Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Your Home and Garden

Having watched Darren Palmer judging the contestant’s interior endeavours on The Block Australia, it’s our turn to see what his home looks like (on the cover and page 34) and, let’s face it, judge it just a little bit. So here goes: those bar stools don’t give much back support and having only two pillows on a bed is a bit stingy – um, what else? That’s really it. Which is why he’s a judge and we’re not. As an interior designer he doesn’t put a foot wrong from the generous marble kitchen island to the plunge pool in the front yard (great use of space) and the harmonious and cohesive design throughout. If he was a contestant he’d be bound to be the judges’ choice. I feel like all…

SIMPLE LUXURIES H&M Home is keeping modern simplicity front of mind in the latest autumn collection. Find muted hues paired with geometric decor, perfectly suited to cosying up as the days slowly turn colder. We have our eyes on some of their gorgeous vases. hm.com SLOW STARTS The aptly named Lazy Morning mug by Cotton On is perfect for a Sunday cuppa. $16.99, from theiconic.co.nz BIT OF COLOUR Need a housewarming gift? This Living & Co tea towel and oven glove set is practical and pretty. $19, from thewarehouse.co.nz MARKET HAUL Saturday mornings are made for buying local produce. Dress up for the occasion with the Marra striped market bag, $95, from cittadesign.com PINCH ME Seasoning a meal can be a stylish task with these Now Designs bird pinch bowls.…

Earthy tones add serenity when paired with classic neutrals 1 Ida cushion cover, $95, from Citta. 2 Haywood Lichen floor rug, $1370, from Baya. 3 Resene Contour paint, $5.70 (testpot), from ColorShops. 4 Hug lounger, $189.99, from A&C Homestore. 5 Costa Nova Tansy Green matte tiles, $125 (sqm), from Tile Space. 6 Soft arch vase, $8, from Kmart. 7 Owen bedside table, $179.99, from Mocka. 8 Ripple curved outdoor dining table, $3999, from Early Settler. 9 Selma chair, $329, from Cintesi. 10 Shaggy bean bag, $1890, from Wilson & Dorset. 11 Resene Asperia Collection A55802 wallpaper, $199.99 (roll), from ColorShops.…

Indoor plants are a stylist’s secret weapon for making a home feel alive. But when does a plant collection cross the line from vibrant indoor jungle to impenetrable wilderness? We looked to an expert for advice on how to master the art of styling plants, which ones to pick and whether there’s a case for artificial plants. CHOICES, CHOICES For the most part, green can be treated as a neutral, but some plants will suit better than others. Interior designer Abbey Lang of Abbey Lang Home and Curated Botanics says, “The first thing to think about is the style of the home, the surrounding interiors and the dedication of the homeowner. A botanical selection should complement the home and the overall aesthetic.” For example, mid-century homes are associated with plants…

EXPERT OPINION PANEL Interior designer Erina Emery House Rules NZ judge/ designer Michael Murray Maximalist artist/designer Evie Kemp Type #dopaminedressing into your fave social media app and you’re bombarded with countless images of happy humans wearing vibrant, often whimsical, outfits and ear-to-ear smiles. The idea that choosing outfits that make you feel good stimulates the release of the “happiness hormone” dopamine is one of the hottest online trends of recent months – and we’re here for it. After all, surely it’s impossible to have a bad day when you’re wearing a hot pink maxi-dress with orange knee boots? But it got us thinking… do our interiors influence our moods in the same way our outfits do, and how can we draw more positive energy from our homes? Is there a…

There’s something romantic about living in a castle, although the draughty reality is something else. That’s why Castlecore has captured the imagination of so many, it’s steeped in fantasy – along with a little bit of Hogwarts and touches of goth. + You come home on your trusty steed (or Toyota) from the battlefront and all you want to do is hunker down under your (faux) fur blanket, watch a Game of Thrones rerun and eat popcorn off a pewter plate. + You’ve just ripped off all those white shutters from your windows and replaced them with velvet curtains in forest green and ruby red. They go so well with your dark chocolate and oak-panelled walls. + Lately, you’ve become obsessed with large stones and rocks from the garden and…

The prolific global industrial designer was dubbed “The Prince of Plastic” by Time magazine, due to his love of designing with such a humble material and creating something extraordinary from it. He has more than 4000 designs in production and picked up more than 300 awards in his career. “For the longest time design only existed for the elite and a small insular culture. I have worked hard for the past 30 years trying to make design a public subject.” The best bit? He’s going to be the keynote speaker for Auckland Design Week (3-9March). aucklanddesignweek.com 02 Artwork. More recently I’ve focused on collecting a lot of new artwork by Dalek, Caetano de Almeida, Peter Zimmerman, Julian Opie, Gerold Miller, Peter Halley, Beverly Fishman, Felipe Pantone and J. Demsky. 01…

WE LOVE This gorgeous painting has us planning our next dinner party. @_kloekloe Pink and yellow is a fun colour combo. @brookefairgray PODCAST OF THE MONTH Keep up to date with all the latest trends and stories in Monocle on Design. CONNECT WITH US We love seeing images from our #yourhomeandgarden community. @yourhomeandgarden TOP INSTAGRAM POST Everyone fell head over heels for this pink caravan. @yourhomeandgarden TRENDING ONLINE Imagine soaking up the last warm days of summer here. yourhomeandgarden.co.nz…

Displaying your reads can be a balancing act, but not with these cast iron sea lion bookends, $114, from Anthropologie. There’s gold resin in them thar White Moose bookends, $99, from Shut the Front Door. Keep your books on the straight and narrow. Design Republique marble pillar bookends, $129.90, from Bed Bath & Beyond. SPLURGE FORNASETTI’S FAMOUS WOMAN IS IMMORTALISED IN METAL BOOKENDS, $875, FROM DESIGN 55. There’s always a book at the end of these DOIY rainbow bookends, $91, from Bolt of Cloth. These petrified wood bookends wouldn’t say boo. $349, from Folklore. Squawk, Polly wants a bookend. Cockatoo bookends, $129, from Magpie Home. Get ahead of the book group with these resin bookends, $75, from Interior Warehouse. SAVE SIMPLE METAL BOOKENDS REEK OF LIBRARY CHIC. $6, FROM KMART.…

KITCHEN Designed by Pacific Coast Kitchens, the Bestwood Southern Oak Wilderness melamine cabinetry is paired with black Enko drawer handles. Bauhaus Nerd bar stools and the Bob Each Way Liv light provide elegant touches and the InSinkErator Uso MultiTap provides hot, filtered cold and near-boiling water. The trusses are Baltic spruce with a Mirotone White Wiping Stain. SIMPLE DESIGN Pared-back elements, such as the hard-wearing Dekton Nilium countertops that extend up as a backsplash, help Doug feel at home, while making sure the tones don’t dominate the beautiful natural surrounds. home profile MEET & GREET Doug Longdill (community volunteer). THE PROPERTY Three-bedroom, two-bathroom modern farmhouse set in 44ha native bush and farmland in Waihi. When Doug and Judi Longdill bought a 44-hectare farm in Waihi, they had visions of enjoying…

Talk about a memorable Christmas present. Four-year-old Addie Gittoes loves her new playground, which was designed to grow with her. It’s the perfect addition to the fairy garden and playhouse already in the backyard. Her mum, Natalie Langley, picked the colours, which resemble a soft sunset. “We already had Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen in Resene Paper Doll and Resene Galliano, as those colours were used on her current play area,” Natalie says. The additions of Resene Sunrise and Resene Pattens Blue created a stunning gradient that resembled the sky on a clear Dunedin evening. It was also a reference to the colour they used in their home. “We have used yellows, pinks and blues previously around the house. The playground was always planned to match but we decided to blend…

One quick way to update a house’s interior is to give a dated door that has seen better days a makeover and drag it into this decade. It’s not a challenging project and the results are well worth it. My timber veneer door was finished with clear polyurethane but this project is even easier on pre-painted or bare timber doors. Ask the friendly staff at your local Resene ColorShop about your exact situation. BEFORE You will need • Sandpaper. I used 200 grit • Resene EzyFill Quick • 40 x 10mm pine clears wood • Quick dry glue • Measuring tape • Saw, drop saw or hand saw with mitre box • Nails, if desired • Primer for timber. I used Resene Quick Dry • Brushes and rollers • Resene…

Gardening is Kath Irvine’s happy place. She didn’t grow up gardening, but it was like she’d come home when she found it. The author of Edible Backyard and Pruning Fruit Trees grew up in Wellington but says city life wasn’t for her, so she left and tripped about the North Island exploring other ways. After meeting and staying with people who lived off the land, she found her path. Eventually settling in the Ōtaki Gorge region, almost 30 years ago, she made her first proper veggie patch, so that her babies could eat freshly picked, spray-free produce. 1 What’s your gardening philosophy? It’s about knowing your land first and designing your garden so that it suits your unique climate and soils. It’s about observing first, before acting and acknowledging that…

Mushroom & parmesan French toast SERVES 2 INGREDIENTS 2 free-range eggs ½ cup milk 2 tsp Dijon mustard ¼ cup finely grated parmesan 4 x 2cm thick slices sourdough bread 1/3 cup olive oil 300g button mushrooms, sliced thinly  1 clove garlic, crushed  2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves  2 tsp apple cider vinegar  10g butter  ¼ cup creme fraîche  ¼ cup shaved parmesan  1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh chives 1 Using a fork, whisk eggs, milk, mustard and grated parmesan in a shallow dish until combined; season. Soak bread slices in egg mixture for 5 minutes, turning halfway through. 2 Meanwhile, heat 1½ tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; cook half the mushrooms, without stirring, for 1 minute or until browned underneath. Cook, stirring,…

One glimpse at Kim Lawrence’s colourful Instagram and you’ll be gasping with glee at the nostalgia. Her artworks are inspired by Kiwi food and classic children’s books, such as Snifters, Tangy Fruits, dollhouses and Judy Blume novels. The Motueka-based creative has acquired a following eager to consume her vibrant art – her rug-tufted loaf of Vogel’s “went a tiny bit viral on Trade Me”. Tell us about your creative journey. I have always been super creative. I studied design and art history at university and have dabbled in many creative industries including floristry, wedding invitation design, bridal accessory design and more. I am quite addicted to DIY and love completing a good room makeover in my house. How did you start with punch needle embroidery and rug tufting? I discovered…

EDITOR Fiona Hawtin ART & EDITORIAL Content producer Bryony Ammonds-Smith Art director Nicola Feeney Chief sub-editor Michelle Joe Garden editor Mary Lovell-Smith Senior designers Hayley Pearce, Béla Trussell-Cullen Designers Anna Pétursdóttir, Debby Wei CONTRIBUTORS Helen Bankers, Jane Binsley, Anna Briggs, Holly Jean Brooker, Bureaux, Rachel Clare, Eleanor Cripps, Danielle Heyhoe, Rebecca Hooton, Kerry-Ann Jones, Nikki Kettle, Babiche Martens, Rachael McKenna, Lauren Olive, Kristina Soljo, Catherine Steel, Sally Tagg, Shelley Tustin, Alice Veysey, Tim Williams, Rachel Wybrow ADVERTISING | CORPORATE  Sales director Claire Chisholm  Senior commercial brand manager Angela Wei, angela.wei@aremedia.co.nz  Senior account managers Chloe Jordan, chloe.jordan@aremedia.co.nz; Amy Madden amy.madden@aremedia.co.nz  Account manager Sara Grace Aldis saragrace.aldis@aremedia.co.nz  Classified sales Kim Chapman, classifieds@xtra.co.nz  Head of digital Melissa Walsh  Senior digital content producer Katie Delany  E-Commerce/shopping editor Sarah Templeton EXECUTIVE  Chief executive officer Jane…

FAMILY LIVING Homeowner Nathania Milne, pictured with son Raphael and daughter Chiara, and her husband Josh are fans of a simple, uncluttered lifestyle and enjoy hosting family and friends. The tropical wallpaper is Catherine Martin by Mokum La Palma in Gilver from the Majorelle Collection. KITCHEN The soft grey-green coloured tiles, the concealed extractor painted in Dulux Still, and the wood slat panels around the kitchen island all add to the calm and uncluttered aesthetic. Dulux Mt Aspiring and Mt Aspiring Half paint was also used throughout the house. home profile MEET & GREET Josh (design and innovation leader) and Nathania Milne (founder of The People Place/co-owner and managing director of Beminded NZ) and their children Chiara, seven, and Raphael, four. THE PROPERTY Renovated four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom, split-level unit in…

The dinner party is one of our most enduring pastimes. The act of gathering people around a table to feast and gossip has taken many elaborate forms over the centuries before culminating in the more relaxed affairs we enjoy today. If scrolling online has inspired you to venture into dinner party territory, a plain-coloured tablecloth, ideally white, is a good place to begin. Next, add placemats, plates, bowls, cutlery and glassware. These key components can easily be dressed up or down and are great to build confidence. Once you’ve mastered the basics, dip into a themed affair that will soon become addictive. ROMANTIC Designers Guild Maple Tree Celadon fabric, $479 (per metre); Mokum Lino mist fabric, $189 (per metre); Sabre salad servers, $129.90; Sabre bread knife, $39.90; Broste Copenhagen champagne…

“Ruan and I both love ‘box houses’,” says homeowner Janine Vermeulen of the house she shares with her husband and their young son, Louw – as well as the family’s cocker spaniel dogs, Mymy and Mila. The pleasingly chunky, proportions of the house and outbuildings were updated. The property was oriented towards its charming garden, which now includes an area for alfresco dining. DINING “The living space that opens up to the garden view” is the architect’s favourite part of the Vermeulens’ home and one of his key interventions in this area – adding the large porthole window – is one that Janine particularly values. “It is a great design detail, and people always comment on it when they visit us for the first time,” she says. KITCHEN A petite…

As far as garden trends go in this country, a few roses, a lemon tree, a ground cover of black polythene covered in red scoria chip, concrete edging and a rotary clothesline were quintessential features of your classic low-maintenance section from the late ’70s. This was the relatively untouched state of things when Joanna Mason and her mum Kay Anderson moved to their 1949 brick bungalow on the slopes of Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill 17 years ago. Out the back, the 320sqm subdivided section also had a small vegetable garden, a patch of a lawn and a few heavily trimmed magnolias. Text Rachel Clare Photography Sally Tagg UP THE PATH It might look like a colourful assortment of flowering abundance, but each plant has a carefully designated growing area in Joanna…

Mango & passionfruit kulfi SERVES 8 You will need to make this recipe a day ahead. INGREDIENTS 1 medium ripe mango, chopped 4 passionfruit ½ cup raw caster sugar  5 egg yolks  ½ cup cream  200g creme fraiche  1 medium mango (430g), extra, sliced thinly, to serve  3 passionfruit, extra, to serve 1 Grease a 9.5cm x 20cm loaf pan; line base and two long sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm over the sides. 2 Blend or process chopped mango until smooth; pour into loaf pan. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm. 3 Stir passionfruit pulp, sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until syrup is reduced by half.…

1 The Condiment Book by Claire Dinhut ($35, Bloomsbury). A love letter to those underrated – yet important – condiments. 2 Three Days in June by Anne Tyler ($36, Penguin Random House). The latest from the iconic novelist comes a touching tale of an imperfect mother of the bride. 3 Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr ($62, Pan Macmillan). Ever pondered the deep and meaningful questions about our planet and all that lives on it? 4 Casa Moderna by Philip Jodidio ($80, Thames & Hudson). A dazzling display of some of the best contemporary homes across Central and South America. 5 So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne ($38, Hodder & Stoughton). A nightmare unfolds at a baby shower. Who started the fire? 6 The Rose Book ($80, Phaidon). The most…

“What’s for dinner?” It’s the eternal question in our household. Perhaps you can relate. When we take a moment to consider all that goes into cooking daily, it can be easy to feel instantly overwhelmed. Deciding on what to make, planning what to buy, going to the store, shopping within a budget, keeping everyone happy and finding the time to cook. Put all of this information in front of somebody who doesn’t feel confident in the kitchen, and it’s no wonder they feel overwhelmed. To most, meal planning might seem like a stressful or boring task, but it can be a simple, yet effective system when it comes to designing a delicious weekly menu. Decision fatigue is a real thing when it comes to cooking, and this simple strategy will…