Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Your Home and Garden

What is it about storage? The more you have, the more you need because you either acquire more stuff, or you’re tripping over bits and pieces like a hoarder. In my case, it’s a bit of both. Of course, this is not the ethos Marie Kondo has built an empire on, but I never want to spend my life folding things and putting them into small boxes over and over like Sisyphus. While others agonise over the perfect pantry, decanting every last lentil into Weck jars and lining them up like soldiers on parade, I can barely be bothered unpacking the groceries and getting them on the shelves. That said, if there was little effort involved, I’d happily have my spices as perfectly aligned as supremely stylish Olivia Sullivan, whose…

BACK TO NATURE Tea towels are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. They’re always there to lend a hand to budding chefs, but are rarely on the receiving end of style praise. That’s about to change – these beauties from Wallace Cotton are bound to catch the eye of discerning dinner party guests. They make great gifts, or treat yourself and add them to your kitchen this autumn. $24.90 each, wallacecotton.com Hang in there LOVINGLY CRAFTED USING 80 PERCENT WOOL AND 20 PERCENT COTTON BLEND FABRIC, THE OYOY JUMPING LION WALL HANGING WILL BE A HIT IN ANY CHILD’S BEDROOM. FIND IT FOR $95.99 FROM KOOP.CO.NZ TO THE MOON Coffee mug coaster, key bowl, jewellery dish or trinket vessel, the Moon Tray does it all. Find it in white or…

MAKES 50ML This zesty spray is particularly good at diminishing any lingering odours in the kitchen. During the warmer months, I’ll switch out the spicy clove for something a little more refreshing such as eucalyptus, lemongrass or grapefruit. Patchouli or geranium paired with orange is another lovely combination. 10 drops orange essential oil 5 drops lemon essential oil 5 drops clove essential oil 10ml witch hazel 50ml glass spray bottle Put all the ingredients into an amber-coloured spray bottle and top with filtered water. Shake gently to combine.…

Honesty box What areas of your new build did you save and splurge on? In the ensuite and bathroom, we used HardieGroove board instead of tiles. We also did the landscaping and electricals ourselves. The area we splurged on was the custom-made round, wooden door handle for the front door. It came from Auburn Woodturning in Australia. Also, good carpet – we went with a Cavalier Bremworth wool loop-pile as we wanted something hard-wearing that would last. What were the best lessons you’ve learned? All the hard work on those days when you can’t be bothered makes it all worthwhile once you’re in. Another big lesson was choosing the paint colours and seeing them in different lights. I’d recommend painting large patches when testing colours. What would you never do…

The curated space You’ll be inside a lot over winter, so indulge yourself with a specially created space, filled with objects you love. This room opening into another room has an art gallery feel, which amplifies the importance of the collection of personal objects, furniture and paintings. The warm brown walls in Resene Leather in the foreground sets the tonal scene, while the contrasting neutral wall in Resene Quarter Linen behind keeps the overall space relaxed and welcoming, and will give you plenty of moments of joy. Front walls painted in Resene Leather. Back wall in Resene Quarter Linen. Floor stained in Resene Colorwood Dark Ebony. Vase painted in Resene Calico. Rug from Nodi, chair and vase from Domo, shelf from Citta, armchair and coffee table from Matisse, Head ornament…

• Put in a fence to create privacy. • Updated the bedroom by stripping back four layers of wallpaper, re-plastering and re-painting all the walls. • Transformed the conservatory by removing the MDF boards used for the walls and exposing the concrete block wall, which I painted in a fun feature colour. I also removed the door from the lounge into the conservatory to create more room and flow. I installed sunblock blinds, which help reduce heat in this room during summer, and also work as a privacy screen. • Updated the lounge by stripping back three layers of wallpaper, re-plastering and painting the walls. I purchased a second-hand sliding door that will be added off the lounge onto the future decking area for when the house gets landscaped and…

Ever wondered how some people manage to keep on top of the mess in their homes without looking like they’re trying? “A place for everything and everything in its place” is a great rule of thumb for staying tidy. But if you don’t have a solid storage system, trying to find a home for those oblong salad platters, spare keys or bulky hair tongs won’t be easy. Never fear – here are our top home organising hacks. Kitchen 1 If you haven’t used an item in 12 months (hello, tapioca flour), throw it out. Not only will you reduce clutter, you’ll have a better handle on what not to buy, saving you money in the long-run. 2 Install rolling shelves with low sides in the pantry to ensure items are…

And so to bed • As the nights lengthen, the ornamental garden can be put to bed. First, weed, then lay down a wodge of mulch, such as pea, oat or barley straw, composted bark, leaf litter or compost. Mulching protects vulnerable plants from frost or snow damage, helps the soil retain moisture, retards weed growth and breaks down, making the soil more friable and richer. • Mulching around trees and shrubs is similarly beneficial – just ensure the mulch is not hard up against trunks, where it can cause damage and rot. • Perennials’ seed heads may be cut back now. However, consider leaving some to provide seeds for birds and because many will look attractive throughout winter, providing interesting silhouettes. • Any empty zones in the vegetable bed…

Grateful to Little French Pastry for thinking up this birthday cake alternative – 16 in choux pastry. From $35, littlefrenchpastry.co.nz In need of another Golden Laced Wyandotte to join my small flock of two. My first one, Tammy Wynette, has gone to the big hen house in the sky. Upgrading my rubbish bin to Zone Denmark’s Nova soft-close pedal bin for the bathroom. Not that I plan on caressing it, but it does have a velvety finish. $195 from The Urban Studio, theurbanstudio.co.nz Dreaming of a Scirocco Tiffany radiator. So much more nostalgic-looking than my humble heat pump. $5108 (750mm) from centralheatingauckland.co.nz…

By day, Irish-born Leah Creaven is managing the marketing, admin and photography for Drummond Farm – a Martinborough vineyard owned and run by her partner Alex Drummond. By night, or more accurately, in the in-between times, Leah is a textile artist, tufting beautiful large-scale rugs and running punch needle workshops in the surrounding communities. “I’ve always believed art to be an integral part of the home,” she says. “It’s my aim to create something that’s not only functional but is viewed as art too. Art isn’t always hung up on the walls.” What were you doing before you started making tufted rugs? Before I left Ireland, I studied a degree in Textile and Surface Design in Dublin. But it wasn’t until I came to New Zealand that I started working…

Honesty box Best memories in your home? The first week we moved in, we hosted people every night. We were excited about having our own place and couldn’t wait to show it to people and have them over. I love friends and family coming over for dinners, drinks, coffee or just popping in. Best purchase? The curved couch. I feel like it’s a furniture piece that I will have forever. Also, the stunning stone coffee tables, which were Trade Me steals. What would you never do again? Light coloured carpet. It’s not ideal when toilet training a puppy. New build tips + Visit as many show homes as you can. It’s so good seeing different layouts as well as ideas and inspiration for design. + Allow yourself enough time to…

Damaged by the earthquakes, boarded up for three years and stripped by vandals, the century-old, two-and-a-half storey California bungalow in New Brighton was rather down at heel when Matthew Ayton and Tanya Boe bought it as-is at auction in 2014. “As soon as we saw it, we fell in love with it,” says Tanya, explaining how the quakes that rattled the city for nearly a year put on hold their plans to build a house on their 40ha block in the picturesque bush-clad Okuti Valley in Banks Peninsula. Tanya lost her shop in the centre of town in the quakes, their children their school, and Matthew his job. Distressed at the seemingly wanton and wasteful demolition of old buildings in the city, the couple restored several dwellings before finding the…

Not everyone gets a second bite of the cherry when it comes to renovating, but Terri Shannon did: she’s had the good fortune to have renovated her bayside home twice now, with the most recent project seeing an open-plan extension added. “Our house is a 1912 double-fronted home we bought in 2011 and initially renovated to restore it and make it comfortable,” says Terri, director of Bloom Interior Design & Decoration, “but we always intended to live in the house for a while and then extend.” At the time they bought the home, Terri and her husband Luke were parents to two daughters, Charlie and Chloe. The arrival of their son Sam, four years ago, instigated renovations that would allow the house to grow alongside the family. Luke took on…

Before you start blasting heaters, be aware warming your home for winter starts with two important steps – insulation and ventilation. Insulation “A house with good ceiling and underfloor insulation can reduce heat loss by up to 50 percent,” says Liz Ross, eco design advisor for Auckland City Council. Heat travels from warm areas to cold areas so if your home is warm but the outside temperature is cooler, the heat will escape. Insulation provides a barrier of resistance against heat transfer, which is expressed as an ‘R-value’. The higher the R-value, the more effective your insulation will be. Proper insulation ensures that heat isn’t leaving your home faster than you can generate it. Builderscrack estimates insulation costs to range from $70-$160 for every 5sqm. Other top insulators Rugs As…

Colour choice can often be a tricky decision, but Philippa Masoe finds it intuitive. When asked why she picked the range of whites, burnt oranges, slate greys and dark blues for her home, she says simply, “Because I liked them.” “I like the idea of a room having an identity, and these colours give each room that,” she says. Her favourite colour is Resene Sante Fe, chosen for the entrance thanks to the colour inspiration from a pair of nude coloured Menu salt and pepper grinders. “It’s warm and welcoming and makes you feel relaxed as soon as you walk through the front door.” Resene Black White appears all throughout the house alongside Resene Atlas in the main bedroom, Resene Licorice in the spare bedroom, Resene Tuna in Amelia’s room…

Forms Along with their range of sizes, dahlias come in a dazzling array of forms, most of which fall into one of the following groups. Some are perfectly symmetrical, with tightly spaced petals, while others have a loose, lush look. They may have different petal styles and lengths, with open centres or not. When it comes to choosing varieties, people’s preferences vary widely – some prefer cactus types, while others will grow only informal decoratives. I’m personally drawn to the oddballs, including anemone, stellar, incurved cactus and orchette. Over time you might find yourself gravitating to particular classes and understanding the differences between them will help you when selecting new varieties. How to grow Dahlias are relatively easy to grow and need only a few essentials: good soil, adequate water…

WE LOVE Nostalgic beaded jewellery is her go-to, but it’s the cute handmade squiggly mirrors and tables that caught our eye. @mishmish.creative These designer cakes will wow bakers and non-bakers alike. Psychedelic patterns and bold colours are Alana’s signature style. @alanajonesmann PET OF THE MONTH Funny bunny Ivy loves to chew the pink kitchen door and eat the dried flowers in her home, page 104. Regardless, she’s a much-loved house member. CONNECT WITH US We love seeing images from our #yourhomeandgarden community. @yourhomeandgarden TOP INSTAGRAM POST “Anything but white” was the brief, and it’s fair to say, they nailed it. @yourhomeandgarden Instagram @yourhomeandgarden | Facebook facebook.com/yourhomegarden | Pinterest pinterest.com/yourhomegarden…

When it comes to living a healthy, natural lifestyle, one of the best ways we can start our journey is by tackling the air quality in our home. After all, we spend plenty of time indoors, and particularly as the winter season approaches. According to the EPA, the air quality inside our homes can be 5-10 times more polluted than the air outside. Scary, huh! That’s why it’s so important that our space not only feels comfortable, but that the air we breathe in is fresh, too. The idea of keeping a healthy home seems simple but where to start? Do I have to toss everything and start again? The good news is there are a number of small, simple changes that can make a difference to the air quality…

As the days get shorter and the chill in the air becomes more noticeable, we’re turning our attention to indoors. Right now, creating a warm and inviting home is a priority, so everyone in the family can enjoy time spent inside with each other, with a nurturing and cosy interior front and centre stage. Making changes to your house for the cooler months is easily done on a budget. The Warehouse has sourced far and wide and has a huge range of affordable, quality soft furnishings such as cushions and throws, as well as bedding, decor and heaters to help you get your home just right for family cocooning with a few simple tricks. Begin with the bedrooms. Change the cotton and linen duvet covers and sheets for snuggly flannel-blend…

Ellen Wilburn and her now husband Adam realised they shared many things in common when they first met, but the one similarity that genuinely resonated was Titirangi, where they grew up. Nestled into the Waitakere Ranges, the leafy Auckland suburb comprises native bush, glorious birdsong and the wild West Coast beaches nearby – aspects they both enjoyed as children. While living in nearby Sunnyvale, Ellen and Adam found themselves short on space in their home and knew they needed to move. Central Auckland house prices didn’t hold much appeal, so they looked further afield to the outskirts of the city, searching for that same laid-back setting they grew up in. “We wanted to have that same lifestyle we had growing up as kids – space, bush and being close to…

Honesty box What did you splurge and save on? We splurged on stainless-steel benches in the kitchen. Like pretty much everything else in the house, the kitchen cabinets themselves were second-hand. And we employed a tiler, for once. We also had to fork out for a new iron roof because the salt had turned the original slate shingles to dust and were not repairable. What would you never do again? We got to a point towards the end of the renovations and said we will never live in a house while we are doing it up again. The first winter here we only had a little gas heater and a few rugs to keep us warm, and holes in the walls and ceilings stuffed with paper to keep out draughts.…

“A neat Juliet balcony at the rear of the house allows the owners privacy and great airflow without having to cede too much bedroom space.” JO GILLIES, ARCHITECT There’s no such thing as the too-hard basket for Jo Gillies, director of Archisoul Architects. If there was, this renovation would surely be in it. The owners of this early 1900s semi-detached house, or semi, contacted Jo, having seen an Archisoul sign outside another heritage project, to enquire about renovating their property. Jo and her design team took on the job and soon struck their first challenge: council planning officials insisted the adjoining semi be renovated at the same time. “The owners convinced their neighbour to bring his renovation plans forward. So we had two different briefs, two budgets and two timelines…

When Rebecca Hall clapped eyes on the 53sqm 1970s Huntly brick unit in New Plymouth, she saw the opportunity to star in her very own The Block NZ, or perhaps more aptly, “Bec’s Block NZ”. With a limited budget and help from her teammates – family and friends – she has transformed the once worn-down unit into a bright and welcoming first home. When did you buy your house? I brought the house in 2019 through a private sale. I liked that it was small and would be low maintenance for myself. It meant that whatever I did would not be too much work to handle on my own – and the location was a plus. Tell us about the buying process. It was a private sale. Family friends of…

When designing your dried floral arrangement think about colour, texture and height. Select flowers and foliage in various sizes and colours for visual interest and remember if something isn’t looking right, gently pull it out and place it somewhere else. You’ll need: Vase/vessel – an opaque glass or ceramic one works best so you don’t see the stems Chicken wire or floral netting Flower snips Dried flowers and foliage. Flowers that dry well: • Roses, hydrangeas, gomphrena (globe amaranths), strawflowers, achillea (yarrows), statice (sea lavender), eryngium (sea holly) and gypsophila (baby’s breath) hold their colour well. • Palm leaves, toe toe and ornamental grasses are good for texture and height. Drying flower tips: • Air dry flowers by hanging them upside down on a length of dowel. Make sure the…

Tostadas with paprika prawns and guacamole SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS 24 (1kg) uncooked prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 avocados, coarsely chopped 3 coriander roots, scraped Juice of 2 limes, plus extra lime wedges (optional) to serve 1½ Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying 12 small corn tortillas 100g cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped ½ cup coriander, coarsely chopped 1 small onion, thinly sliced into rounds 1 jalapeno chilli, thinly sliced Tabasco, to serve 1 Stir prawns, paprika and garlic with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste in a bowl to coat and combine. 2 For guacamole, blend the avocados, coriander roots and lime juice in a small blender until smooth. Season to taste. 3 Add extra oil to a…