Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i Your Home and Garden

I should have known Keith Brymer Jones made it look far too easy to make a bowl from clay. As the judge given to emotional crying on reality programme The Great Pottery Throw Down, he can make them blindfolded – literally. When I first watched the show, I thought, ‘Ooh, how lovely. I could whip up a set of dinner plates’. About four years of lessons later, I do have dinner plates and a lot of wonky bowls (unintentional), but the practice has been a huge learning curve. What I love about it is that whatever else is going on in my life, as soon as I sit down at the wheel, everything is forgotten and all I focus on is making something out of a lump of clay. That’s…

BEANIE CRUSH Absolutely crushing on this luxuriously soft beanie from Max. It’s made from recycled cashmere and wool and has a slouchy look, which I love. @max_stylelived LIGHTEN UP This peach-coloured spiral candle is almost too pretty to light. Hand poured in New Zealand using a blend of natural beeswax and soy wax, along with a wick made from natural fibres. @husk__home LOAF ABOUT You just might find yourself in the mood for baking with one of these rustic loaf tins. Available in two sizes, small or medium, I imagine they’d also make nice serving dishes for small vegetable sides. @ornament.nz…

Honesty box What compromises did you make in building this home? Obviously, everyone has a budget, whatever that may be. I compromised on things I knew made hardly any difference visually or practically. For example, we needed eight mirrors for the house – mirrors are so overpriced. I found a beautiful one at Coco Republic and sourced some well-priced similar style mirrors from Freedom. Any splurges? The oversized glass panel in the corridor through to the girls’ rooms and our Tom Dixon pendant light. High-end homeware or bargain buys? I love my lighting and am happy to go high-end when it means supporting New Zealand designers such as Mat Macmillan and Douglas & Bec. Best advice for spending money on a home? Don’t think everything you buy has to be…

1 Paint all of your skirtings, door frames and doors in a semi gloss paint – we painted ours matte first, like the walls, not knowing how hard they would be to clean and keep marks off. We repainted them after someone told us this tip and it’s been so much easier to keep them clean since then. 2 If you have bought a do-up and there is a lot of junk on the property, or things need removing list it for free on your local community Facebook page or Marketplace, on the condition people have to remove it themselves. It saves things going to the landfill and also blesses people in need who maybe can’t afford it – and saves you the job of removing it. We got rid…

Apparently, we spend a third of our lives in bed. This alone makes the bedroom a contender for ‘the most used room in the house’ title. But we don’t just use the bedroom to sleep. It’s also where we get ready in the morning and it’s a sanctuary when we need to chill out. For some, it might also be an office space. “People have the attitude of ‘I only sleep there’, and therefore, don’t put as much effort into the space as they should,” says interior designer Laura Heynike of Pocketspace Interiors. As the one room in the house that truly reflects you, it should be a playground for decorating – regardless of whether it’s on show or not. This space is yours to enjoy. So, whether you’re renovating,…

You’ll need: • Wire lampshade frame • Embroidery thread – for a 30cm x 20cm lampshade, we used 48 embroidery threads (eight for each of the six colours) • 6 embroidery floss cards • Scissors/snips Before you start your project prepare your materials. If you are using a vintage shade, remove the existing fabric and wrap each embroidery thread around a floss card to prevent the thread from getting tangled. 1 Secure one end of the thread to the lampshade frame with a simple knot. Try not to tie this knot too tight as you will undo it at the end. If you do find the knot slipping, securing it with a peg or small bulldog clip can help. Wrap the thread around two parallel wires until you have reached…

While Covid-19 rudely interrupted filming on The Block NZ last year, the teams are back to pit their DIY skills against the others in 2021. Their challenge is to turn their 230sqm houses on separate titles complete with atrium entrances, double-level lounge studs, second-storey balconies with cityscape views and enviable outdoor spaces into the place that will be auctioned for the highest profit to become the ninth season winners. But before they get their own house to work on, Week 1 came with a twist. The teams had to live together for the first week in the back two houses – that’s Houses 3 and 4. Dylan and Keegan were with Janah and Rachel in House 3 and Meg and Dan and Tim and Arthur shared House 4. They were…

Using Ashley & Co’s Hand Zap, as much for its sanitising properties as its scent of mint lemongrass, blackcurrant, basil and patchouli, $34.95. Okay, it’s actually the scent I like. Obsessed with Diane von Furstenberg’s hand-knotted silk climbing leopard rug made in Nepal. Absolutely glorious. $3800sqm, The Rug Company at Design Central. Buying this Living & Co cast iron casserole, $55 (4L) from The Warehouse. Love the colour and it’s perfect for soups, which is surely one of the absolute joys of winter. Booking a facial complete with LED lights at Skintopia, Commercial Bay. Now that they’ve done the dreaded skin diagnostic in which your face is forensically analysed (as compelling as CSI), I know I need moisture and the incredible hour-long facial plumps up my skin like magic. Bonus:…

Jade’s style tip In a small entryway, a mirror will bounce light around the space to help it appear bigger. Plus, who doesn’t like to give themselves a quick last look before leaving the house? ENTRY The entryway has two main purposes – it should welcome people into the home and provide an extra storage space for items such as shoes, coats and keys. “The entry is also a great place to add personality because it’s where people will get the first impression of your home,” says The Warehouse’s lead designer Jade Turner. Storage solutions The best type of storage for an entryway is the space-saving kind. Any furniture item that can serve a dual function, such as a coat rack with shoe storage, is worth considering. The Madrid sideboard…

If there’s one trend that’s really taken off recently, it’s pottery. Eager amateurs are willing to pay upwards of $100 to get a seat at workshops that sell out in seconds. However, on the other side of this popular movement are those who have enjoyed this mindful art form for years, such as Titirangi Potters. Established in 1974 in the lounge of current member Quentin Whitehouse’s home, the once dwindling club is now thriving at its 55-member capacity, with a waiting list of 20 people hoping to gain a spot. The tight-knit society operates on a “break even” model, with an honesty system for payments and 24-hour access for members, all of whom have their own key. The current chairperson of the club, Victoria Parsons, has made it her goal…

FINISHES HONESTY BOX What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? Do a lot of homework. Prior preparation was the key. Get lots of quotes. Stay on top of the budget. Anything you’d never do again? Burnish concrete – maybe. What are a couple of tips you’d give to anyone planning to build? Pay the extra for a good architect. Get quotes for everything, then make some serious spreadsheets from these quotes. Did you have any setbacks? Not really. Just some crazy hours painting late into the night. Any splurges? Our freestanding bath and the fireplace was the most expensive item in the house. What did you save on? Ben had too many beers one night and jumped on Trade Me and spent $10k on Vitex decking, macrocarpa ceilings…

Honesty box Best lessons learned? Spend a little more money and buy quality. For example, our laundry click-together tiles cost $120, but are awful to clean and mark easily. What would you never do again? Try to juggle working and childcare in between me teaching part time, Isaac’s shift work and renovating while being heavily pregnant. We were both wrecks. Any renovation or DIY disasters? We had to replace the roof around the skylight in the bathroom as it had rotted. It cost more than we had budgeted and slowed the process. The roofer was amazing, it all worked out in the end. We also had the driveway prepared for concreting but one night a person came to pick something up in the dark and it was raining. The driver…

The home of Cille Daamsgard is brightly coloured and filled with precious treasures and preloved items she has collected while on her travels, and salvaged from her childhood home. “Everything I own I either inherited, is vintage or preloved, or a gift from my mother,” says Cille, 22. “I love colour and my mood is greatly affected by my environment, so warm colours and a cosy setting is important to me.” Cille likes to drape lamps with fabric and light candles to play up the cosy vibe of her apartment – and she prefers diffused or natural light to that of bright lamps and light bulbs. “I like to stimulate all the senses, which is why I like burning incense and always make sure I have a good sound speaker,”…

In with the new – there’s an entirely new panel of judges the teams must impress. + Chris Stevens is an interior designer who owns commercial and interior design company Ctrl Space, which specialises in bars, cafes and restaurants as well as residential design. + Interior designer Ann-Louise Hyde has worked on luxury homes all over the world for more than 20 years and focuses on creating a lasting style over a trend. + From a real estate perspective, Lauren Mirabito brings 20 years’ experience and can immediately tell whether a design will lure top dollar buyers or send prospective clients running.…

Garden diary • When the weather is vile and the nights long, you know it’s time to plan for better days by snuggling down with a pile of gardening books and plant and seed catalogues, and the internet, where many small and interesting nurseries can be found. • When there’s not much in the way of flowers outdoors, bring inside a pansy plant, or a primrose, polyanthus, cyclamen or that sweet diminutive daisy, Bellis perennis. All are usually available as single plants and make excellent and refreshing cut flower substitutes. Plus, after flowering they can be planted in the garden to do their thing for a few seasons more. • Little summons the sweet smell of summer as sweet peas. Sow them in trays and place on a sunny window…

CUT TO THE CHASE Sharpen the secateurs, loppers and pruning saw for tackling pipfruit, soft fruits and kiwifruit, all best pruned on a dry day in winter. Also due for a cut are macrocarpa and other conifer hedges which can be lightly trimmed. Prune, too, shrubs that flower on this season’s wood, such as buddleia davidii, fuchsia, lavender and roses. FEED THE HUNGRY Feed hungry spring bulbs with liquid fertiliser or a specially formulated bulb fertiliser. Camellias, daphne, rhododendrons and roses will be among the dozens of shrubs and trees arriving at garden centres. They should be planted as soon as possible after acquisition. EAT UP When the soil is cold and wet, plant salad greens in pots and place in sheltered, sunny spots. Peas and broad beans are pretty…

WE LOVE Stationery has never been so cool. You’ll get lost in the satisfying videos of the creators hand-painting their designs. @moglea Alt Vessel’s groovy gradient glaze immediately caught our eye – as did the soothing clips of the potter applying it. @altvessel PET OF THE MONTH To sit on the couch Westie Bailey knows she has to ask for permission. A light tap on the nearest person’s legs with her paw normally does the trick. CONNECT WITH US We love seeing images from our #yourhomeandgarden community. @yourhomeandgarden TRENDING ONLINE Five ways to revive your laundry without renovating. yourhomeandgarden.co.nz TOP INSTAGRAM POST A refreshing reno shows how much can be done on a budget. @yourhomeandgarden Instagram @yourhomeandgarden | Facebook facebook.com/yourhomegarden | Pinterest pinterest.com/yourhomegarden…

If you have little ones at home during winter, you’ll know exactly what it’s like when cabin fever sets in. Whether it’s stormy outside, or there’s an unexpected school closure, it pays to be prepared with a few unique activities up your sleeve to keep them amused, not only for them but for your sake, too. I’ve put together a list of some of our favourite indoor activities for children that cover a wide range of ages, from my family to yours. I encourage you to grab all the necessary components so that when the rain clouds roll in, you’ll be ready. Discover the joy of scrapbooking As a child, you might remember the joy of scrapbooking, and conjuring up a visual dream board using old magazines, photographs, and bits…

The saying goes, “A builder’s home is never finished”. Well, tell that to Martin and Jodi Wiltshire, owners of a David Reid franchise, whose new home is not only finished but spectacular to boot. It helped that they had a strong brief when they started their build in early 2020. Having built homes for hundreds of people during their 18 years in business, they’d been able to refine exactly what it was they wanted for their family home in Westmere, Auckland. “Just like any family, our main requirement was a house that was warm, dry and safe. We wanted a home that allowed us to come together as a family for meals and socialising, but also provided quiet spaces for studying, working and relaxing,” says Jodi. “We want to live…

When teacher Hayley and firefighter Isaac first met they were living on opposite coasts. Hayley was based at Mt Maunganui, while Isaac was in Taranaki but being in two different locations couldn’t keep these lovebirds apart. Fast forward to today and the couple has been living in New Plymouth for five years, recently finished a beautiful renovation and welcomed two children to their family, Thatcher and Sawyer. Fast movers The surfer couple was renting a home in Oakura, a quaint beach village just south of New Plymouth when they began the search for a home of their own. For the handy couple, the non-negotiables were simple, it had to be warm, light and have room to make improvements. The couple found their ideal home by chance, hearing about it privately…

It’s been decades since women used to “go powder their noses”, which was a polite way of saying they needed to use the toilet, but these days a powder room is a hot ticket item and the majority of new builds feature one. Home decorators love them because it’s a low-risk place to go wild experimenting with wallpaper, high-viz colour and OTT touches because if you have a change of heart, it can be repainted by lunchtime. Paint it Resene marketing manager Karen Warman says one of the challenges powder rooms have is lighting. “Many powder rooms are not blessed with good lighting, so consider choosing an uplifting paint colour, then check and adjust your lighting to bring out the best in your room,” she explains. Because the room is…

Encourage creativity and imagination with a room that champions bold colours and striking shapes. A floor painted in blue and beige stripes creates a feature within the room without overpowering the space and a tall bookshelf painted in a coordinating hue helps to keep everything neat and tidy. Project: Lion’s head If you can’t find the perfect piece of art for your child’s room, try your hand at creating something yourself. We made this fiercely cute lion’s head with a round canvas, Resene testpots, metal ring (the same size as the lion’s head circumference) and strips of fabric. Simply paint your canvas with your chosen colour – we used Resene Tea – and allow to dry. Cut pieces of fabric into strips 25cm long and 4cm wide – you will…

Comprehensive. That’s one way to describe PlaceMakers amazing range of kitchen, bathroom, laundry and wardrobe products. If you’re considering a new kitchen, new home or anything in between it’s only natural to pay your local PlaceMakers’ showroom a visit for everything from design to installation. You’ll also come away with plenty of design inspiration ideas and knowledge about how to make it happen. Dedicated showrooms The thing about PlaceMakers nationwide showrooms is that they have real in-situ kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and wardrobes, as well as finishes from wet-wall linings, tiles, paint samples and so much more. That means you will be able to see all the possibilities for yourself. And should you feel even remotely overwhelmed by the choices available, PlaceMakers’ specialist consultants are there to advise and help you…

Baharat lamb shoulder with onions and moghrabieh SERVES 6 INGREDIENTS 6 garlic cloves, 2 sliced, remaining left whole 2 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning ½ cup fresh oregano loosely packed 150ml olive oil 1 large (2kg) lamb shoulder without shank, cut through the bone into 6 equal pieces (see Tips), trimmed of excess fat 1 Tbsp Turkish chilli flakes (see Tips) 2.1 litres chicken stock 12 spring onions, trimmed 1 small onion, diced 1 Tbsp each ground cumin and ground coriander seeds 1 long red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced 1 fresh bay leaf 600g moghrabieh (pearl couscous) 200g canned chickpeas 12 cherry tomatoes, roasted and peeled Lemon juice, to season Coriander leaves, to serve (optional) BAHARAT SPICE MIX 1¼ tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp finely ground black peppercorns…

How can I stop my plants from getting waterlogged with winter’s deluges? If you are getting boggy patches, you will need to create better draining by digging out small ditches around the garden’s sides in the problem areas. Create a raised garden or veggie bed, and when planting, slightly mound the plants, so their roots don’t sit in water and help break up compact clay soils with gypsum. What are the hardiest indoor plants? The hardiest plants to grow indoors are the snake plant (Sansevierias) and the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zanzibar). Both can tolerate darker spaces inside, as well as requiring little water. Always keep them on the dry side in pots with drainage holes.…

Why forage? There are many compelling reasons to gather from the wild: for health, for economy and for connection. To keep healthy The cultivated foods we buy in shops today have been bred for the commercial market, which values size, sweetness, colour, storability and uniformity. Nutritional value isn’t always high on the list of priorities, and consequently many modern cultivars have a lower nutritional value than their ancestors. Wild foods are often more densely packed with nutrients, and a wild-food diet can offer greater species variety. To save money In both the short and long term, foraging can save dollars. Relatively few people in this country will live entirely off what they gather, even for a short time, but if you have a pantry stocked with cheap staples you can…