aspire to. Check it out on page 30. Also this month, we asked readers to share their favourite winter rituals, and reading the heart-warming responses got…

Llamarama The new animal of the moment is definitely the fluffy llama. If you are looking for something special for your walls, check out this cute and quirky range of framed llama prints from Shut The Front Door. These would look great in a kid’s room. Prices range from $329-$450. shutthefrontdoor.co.nz LET THERE BELIGHT You can never have too many lights in your home. We love the new Hanna table lamp from Freedom which is ideal for your bedside or study. $44.95 from freedomfurniture.co.nz. Bargain of the month LINES IN THE SAND Stationery fans will love the new Desert Sands collection from Kmart. In warm colours of blush, terracotta and denim, these handy notebooks, writing pads, pens and cases will bring a slice of desert sunshine to your winter study…

Home is where the dog is’ in huge gold letters adorns the wall behind the counter at Smack Bang, Amelia Lingonis’ shop on Wellington’s Tory Street. The new store, a pink and gold haven for people and their four-legged friends, sees dog and cat collars from New York and pet tepees from South Korea sharing space with skeleton candles and luxurious hand-knitted throws. When the opportunity arose to combine her two loves – homeware and pets – the 29-year-old jumped at the chance. Smack Bang opened in October last year and is already carving out a unique place in the market. Have you always loved homeware? As a child in Hamilton, while others my age were playing with dolls, I’d be cutting out pictures of furniture I liked and sticking…

COLOUR CRUSH You won’t see many plain white walls in Kirsty and David Wraight’s newly built character home in Blenheim. The winners of this year’s Resene Colour Home Awards have used a number of Resene colours and wallpapers throughout their house, creating a soft, tonal effect with a lovely selection of pastel hues. It’s been a really personal project: the home was built last year by David, and the interior was created by Kirsty. The home also functions as a bed and breakfast and part-time showroom for the couple’s business (building cottages and transportable homes). “This build has been a lot of fun for me, putting together the colours, flooring and curtains,” says Kirsty. “I love playing with colour and spent a lot of time with fabric samples and paint…

There is a mantra at Cloud Nine Creative: design with honesty, thoughtfulness and a feelgood factor. When entering Cloud Nine designer Lee Sinclair’s home in Rangiora – which she shares with partner Peter Butcher and their baby son, Jack – it is clear this philosophy applies not only to her business but her home, too. After a year of fruitless searching for the perfect character home, Lee and Peter found a new-build with all the trappings of a villa but without the drawbacks of older homes. “I was particularly drawn to villas, with their unique character and timeless style,” remembers Lee. “Unfortunately all the ones we viewed were either too small, built the wrong way around, lacked sun or needed major attention. When this one appeared, we were immediately attracted…

HONESTY BOX + Where have you saved money? Becks: My husband and I love to research and find something more special than stock-standard items, without paying the earth for them. So we shopped around and also imported items ourselves both for our kitchen and lighting scheme. The time and effort was certainly worth it. + Where have you splurged? On our balanced-pressure ducted heat-pump system with integrated ventilation. We have total control over the temperature in each room and fresh air circulation. Total luxury and comfort year round! + What was your best buy and why? Our extra Citta oak dining table, which Giovanni turned into custom vanity tops for our bathrooms. We love the personality the wood brings to those spaces and the continuity of having gorgeous oak throughout…

Water view We all love a swimming pool but keeping everyone safe with secure fencing can often lead to aesthetic sacrifices. The Welhams’ pool was surrounded by a “prison-type” fence that also blocked off their garden, making the space cramped and unappealing. But with some clever landscaping and a new glass barrier, the pool went from Alcatraz awkward to Palm Springs perfect and looks great all year round. See the rest of this glorious Tauranga reno on page 86. Home for good: a lush coastal reno in Tauranga Page 86 Workshop: budget-conscious winter warm-ups Page 94…

SAVE STOP DRAUGHTS The older your house, the more likely it is to be leaking warm air through cracks, gaps and disused or degraded fittings. Common problem areas include unused chimneys, cracks between floorboards and old or warped windows and doors. A GOOD START IS TO  > Block unused chimneys > Seal obvious holes and gaps with sealant and expanding foam > Replace ill-fitting windows and doors or put seal strips and draught excluders around them. SPLURGE INSTALL DOUBLE GLAZING Double-glazed windows (two panes of glass with air or gas trapped in between) can slash heat loss through windows, improve the feeling of warmth and dryness in your home, reduce noise from outside and reduce or remove condensation build-up in cold weather. Double glazing is standard in new houses but…

Winter has well and truly set in and so too has our mood for hunkering down and staying warm indoors. With this in mind, I’ve created a living space that I think would be perfect for a cosy night in by the fire with a hot beef stew on the stove and your favourite TV show all cued up to watch. Many people avoid using blue in a living area as they believe it is too cold but I think there are loads of ways to make blue feel warm and cosy. For instance, on the walls for this room I’ve chosen a blue (Dulux ‘Rangitikei River’) with a slightly grey undertone which steers it away from those chilling, icy tones at one end of the blue spectrum. This shade…

FOR RETRO LOVERS There’s plenty of retro inspo on Route 66 in the US, but not many motels are as perfectly preserved as the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. From the bright neon lights, to the blue swallow-clad bedspreads and pastel paint job, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the 1940s. blueswallowmotel.com FOR PINK FANS The bubblegum pink decor at the iconic The Royal Hawaiian Resort has been inspiring visitors since the establishment opened in 1927. Now that millennial pink is having an extended moment, it’s worth taking another look. Right on Waikiki Beach, the glamorous hotel was designed in a Moorish style, which was popular at the time of opening. royal-hawaiian.com FOR HISTORY BUFFS Care to sleep in a former military fortress? Visit Cap…

TOFFEED TAMARILLO UPSIDE DOWN CAKE SERVES 8 Garnet-red tamarillos, with their deep, fruity flavour and touch of acidity, brighten the winter fruit tray, being available from late autumn to the beginning of spring. The tropical fruit is actually related to the tomato and potato, and grows well here. Poached tamarillos left immersed in the sweet cooking liquid will absorb the colour from the skin, the flesh becoming intensely ruby-red while remaining firm, making them a really special fruit to cook with. Their unique taste marries well with star anise, cinnamon, orange, vanilla, ginger and, as here, with toffee hidden under an almond-rich cake batter that benefits from being served hot with crème anglaise or pouring cream. TAMARILLOS AND TOFFEE Grated rind and juice 1 orange 2 cups water ¾ cup…

The Planthunter explores the relationship between plants and people. How do people benefit from having a life filled with plants? The bonds between people and plants, while often hard to articulate or quantify, run incredibly deep. Firstly, if plants don’t exist, we don’t exist. That’s enough of an impetus to live a life surrounded by plants, right? Secondly, tending to plants teaches so many lessons about the intricate connections between all life. The poet Stanley Kunitz once wrote, ‘The universe is a continuous web, touch it at any point and the whole web quivers.’ I love this sentence, because it illustrates both the incredible beauty and fragility of existence, and the interconnectedness of all life. Plants, and the act of gardening, teach us about life and perspective in a way…

HARVEST > Feijoas are abundant in many gardens so gather as many as you can for eating with a spoon or peeled, sliced and marinated with a little sugar. Feijoa chutney is also big in our household. Watch out for guava moth, the scourge not just of guava and feijoa trees but also citrus and many other fruit crops. To stop the infestation spreading, pick up fallen fruit but don’t compost it. Place it in a bucket with a lid and cover with lime or gypsum to kill larvae first. > Who doesn’t love macadamias? Considered by some to be the queen of nuts, many macadamia varieties (eg ‘Beaumont’, ‘Maroochy’, ‘GT 205’) are harvested at this time of year. For some varieties like ‘Beaumont’ that don’t drop their fruit naturally,…

SHRUBS TO BE CLIPPED INTO MOUNDS OR ROUNDED SHAPES Choose one species: try Pittosporum ‘Golf Ball’, silver germander (Teucrium fruticans), Californian lilac (Ceanothus), lavender, Muehlenbeckia astonii, Corokia species, Artemisia eg ‘Lambrook Silver’ or ‘Silver Fairy’, lavender cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus). MEDIUM-HEIGHT FLOWERING PLANTS Choose 3-4 different types and plant in groups of 5-7. Try bearded iris, daylilies, salvia eg ‘Caradonna’ or ‘Blue Hills’, sea holly (Eryngium), Marlborough rock daisy (Pachystegia insignis), Hylotelephium spectabile eg ‘Autumn Joy’, flowering annuals such as zinnia, calendula and lobelia. CASCADING OR GROUNDCOVER PLANTS Prostrate rosemary, white or red flower carpet roses, Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’ (can be invasive in some areas), prostrate manuka eg Leptospermum ‘White Cascade’, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, wormwood species such as Artemisia ‘Alba Canescens’, woolly thyme, lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina). PLANTS FOR VERTICAL CONTRAST…

JUST ADD LOVE PAINT Living room Dulux ‘Bushy Park’. Master bedroom Resene ‘Cinder’. Nursery Resene ‘Thorndon Cream’. Studio Resene ‘Black White’. Kitchen/living Resene ‘Half Thorndon Cream’. OFFICE Desk and table from George & Willy (painted). Pendant from Superette, Christchurch. Office chair from Warehouse Stationery. Copper lamp from Freedom. Carpet existing. KITCHEN Bench, benchtop, taps, tiles and flooring existing. Stools from Cintesi. Cabinets and drawers from Millbrook Kitchens, Rangiora. Stove from Smeg. Black replica storage cabinet from Charbon Industrial Furniture. LIVING ROOM Leather pouf from Onceit. Grey ottoman from Furniture Concepts (part of couch). Coffee table from Niche Gifts in Rangiora. Armchair and fur throw from Reincarnation, Christchurch. Carpet, light fitting, fireplace and shelves existing. Woven plant holder from Corcovado. Navy/ rust basket next to fire Design Dua. MASTER BEDROOM Curtains…

SAVE SPLURGE…

In a butter-yellow art deco house built in the 1940s, features director Lucy Slight and her radio broadcaster husband Clint Roberts live with their two British Shorthair cats, Ziggy and Bowie. The couple bought the home in New Lynn, Auckland, almost three years ago and knew it was ‘meant to be’ as soon as they walked through the door. The lounge, where they spend most of their time, is Lucy’s favourite room and she loves finding eclectic pieces for it at op-shops and online stores, and weekends are spent perusing wholesale plant nurseries for tropical specimens. How have you decorated your living room? The only things we had when we moved in were the couch and coffee table, so it’s been really fun building up this room over time and…

Each winter we have a big bonfire at Nan’s house and the grandchildren collect all the broken branches from her paddock. When it dies down we toast marshmallows. Marni Lynn, from Facebook Fireeeeee. Plus bowls of tea and hot choccies with the biggest spoon of Nutella. @hayleyroberts.co I ALWAYS LIGHT A GORGEOUS SOY CANDLE AS SOON AS I GET HOME, AND KEEP A BASKET OF THROWS NEXT TO THE COUCH ALL READY FOR SNUGGLING UP. Audra Lyons O’Donoghue, from Facebook All the gorgeous vintage woollen blankets and throws come out. We change the oils in the diffuser and sip white ginger tea as we snuggle with two dogs and our cat around a cosy fire. Every night when I get home from work, I light candles. The sensory banquet reflects…

CONTACTS + Lee: I love to shop local and have purchased numerous pieces from my local homeware store, Niche, in Rangiora. They also stock a great range of my Cloud Nine products. + Trade Me, garage sales and secondhand stores are a great place to find pre-loved treasures. + My favourite homeware brands include Pony Rider, Bonnie & Neil and Angus & Celeste. HONESTY BOX + One thing you would change about your home if you could? We think it’s pretty perfect just as it is. + Most memorable experience you have had in your home? The actual moving-in was pretty exciting. We felt we had worked so hard to get to where we were, and felt extremely grateful for our beautiful new home. Also, bringing our son home for…

IN PLAIN SITE When Carly and Cam Ward first saw their Tauranga section in 2014 – just before property prices soared – they were baffled. Why was the large, sloping parcel of land, hugged by a lush reserve and with views of Tauranga’s northern inlet, still available, they wondered. “We couldn’t believe the section hadn’t been snapped up,” says Carly. “But we could see its potential straight away.” The couple and their two small children had outgrown a much-loved, character-filled 1950s bungalow and were “really worried” about the prospect of building new, even though it seemed like the right thing to do. “I wanted to recreate the same feel [as the old house],” says Carly. “I like nooks and crannies, interesting spaces.” Her fears about not being able to make…

BUDGET > How much did you spend on the build? $850,000 > Did you stick to your budget? We budgeted the entire build and knew that if we used smart products and design we could create a bespoke house for a standard cost. Fixing all the costs beforehand meant that the only overspends were when we decided to upgrade the quality of some of the items and finishes. > Which areas did you save or splurge on? Indoor-outdoor flow was important, so the big spend was on the aluminium bifold doors from Waikato Windows. The kitchen and bathrooms were also splurges as these places get the most use (we used Moda Kitchens and Robertson Bathware for these). HONESTY BOX > Best lesson learned? Design and planning are paramount, down to…

PROBLEM The house had poor connections between its indoor and outdoor living areas. ‘Prison cell-type’ fencing enclosed the pool, made the area feel small and restricted its use. Rampant bamboo and agapanthus made a bank overlooking the water unusable. SOLUTION Large bifold windows now open out from the dining room onto the garden and a stacking door connects the living area and pool. The fence was replaced and the perimeter expanded to create lounging areas within the pool enclosure. A Caesarstone offcut forms a poolside bar leaner. The agapanthus was cleared (the bamboo is next) and a sunken lounge cut into the bank. 1 PROVINCIAL CHARM Keri Welham was loving life in Wellington and had no intention of ever leaving. However, when husband Dave received an appealing job offer in…

Warming up white All-white everything is a trend that shows no sign of fading but, when it comes to adding interest, not all white homes are created equal. In this amazing makeover on page 114, homeowners Brittany and Lowry used a number of materials such as marble, mosaic and bamboo, as well as lots of indoor plants, to add texture to their all-white decor. Homes like this prove that pure white can actually be surprisingly cosy. Room reveal: couchside cosiness Page 104 Workshop: turn your bedroom into a suite retreat Page 106 Finder’s Fi Page 112 Then & now: taking a cottage from ’80s awful to modern marvel Page 114…

Do you ever wish your bedroom could feel like a stylish, pristine hotel room where you can escape from it all? Now you can achieve the hotel vibe in your home by creating your very own luxury suite. Be warned: you may never want to leave your room again! FLOORING A luxe bedroom makeover starts at ground level. A thick-pile carpet with a good underlay will instantly change the look and feel of your room, giving it that super-silent, velvety quality. Walking on it will make you feel like you’ve stepped into your very own penthouse suite. BED The centrepiece of a bedroom is always the bed but, in a hotel bedroom, the bed should be taken to the next level on every front – size, snuggliness and…

Having a neutral colour scheme doesn’t have to be boring. By using the right mix of materials and adding interest with hardware and accessories, a simple colour palette can make a serious style statement. A mainly white look can create the illusion of space, making it perfect for smaller spaces. Louise Cook, National Product Manager from Mico Bathrooms, shows us why the minimalism trend is still going strong in bathroom design. LOUISE’S BATHROOM RENO TIPS > Choose your style What style suits you as a person or family and fits best with the era of your home? Mico Bathrooms’ Bathroom Book is a great source of inspiration. It can help you find a style that’s right for you – and that balances with the look of your home. > Plan…

“I feel as though a room isn’t complete without a natural element” Tell us a bit about yourself: your background, what you do, the space we are shooting you in. I am an interior stylist. I studied interior design straight out of school and gradually made my way across to the media industry. I have worked my way up from an assistant stylist to where I am now. I now style large campaigns for furniture and homewares brands as well as major publications, such as Real Living. I am the co-creator of Citizens of Style, a photographic and styling agency that creates imagery and motion for brands, artists and magazines. I live in Sydney’s inner west with my dog Rue, a Catahoula cross border collie and my housemate Cloud Tuckwell,…

The more you prune hydrangeas, the better the flowering next season. These shrubs can still be pruned in warm areas, but in colder places wait until you’re certain there’ll be no more frosts. Cut dead or spindly stems back to the ground and trim remaining branches back to a pair of fat buds. Give bushes a side dressing of blood and bone and dig in a bit of compost. Don’t throw all the trimmings onto the compost, though – use them for cuttings so you’ll have new plants for gifting or to fill gaps in the garden in spring. Choose stems with around 5-6cm below a pair of leaves. If you didn’t get around to tidying up the garden at the end of summer, get onto it now. Remove old…

Whether it’s a stable platform for outdoor living, an area for lounging by the pool or an all-weather route to the compost bin, hard surfaces are essential in the modern garden. The options are numerous so how do you decide what’s right for your place? Here are our top tips for getting the most out of your outdoor floor. 1 MAKE A PLAN A paving plan is essential for all but the tiniest gardens. An accurate scaled plan of your site will help you work out exactly how much paving is required for each element: terrace, footpaths, driveway and so forth. If budget constraints mean you need to develop the garden in stages, a paving plan will help you decide where and when the money is best spent.…

A • A&C HOMESTORE alexandcorban.co.nz • ADAIRS adairs.com.au • AMARA nz.amara.com • ANNIE SLOAN anniesloan.com • ASPIRING WALLS aspiringwalls.co.nz B • BABELOGUE babelogue.shop • BACKHOUSE backhousenz.com • BATH CO bathco.co.nz • BAUHAUS bauhaus.co.nz • BED BATH & BEYOND bedbathandbeyond.co.nz • BIBBY + BRADY bibbyandbrady.co.nz • BIG SAVE bigsave.co.nz • BIVOUAC OUTDOOR bivouac.co.nz • BOLT OF CLOTH boltofcloth.com • BRISCOES briscoes.co.nz • BROADYS broadys.co.nz • BUNNINGS bunnings.co.nz C • CARPET COURT carpetcourt.nz • CINTESI cintesi.co.nz • CITTA cittadesign.com • CLOUD NINE CREATIVE cloudninecreative.co.nz • COUNTRY ROAD countryroad.co.nz • CRAVE HOME cravehome.co.nz • CRISP HOME crisphome.co.nz • CURTAIN STUDIO curtainstudio.co.nz D • DANIK HOMEWARE danikhomeware.co.nz • DANSKE MOBLER danskemobler.co.nz • DARE GALLERY dfo.com.au • DAWSON & CO dawsonandco.nz • DESIGNSOURCE designsource.co.nz • DULUX dulux.co.nz E • EARLY SETTLER earlysettler.co.nz • ECC ecc.co.nz • ELEMENTAL JEWELLERY elementaljewellery.co.nz • ETSY etsy.com • EVERYDAY NEEDS everyday-needs.com • EZIBUY ezibuy.com F • FARMERS farmers.co.nz • FATHER RABBIT fatherrabbit.com • FLOORING XTRA flooringxtra.co.nz • FORMA forma.co.nz • FREEDOM freedomfurniture.co.nz • FRENCH COUNTRY frenchcountry.co.nz G • GEORGE & EDI georgeandedi.com • GEORGE &…

LILYFIELDS MT SOMERS Ph: 03 303 9743 | www.lilyfields.co.nz Lilyfields has wonderful summer and spring colour for pots or gardens. Order bulbs from our 2018 catalogue. Gift vouchers available. Bulbs sent NZ-wide. Free catalogue available on request. RAVENHILL NURSERY Ph: 06 342 4823 | 027 878 3116 www.ravenhillnursery.co.nz Herbaceous perennial specialists plus native and exotic shrubs. June/July sale. Online store. RETRO LIGHTS Ph: 0274 535 077 brenda@retrolights.co.nz  www.retrolights.co.nz Vintage, festoon string sets are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Ideal for landscape lighting, and perfect for dressing up any area for that special occasion. GRANDPA’S FEEDERS Ph: 07 552 5225 | Alla 027 276 9794 Mark 027 497 6021 | alla.mark@xtra.co.nz  www.grandpasfeeders.co.nz The best automatic feeder on the market: strong construction,…

Chalk it up Overhauling your kitchen, dining area or living space for winter can be as simple as a quick paint refresh. Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan allows you to instantly update furniture such as kitchen cupboards without sanding or primer, and the colours can be mixed to create your own bespoke hue or effect. In this warm, inviting kitchen scheme, the walls are painted with Wall Paint in ‘Antoinette’, and the cupboards are painted with Chalk Paint in a mix of ‘Aubusson Blue’ and ‘Emperor’s Silk’. Check out the whole range of colours at anniesloan.com.…

Basket basics > Woven baskets are truly multifunctional decorative items which not only add texture to a room but are great for storing items such as kids’ toys, books, sports gear and shoes. > Try grouping baskets in clusters of three to create visual interest in a room. Select a trio in different heights and sizes and position a large one at the back and smaller ones in front. > Baskets can easily be painted using a test pot or two if you want to give them a new look.…

THE BEGINNING Seventies floral carpets, an orange retro kitchen and mission-brown bricks would send most house hunters running for the hills. But Hayley Pannekoecke, co-founder of homeware and clothing brand Kip & Co, saw past the dated decor of a tiny house on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, and visualised what would be her future family home. Within weeks of buying the house, Hayley and her builder husband James began demolition. Fast forward two years and their Scandi-meets-Aussie renovation is complete. We took a look inside this bright, beautiful home and found plenty of inspiration for creating a cosy and colourful winter nest. 1 USE A PLAYFUL PALETTE There was no question Hayley’s home would embrace the same playful colour palettes that the Kip & Co brand is known for.…

Pattern making Gone are the days of rules such as ‘don’t mix red and pink’ or ‘never use both stripes and spots’. For the large part, anything goes in today’s homes. A plain backdrop such as neutral walls and window treatments can allow plenty of experimentation with colours, textures and patterns, as designer Lee Sinclair has proven in her Rangiora home. Check out how she decorated a villa-style new-build to suit her young family on page 50.…

Leap of faith Sometimes just having a dream isn’t enough – you also need the courage to see it through. While living in their first home in Flat Bush, a new development in South Auckland, Becks and Giovanni Luca often found themselves driving to the nearby suburb of Beachlands to see family and friends who lived there. The couple daydreamed of one day making a move to the area themselves. In the meantime, it was becoming apparent that the couple and their two young children – Brianna, now 11, and Santino, now 10 – needed a home with more space. In early 2016, encouraged by Auckland’s hot property market, the couple decided to sell their Flat Bush property. Buoyed by the generous land sizes on offer further east in…

> Get a design specific to your requirements. I spend a lot of time with clients who are undertaking renovations because the original house was generic and not specific to future needs. > Have a clear idea of what you want and stick to the theme. This will make it easier to create a cohesive feel throughout the whole house. > Get a fixed-price build but have a contingency. There are always unforeseen costs and price cost sums (costs that are not fixed) such as excavation.…

MAKING THE MOST OF A SMALL BATHROOM > A small bath can look deceptively large if it’s deep. The Welhams chose a ‘piccolo’ model, the smallest on the market at the time. > Consider repeating kitchen benchtop and cabinetry materials in the bathroom for potential cost savings from using offcuts. Keri and Dave used Caesarstone and Tasmanian blackwood veneer. > Extend tiling beyond the glass shower wall to give the illusion of a larger shower cavity. > Tile the shower grate for the same reason. > Think ahead. “By the time work finished, Lyla was mostly having showers so we could have saved on the bath. However, the bath is still a welcome occasional treat,” says Keri. CONTACTS > Architect Peter Shaw, Upoko Architects, peter@upoko.co.nz, 021 551 949, upoko.co.nz >…

WARM UP Changing your flooring can make a dramatic difference in the bedroom, especially if your existing flooring is wood. Here we have laid Carpet Court’s Urban Luster (2074) from the Malmo range. Soft underfoot, durable and cosy – it’s the perfect choice for bedrooms. GO NEUTRAL Go for a neutral-coloured carpet to make sure any bedding colour combo works. This light charcoal style features warm tones and blends in seamlessly with this moody and romantic colour palette featuring deep crimson and blush tones in varying strengths and textures. Greys, browns and navy tones are the most versatile carpet colours and will go with almost any decor colour scheme. TEXTURE PLAY To get your bedroom winter-ready, the rule is layer, layer, layer! Choose your most important layer first: your carpet.…

Snapshot Who lives here? Lowry Gladwell, 31 (senior legal counsel for Vend), Brittany Phillips, 29 (stay-at-home mum, owner of The Innkeeper, an Airbnb host management company), Mila, 3, and Jack, 1, plus cat Mimi. Where is the home? Devonport, Auckland. Background Why did you decide to purchase this home? Brittany: We had a two bedroom unit that we had renovated and sold, and we needed to upsize as I was pregnant with our first child. When did you move in? January 2015. What did you love about the home? We loved that there was potential to restore it back to a charming cottage. We also loved that it had views and a large outdoor living area (for Auckland and our budget). What did you not like about it? We didn’t…

Monstera Also known as Swiss cheese plant due to their signature holey look, Monstera deliciosa is a natural climber. In the wild it climbs up the bark of trees, so a monstera houseplant will need its stems supported as they develop – small ponga logs are ideal. Bright, filtered light and normal room temperatures will suit this species. In hot spaces, place the pot on a tray with damp pebbles to improve humidity around the plant. Feed every 2 weeks during the growing period (spring to autumn) with a standard liquid fertiliser.…

1 DOWN TO EARTH To improve growing conditions for new and existing plants, remove some of the stones and replace with good-quality planting mix and plenty of organic matter such as stable or poultry manure, compost or seaweed. Retain some of the larger rocks in the rockery to add interest. 2 STAIN STYLE Waterblast mould and moss from timber retaining walls in tiered garden, then stain them a dark grey to create a crisper, more finished look. 3 IN THE ROUND To contrast with the geometric form of the house and the paved driveway, plant naturally mounding shrubs (or clip shrubs into rounded shapes) at the back of the rock garden. 4 FLOWER POWER In both sets of beds, plant medium-height flowering plants near the front for some seasonal colour.…

“It was very sheltered among the trees and had a lovely peaceful feel to it. Fortunately, it wasn’t swampy as the land sloped” It’s been nearly 40 years since Ian and Elsie Lind first moved to their bush-covered section in the heart of New Plymouth. During that period they have raised three daughters, pursued busy careers and created Nikau Grove, a garden that earns the admiration of hundreds of visitors every year. They’ve even managed to score the ultimate accolade for garden aficionados in this country, the five-star Garden of National Significance rating. SITE The roughly half-hectare site is in a valley with a creek running through it less than three kilometres from New Plymouth’s CBD. “There was an open area in the centre and on the banks but most…

PUSH PINS Give basic gold push tacks a stylish new look by adding crystals to the front of them. Use liquid nails to glue your tack to the back of the crystal and leave to dry. Then pin your favourite bits and pieces to your pinboard. Simple yet so effective. JEWELLERY HANGER Keep your dresser free of clutter by creating a simple jewellery hanger. This is super-quick and easy to make; you can do it within an hour. Paint a small piece of pine (we used a small testpot of Resene ‘Alabaster’ paint). Once it’s dry, use Liquid Nails to glue the crystals onto the pine, spacing them out evenly. Leave to dry for 24 hours. Attach two flat picture hangers to the back of the pine and hang on…