Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Your Home and Garden

I used to live in a flat so small the kitchen was strictly a one-person-in, one-person-out space. It was in London, known for its expensive real estate but I’ve rented flats here that weren’t that much bigger and the rest of the rooms weren’t exactly spacious. Such is the life of a renter. You play the hand you’re dealt and make the most of the good features and disguise the ugly. It’s a great training ground for budding decorators because you can’t just knock out a wall to fix the problem, you have to be creative. That’s why I admire Flip Grater who lives in a Christchurch loft, page 40, with her family. Flip has taken the restrictions of her rented flat (tiny kitchen, no dining, small bathroom) and turned…

Preserving can often be thought of as fussy and time consuming, but these two simple recipes show how easy it can be. I’ve taken two classics, tomato sauce and berry jam, and created clever, easy methods that have a modern twist. Clever berry jam This luscious homemade jam comes together in less than 15 minutes and can be made with most types of soft-fleshed fruit. 700g fresh berries 350g raw sugar 1 vanilla pod, sliced through the middle 2 Tbsp water 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Place the fruit, sugar, vanilla and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer rapidly, until the mixture starts to thicken. This should take no longer than 8-10 minutes. Stir every minute or so to ensure the mixture doesn’t…

The first time Shelby George saw the Auckland downtown apartment she now calls home was through her work. Her cousin Kate Alexander, founder of styling and interior design company Places & Graces, had been asked to stage it for market. Having just arrived in New Zealand from her home in the UK, interior stylist Shelby was put in charge of clearing it. “I walked in and thought ‘Oh my god, it’s gorgeous, I want to live here’,” says Shelby. “Even though it’s really far away from home, it transported me to somewhere in Europe. The parquet floors, Juliet balconies, exposed beams – I was bowled over.” “It transported me to somewhere in Europe. The parquet floors, Juliet balconies, exposed beams – I was bowled over.” SHELBY GEORGE Hunting for a…

Honesty box Save vs splurge: We were lucky when we moved to Christchurch. I have a lot of family with great taste and we inherited some beautiful things, like our bed. I’ve been a musician my whole life so I’m used to being broke and struggle to spend money on anything, but my Jane Barry painting was a splurge, as was the gorgeous brass planter that holds one of our monsteras. What’s one thing you would change about your home if you could? If we owned, we would build a mezzanine bed in the main bedroom. The high diagonal ceiling space is wasted and it would open up the floor space for a wardrobe and potentially a home office. I’d also get rid of the red walls in the kitchen.…

“Where you spend time with your family should be as inspiring as the edgiest gallery.”JULIEN LOMBRAIL Design that comes straight from a factory leaves Julien Lombrail cold. “When I see manufactured products, even if they are by the best names, I don’t see soul, I see plastic,” he says. Instead, Julien likes his furniture as visceral as an artwork. So, in his family’s living room, buckled strips of metal erupt from the surface of a storage cabinet, twisting it into a dynamic, deconstructed sculpture. A few feet away, a dark bronze table lamp mutates into a tree of human figures. The artistry of these pieces by Vincent Dubourg and Atelier Van Lieshout sums up the ethos of Julien and his wife Nitsa Benchetrit’s lofty Parisian home – a place where…

“Some of the homes around here are very ‘greige’ and we wanted to avoid that. Besides, I’ve always liked blue.” NICOLE NEAL Nestled among rows of stately Edwardians, this modernist home is a standout. Undaunted by its century-old neighbours, the updated residence celebrates colour at every turn. When Nicole and David Neal bought the four-bedroom house in 2011, it was a far cry from the exciting home it is today. In fact, the couple was advised to call in the wrecking ball. “We had one architect look over the place who said the house didn’t fit into this area and should be knocked down!” says Nicole. “It was built in 1967 and hadn’t been touched – inside or out – since then, though it was well maintained. Think pristine late-1960s…

What was it that drew you to this house? Aslan: I’ve always been drawn to ’70s design as it modernises really well. The house had been rented for 5-10 years, so it was tired but we could see the potential to modernise without the need for significant structural changes. And secondly, the gully aspect. You’re sitting at canopy height, looking out over 200-year-old kahikatea. I knew there’d be a deck on that side of the house, and from the dining and lounge you could also look out across the treetops. Kim: I loved the urban setting with the privacy of the bush outlook, which is really hard to find. The house had a nice vibe, despite being very rundown. And we knew we could easily work with the floor-to-ceiling windows…

Your outdoor diary Get hip Gather ye rosehips while ye may and make vitamin-C rich rosehip syrup, tea and jelly or pick a few for the vase. Do leave some on the bushes though – both for the birds who love to eat them and for their brilliant colour in these rapidly shortening days. Good roses for hips include: Rosa moyesii with its large flagon-shaped hips; Rosa rugosa, whose hips resemble cherry tomatoes; or Rosa spinosissima, aka the Scotch rose, which has unusual purplish black ones. Also worth investigating is the dog rose, Rosa canina with its abundance of ovoid orange hips, and Rosa filipes ‘Kiftsgate’ whose hips are tiny, red and plentiful. GET BUSY FRUIT • Prune blackcurrants, removing spindly, crossing-over or dead canes. One-third of all canes may…

01 SPLASH OUT My family and I can’t get enough time at the beach, which is why we like to bring the ocean inside. I’m in love with these prints by Amber + Friends. @amberandfriends photography 02 SUPER SCRUB I helped to create this coffee scrub with my pals from Mt Atkinson Coffee. It’s infused with orange, ginger and brown sugar and makes summer skin smell incredible. @mtatkinson_coffee 03 CHECKS, PLEASE! I can’t resist red gingham and these beautiful made-to-order pillowcases would find a very happy home on my bed. I find so much joy in fresh linen, and these would bring that joy to a whole new level. @klay_nz…

Honesty box What did you save on? We scoured Trade Me looking for sofas as neither of us had one and Celine finally found two for $450. Eventually we’d love to recover them, but we fell in love with the shape and they are so comfy. What have you splurged on? Shelby: Time Collapse artwork by Java Bentley. I’ve always been attracted to mark-making and I love how expressive this is. Celine: My Armadillo & Co Agra Knot rug from The Ivy House. Has anything not gone your way, living here? Fitting things up the stairwell was difficult. Getting Celine’s giant bedhead in place was a very hairy moment. I felt sorry for the movers when we moved in as the lift was broken. All our furniture had to be…

A quick commute, handy location and even a spare bedroom – Marissa Kirkham and fiance Will Parr’s first apartment ticks all the boxes. The couple, aged 30, had been flatting with friends in Auckland’s Mt Eden when they felt the pull towards buying their own home. Marissa, a public relations consultant, and Will, a property development manager, both work in central Auckland, so a long commute from their future abode wasn’t an option. “We didn’t want to buy too far out of Auckland and have a long commute to work,” says Marissa. “Or buy a three-bedroom house that would need a lot of work. We wanted to buy our first home in Auckland, which is a tough market. Will has a background in property and is interested in new builds.…

Paris downunder French-born Chrystelle Baran of French interiors store Baran de Bordeaux in Auckland explains how to get the Paris apartment look. “The effect looks almost random, but it is, in fact, anything but. The Parisian interior should tell a story and represent the person who lives in it.” Get the floor right first. Nothing will work if the floor is wrong. Most Paris apartments have beautiful, old wooden floors but there are plenty of great options on the market nowadays for creating the look. An overlay product in aged oak or parquet panels works every time. + Don’t be afraid to go dark. People often think white will make a small space look bigger. It does quite the opposite. It draws the walls in closer, and drags a low…

A well-designed bathroom never goes unnoticed. Have you ever visited a restaurant or cafe and had your impression of the place lift thanks to an aesthetically pleasing bathroom experience? The same should be true of your own home. It is, after all, the most used room in the house. A well-thought-out layout, beautiful choice of materials or simply clever styling can transform this often neglected space from one of necessity to one of luxury. With more permanent fixtures such as tiles, benchtops and taps, re-doing a bathroom comes with higher stakes than simply re-styling a bedroom or living room. Functionality and layout remain top priority, but second to that is creating a bathroom you feel good in too. To help you create a space that you’ll love for years to…

When New Zealand went into lockdown last year, event manager Jasmin Vallance found her work schedule drying up. To keep busy, she turned her attentions to the ’50s house she owns with her partner Matthew in Point England, Auckland. “What started out as small DIY projects, such as painting vases turned into upcycling furniture, then soon enough I had a paint brush in my hand and was painting a black arch in our hallway,” she says. “Painting was an easy way for us to make over a space without spending too much.” After painting the arch in the hallway with Resene Black, Jasmin used Resene Dust Storm to paint a floating circle on her bedroom wall. A giant half circle headboard was painted in the spare room using Resene Moccasin.…

Layout The largest work often looks good in the middle of the hang. Galleries often hang artworks with their centres at 1500mm from the ground, which is approximately eye level. You might need to allow for furniture, windows and doors so use your “eye-ometer” to decide on a centre height that looks and feels best. Start in the middle and work outwards. There are no hard and fast rules – you can even lean works on the floor – but having the smaller works drifting outwards from the largest work often feels good. Tools Use a spirit level or laser level to keep things absolutely straight. Consider using D-rings and hooks rather than hanging from a single hook with wire or string. There’s nothing worse than having one wonky piece…

WE LOVE Honest restaurant reviews, mouthwatering meal ideas and all-round food appreciation. Emily is a must-follow. @forkingyum The best fuel for renovators? A satisfying stacked sandwich. This ham sammy is making us hungry! farmlandfoods.nz PET OF THE MONTH Murray the Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever shares many similarities with his home – sleek and elegant with a sense of playfulness. CONNECT WITH US We love seeing images from our #yourhomeandgarden community. @yourhomeandgarden TRENDING ONLINE These 20 kitchens will convince you to install open shelving. homestolove.co.nz TOP INSTAGRAM POST A serene, all-white space for our lovers of minimalism. @yourhomeandgarden Instagram @yourhomeandgarden Facebook facebook.com/yourhomegarden Pinterest pinterest.com/yourhomegarden…

For Kiwis renovating or building a new home, PlaceMakers has a comprehensive range to choose from and can help coordinate everything from design to installation. If it’s inspiration you’re after, PlaceMakers’ nationwide showrooms are a great place to visit for the in-situ kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and wardrobes to help you get an idea of what your home could look like. Local commitment The commitment to buying local is something PlaceMakers prides itself on. A large percentage of products stocked in stores across the country are manufactured right here in New Zealand. Specialist consultants PlaceMakers has specialist consultants on hand in its showrooms who can help you through the whole building or renovating process from concept to completion. The consultants can help create the framework of an interiors project including paint…

The top floor of a converted 1960s office block overlooking Lyttelton port is not an expected location for a pottery studio. But then Zoë Lovell-Smith, 23, who forgoes the traditional potter’s wheel for computers and a hand-built 3D ceramic printer, is not your typical potter. She’s just won a gold at the 2020 Designers Institute Best Design Awards for her printed Ada tea set, was a finalist at the ECC Student Design Awards and won silver at the 2020 BEST Design Awards as a member of a team who designed the Electric Cargo Trike. How did you become interested in working with ceramics? My father, a scientist, is a keen amateur potter and I would muck around with clay with him when I was little. But I was a weird…

Marissa’s top tips + Storage: In a smaller space, such as an apartment, storage is everything. Make sure there is plenty of cupboard space in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Get creative, it could be as simple as adding baskets under the sink or something more extravagant like buying furniture with hidden storage compartments. + Scale: Make sure your furniture doesn’t dominate the space, especially when areas are compacted such as the kitchen, dining and living room. Round dining or coffee tables allow easy accessibility without crowding the space like a rigid rectangle or square table would. + Multi-use items: Think about how items can serve different purposes – a stool can be a side table or used as an extra seat for guests. + Colours: Opt for light/neutral base…

Outdoor rooms come in all shapes and sizes. From tiny compact patios to enclosed courtyards, airy rooftop terraces, backyard verandas and spacious covered pavilions, what matters most is that you get to spend time outdoors year-round. Make sure you put as much consideration into your Resene paint and wood stain choices and decoration as you would your interiors. A multi-tasking entrance A covered entry is a natural gathering point from which to greet guests and perform those everyday tasks, such as taking off shoes and making sure the kids have got their school hats and coats. It’s also the perfect place to pause and admire the view to the garden. The tendency is for this space to be a collection point for shoes and coats, so storage is vital to…

1. Storage. Write a checklist of everything you want to store in your bathroom and include design solutions to accommodate it. “I’ve designed vanities with make-up organsiers and electric toothbrush power points in the drawers,” says Laura. If you have children, you might need somewhere to store their bath toys. 2. Lighting. Position a light either side of your mirror for make-up application as lighting from above will cast shadows on your face, says Vic. A couple of recessed ceiling lights can also brighten the room. “Natural light is, of course, a bonus, which is why we like to add a skylight in a bathroom. It brings in natural light without compromising your privacy,” says Vic. 3. A shower niche. There is no reason for your shampoo bottles to be…

Build height Start with a vase layered up on a round tray to compliment the shape of the table, building height from the middle (you can place this off-centre). Next add candlesticks that wrap around this shape – it could be a set of candle holders that are placed around the vase or, try the Nunatak candle holder by Nedre Foss used here. Add a stack of books and repeat the rounds with a mix of trays and bowls in varying sizes – these can be used to keep all your essentials organised, like remotes, matchboxes for your candles and coasters. Finally, add decorative objects on top of your stack of books for a personal touch such as a shell, and fill your vase with an interesting plant or greenery…