Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2020 i homestyle

The process of collecting is something that endlessly intrigues me, and when I get the chance to peek inside people’s homes and studios, I love hearing the stories behind the art, objects, books, plants and ephemera they choose to surround themselves with. When I was a kid, I collected elephants, and every time someone in my family travelled overseas, they’d bring one back as a keepsake for me. It was such a lovely way to turn a touristy souvenir into something meaningful that told a tale of adventures afar. In my twenties, I started collecting on my own travels. For a while there, rugs were a particular interest and took me on some dubious missions, including following a trader through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar to his warehouse piled high with thousands…

Gathering by Kristen Caissie (Rizzoli, $105) It’s hard to imagine anyone could fill an entire book with ideas for setting the table, but Californian florist/designer/ stylist Kristen of Moon Canyon has done so — and we’re definitely not mad at it. In a series of evocative scenes supported by abundant tips and techniques, she shows how to include botanicals and hero homeware among the usual knives, forks and spoons as a symbol of sharing that creates a mood and excites the senses. Eat Your Greens! by Anette Dieng & Ingela Persson (Gestalten, $90) Twenty-two ways to cook a carrot is just a taste of what this cookbook includes. Is this the future of recipes in our time-poor age? Just pick a vege then navigate to several…

After finishing her fashion degree at Massey University in Wellington, designer Natalie Procter went on a six-week trip to rural India, where she charted a ‘seed to garment’ course and became deeply interested in the people making our clothes. The experience sparked in her the desire to create a brand that’s invested in its community of makers and local businesses. The upshot is Mina. Natalie, what makes Mina tick? The brand is based in Auckland and run by me and my mum, Michelle Procter, and our ethos is about being thoughtful in your choices and investing in good-quality pieces that will last for years. It was important for us to be New Zealand-made so we could really get to know our makers and support the local industry. We have a…

‘Decisive’ could be interior designer Natalie Parke’s middle name — once her heart is set on something, the die is truly cast. She doesn’t really mind what you, I, or anyone else thinks of her off-the-clock choices, either — and the homes she reimagines for her family are all the more compelling for it. An innately creative, “compulsive” doer-upper of houses, Natalie was ready for a challenge when she and her husband Gerry happened upon their new home — a neglected century-old villa on a sprawling 900m2 section in Auckland’s Grey Lynn. “It was in quite a state, but I’ve never been one to take the easy road,” she says. To bring the dilapidated house up to scratch, with the help of CTL Construction, the couple redid the roof, relined…

HOLD ME NOW Emerging Wellington leathergoods designer Samuel Mark Clyma uses traditional techniques to handmake belts and bags — like Big and Little Edie here from the Gorgeous Things Pt 2 collection, an extension of his 2019 debut. His classic shapes hint at bygone sartorial eras, yet the downplayed details make them decidedly of the moment. Just another reason to pick up one of these ASAP: they can be fitted with your choice of two longer straps as well. samuelmarkclyma.com SCENT ITEM Despite so many of us getting the message about the drawbacks of aluminum, it’s still surprisingly hard to find natural deodorant that works and doesn’t smell like your spice rack. The search stops with this one by Melbourne's Apha.Lab, though, which has hints of lavender fields and summer…

TSAR PLAYERS Coco Republic’s latest range is heavy on major-looking investment-style pieces with pleasingly minor price tags, and champions the beauty of stone with items like these natty marble Tsar Stripe bookends. Also starring in this scene are the Toledo desk with marble-topped drawers, antique brass Arnage table lamp and winged Franco chair. cocorepublic.co.nz LOVE A FAIR? An extra-special attraction running alongside the Auckland Art Fair, new offering May Fair debuts from April 29 to May 3. It provides a platform for emerging artists and thinkers to showcase their contemporary works in informal booths — to which entry is free. mayfairartfair.com HELLO, LADIES Do these voluptuous stoneware Aura vases remind you of anything? Both functional and sculptural, they make us want to get the girl gang together for a chat…

Rough and ready to be incorporated into your home, this prehistoric aesthetic has been around for a little while now, but it’s becoming increasingly accessible for residential interiors. Hand-carved monolithic forms with a crude essence are the bedrock of the look, which sees raw natural materials (such as stone) and their man-made counterparts (like cement) used to add texture to spaces and provide a back-to-basics contrast to our digitally ‘enhanced’ lives. Indeed, a major part of the appeal of this style that’s resonating around the world is the grounded feel and visual escape it offers — a welcome relief from our hectic, device-driven days. Play with this at your place with objects, nooks, in-built furniture and recessed shelving that rocks outside and in. Such imperfect shapes work well in the…

Get the look 1. Paint your walls with two coats of a light low-sheen colour using Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. We chose Resene Crowdpleaser — a pale yellow that’s a warm alternative to white or other neutrals. Allow to dry. 2. Use painter’s tape to mask a wide border (approximately 6cm wide) on each side of the join where the walls meet and where they meet the ceiling and floor, leaving a paintable space the width of your final two lines combined. You’ll paint this section with your lighter border colour (we used Resene High Tea). Mask the floor and cover it with a dropcloth, so you don’t get paint on it. 3. Use a brush or mini roller to paint within your masked wall space with two coats of…

On the first floor of the heritage-rated Mibar Building in central Wellington is Jhana Millers Gallery, the capital’s newest commercial art space. With concrete floors and ceilings, and loads of natural light, it exhibits the work of artists whose creations are unmistakably their own. We spoke to its eponymous owner at her coastal home. So, Jhana, what path led you to where you are now? I trained as a jeweller at Whitireia New Zealand, then completed a Master of Fine Arts at Massey University Wellington. While I was a student and young artist, I took on extra projects and did electives in various art- and design-related areas, which meant I gained skills not only in making art, but also in curating, installing, print and web design, presenting, writing, photography and…

Sometimes good design is about holding back. Not playing all your cards at once. Drip-feeding the wow moments. That’s exactly what this home in Whitford, south of Auckland, does. This was a slow-burning dream for owners Tracie and Marcus Male, who fell prey to the GFC, buying and selling a different site while financial forces swept away their plans. Ten years after they started on the path, they finally settled on this couple of hectares on a wind-buffeted ridgeline in a rural subdivision. Architect Roy Tebbutt of Strachan Group Architects (SGA) acknowledges it would have been easy to rush in, spread the home across the slope and turn fully glazed windows to the outlook that whirls around in a dizzy 360-degree span from Manukau Heads to the spread of Auckland…

Plants for the People by Erin Lovell Verinder (Thames & Hudson, $45) May the vital force of plants be with you via this modern guide to botanical medicine that promises to support you, soothe you and make you reconsider burning the candle at both ends. A herbalist, nutritionist and energetic healer, its author considers plants the wisest mystics of them all and seeks to redirect us to become more in harmony with them and our bodies. “Plant medicine attunes to our needs the way only nature can, offering essential healing elements for body, mind and soul,” she says. “This is the return to simplicity, the return to nature.” These thoughtful, informative pages offer recipes for curative balms, elixirs, essences, syrups, tinctures, poultices, pastilles and other melodic words for…

So you’ve fallen for a real looker — how do you introduce it at home? When we met this modular Carmo sofa by BoConcept, we instantly envisaged it as the romantic lead in a scheme peppered with simpatico pieces from the Danish brand’s 2020 collection. In a matte, autumnal velvet that veritably glows in the light, the object of our affection is a statement-maker that charms amid neutral colours and other touchable textures. We went with white, cream and earthy hues plus a dash of black, along with tonal cushions in shiny velvet and suede, a glossy glass and marble side table, a shag-loom rug and some sculptural foliage — dried, not fresh. This sofa’s low-slung cool compelled us to keep our décor on the same plane and opt not…

Abstract-minimalist artist Rachel Hope Peary says she’s always been an expressive person, drawn to playing with textures and materials. The Hamiltonian was homeschooled from go to whoa, which gave her all kinds of opportunities to be creative and encouraged her natural inquisitiveness. Heading to art school saw her dive into that curiosity in a whole new way, and from there her practice developed. Rachel, how would you describe your aesthetic? It’s always evolving, but for now I consider it to be contemporary abstract minimalism. I create wall-based works that most people would consider to be paintings. They actively lean towards the feminine and this has been a consistent factor that reveals itself through my pink palette, in the fine textiles I employ, in the lightness in the majority of my…

Pétanque courts don’t usually feature prominently on Auckland renovation wish lists, but when Natalie Le Gal asked her husband Romain to weigh in on the plans for updating their Herne Bay villa, a place to play this sport was his key request. Given his French roots, it wasn’t an entirely unexpected desire, and neither was his input into the design of the kitchen, as the couple are also the minds behind St Heliers’ La Fourchette restaurant and the La Petite Fourchette pâtisseries in Britomart and Wynyard Quarter. Having purchased the place for its renovation potential, Natalie, Romain and their children Maxime and Mila endured hot summers and cold winters in the poorly insulated villa, making do with the results of an ill-conceived ’70s renovation, including cramped spaces that were out…

It was a combination of strategy and timing that led Aucklanders Nicola and Josh Taylor to this home fit for their family of five and a regular flow of guests. They’d sold their previous property a few years prior in order to invest everything in their fin-tech company, Tax Traders, and had been renting while growing the company. Starting a business and forgoing income for 18 months while raising three small children was a journey of faith for the couple, but six years on, with the company in full swing, they were ready to buy again. Functional living spaces, a pool and a sense of drama were among their wants, but ultimately, says Nicola, they wanted a home in which they could “extend manaakitanga [hospitality] to others”. It didn’t take…

Long-time friends Sam Parkes and Fraser Horton, both keen surfers and “average” snowboarders, set out on a new adventure together when during a surfing session they conjured a vision to create two holiday homes in Ohakune, somewhere they’d spent many happy times with friends and family over the years. One site in the new subdivision they had their eye on had a view of the mountain, the morning sun transforming snowcaps to pink frosting. The other faced golden paddocks filled with the whispering dry grasses of the central plateau. Sam and Fraser share sports and an attitude, so the collaboration was both natural and astute. Building two holiday homes at once meant they could achieve economies of scale but, really, it was the meeting of minds that paid off. Sam…

When confronted with a client’s request to transform the dark and dreary entryway of their new home, Jane Stark of Sydney’s Stark Design took the challenge one step further. In lieu of ornamental flowers or traditional landscaping, her response was to create a living sculpture garden. The entryway floats on a suspended concrete slab supported by a timber frame creating shallow soil. Given the due-north exposure and Sydney’s hot, arid climate, Jane elected to work with plants that could achieve an architectural effect and also thrive in these growing conditions. “We wanted a bold plant palette that shone at night as well as during the day,” she says. “Leaf shape and colour were important, given the lack of flowers. Shadow play of the leaf shapes was also a design criterion.”…

POWERSURGE — Homeware Available in six sizes and a variety of finishes including brushed brass, antiqued brass and copper with interchangeable end detailing, Powersurge’s Knurl Beam slide handle is sleek and minimalist with delicate knurls on a refined grip piece for a luxurious tactility. Visit the website for the full Home collection of New Zealand-made hand-finished brass furnishings and accessories. powersurge.co.nz BOCONCEPT — Interior design BoConcept are experts at making design, furniture and colour come together in your home. If you need someone to bounce ideas off, their interior decorators are on hand to help you complete any scheme — single rooms, small apartments, big houses or corporate spaces. Book a free consultation with one of BoConcept’s interior decorators today. info@boconcept.co.nz boconcept.co.nz OAKLEYS — Bathrooms Oakleys is now open in…

“I live with my partner, film director Thomas Napper, and our son, Laker, in North London’s Crouch End. Our house has good bones and had already been renovated, so we haven’t had to do much to it since we moved in just over a year ago. Light is important to me, though, so we did paint the two front rooms white, and the previous owner took all the wall lights with him, so we’re slowly installing new ones. The main drawcard of the house was its shared garden. The neighbours on this block saved two acres of land from developers and instead created a park with fruit trees and a vegetable garden. Everyone’s back fences face onto it, making it a little haven safe for kids. Weekends here are fun…