Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2022 i homestyle

While producing this issue, I’ve been… Hello, winter. For some, it’s a time to hibernate; for others, it’s when ideas begin to percolate. So many of my recent décor-related a-ha moments have come via conversations in my own head, so it felt fantastic to actually sit down with interior creative/artist/fellow Virgo Alex Fulton in person and hear how she’s been putting her unique stamp on her renovated Ōtautahi/Christchurch home. Alex and I don’t necessarily share an aesthetic, but the approach she takes when designing spaces that sing speaks to me. My main takeaway from our chat about how she tackled the ‘from the ground up’ overhaul of her family abode? That personality-filled spaces are made when you follow your creative instinct. How do you do that exactly? I suggest keeping…

Designing the interior of the Observatory Hotel within the historical Christchurch Arts Centre is a pretty special project to oversee, Jessica — how did you get involved? I was invited by the Arts Centre to pitch for the interiors almost four years ago. I was, and continue to be, incredibly flattered by the opportunity. It’s been an enormous privilege to participate in the reimagining of such an iconic landmark. What was the brief? Initially, it was very broad — it was to be a 33-room arts hotel, housed within the Physics & Biology and Observatory buildings of the Arts Centre. I decided early on to approach the project as I would a large home. I wanted every room to tell a story and have its own personality, with just the…

By the way… Using more than one white can be a winner, if they share the same undertones. You can also use different strengths of the same white to ensure a uniform look from ceiling to walls. See the Resene Whites & Neutrals collection for up to six strength variations of the most popular hues. Hue knows - Selecting the right white paint for your walls begins with working out whether your space requires a warm or cool hue. To understand undertones, remember that whites with yellow, orange, red and brown bases lend themselves to rooms wanting warmth, whereas blue- and grey-toned whites help them keep their cool. Being a blend of yellow and blue, green-based whites can read as warm or cool, depending on the light and other aspects…

Fiona Clements (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu) is director of Ōtepoti/ Dunedin’s Res.Awesome, a company that supports businesses, community groups, events and individuals to become zero waste. She also runs zero-waste clothing label Senorita AweSUMO and advocates for global not-for-profit movement Fashion Revolution via textile-waste-reduction community Stitch Kitchen. Fiona’s journey to this work started at fashion school, where she learned about the industry’s huge environmental and human toll. Having a chronic illness and managing the effects of toxic poisoning taught her how sensitive our bodies are to the contaminants around us and made her want to share this knowledge, but it was a conversation with her dad — who’s long been in resource recovery through Habitat for Humanity — that was the catalyst for starting Res.Awesome, with a Graduate Diploma…

In 2013, Kerikeri-based golfer Paul Reid was offered an unanticipated opportunity: a new job and a new lifestyle for him and his wife Siobhan to ponder. An American investor had bought an expanse of land in Te Arai, north of Wellsford, and wanted Paul to run his new golf club, Tara Iti. After due consideration, the pair decided to give it a go — though that’s not to say they didn’t have their reservations. “I’m a lawyer by trade and had no idea what I’d do in a tiny beachside town,” says Siobhan. Nevertheless, choosing to take a chance, they bought a small home in nearby Mangawhai as an investment they could live in initially, while intending to keep an eye out for a more permanent base if they decided…

Raphaela, you graduated from the University of Auckland with a Master of Architecture in 2013 — did you immediately set out to make waves? I was fortunate to have several inspiring teachers at university, who really challenged me to view architecture through different lenses, moving beyond four walls and a roof. In one of my final crits at architecture school, I had a critic tell me I wasn’t making ‘real’ architecture, but rather than being put off by his comments — as I think he’d hoped I would be — it pushed me to test the boundaries further. It was pretty satisfying a few months later when I won the NZIA Student Design Award for the same project. Having worked in large local practices including Jasmax and RTA, and at…

COME HITHER Inviting new collection Grounded Allure from Weave’s Autumn/Winter 2022 range embodies its name with an offering of cushions, throws and rugs that visually anchor and entice with their earthy colours, natural materials, generous shapes and touchable textures. Along with Pure Sanctuary and Urban Nomad, it’s one of three abundant current collections that present woven pieces designed to help you make your house feel less home/office and more replete with cosy spots to retreat to when baby it’s cold outside. As is Weave’s way, every item champions artisan craft and is deeply considered from form to fabric. weavehome.co.nz 24/7 CHIC Pyjamas are a wardrobe staple that never gets tired, and certainly not when they’re by Kiwi label General Sleep, ethically produced from natural, sustainable and biodegradable fabrics, and intended…

Georgina May Young has always been drawn to textiles and patterns, inspired in part by her grandmother, who was an incredible maker, and her aunties too. Through her early studies of Māori art and craft at Rotorua’s Waiariki Institute of Technology, she fostered a love of weaving and working with harakeke/flax. In her 20s, she screen-printed clothing and made band tees, zines and record covers that were all hand-stitched. Today, she loves to work with texture and in a repetitive way, and says that since she seems unable to make anything that’s not labour-intensive, embroidery and weaving have become her chosen art forms. Georgina, you grew up in Ōpōtiki and Rotorua, and now live in Ōtepoti/Dunedin — do these places influence what you’re making? Āe! I’m really inspired by home…

No stranger to renovating, interior creative Alex Fulton of Alex Fulton Design has traversed some varied terrain while doing up houses to suit the life stages she’s shared with her husband Jeff and their daughters Isla and Violet. Her most recent endeavor, dubbed the AFD Beach Barn, could be her greatest conquest yet. This renovation journey was one that brought her family back to the seaside suburb of Sumner in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, where they belong. They’d previously called this community home and missed it dearly during the years they spent living in Marlborough after the earthquake. Having kept hold of a bach in the neighbourhood, they’d still been able to spend long weekends here, though, so once their daughters were happily installed in a local high school, Alex and Jeff set…

By day, architectural technician Adam Laming works at Brisbane’s Lockyer Architects, but after hours for the last wee while, he’s been turning his talents to an exciting side hustle — designing a home in Byron Bay for himself and his project manager wife Sarah Treby to enjoy and share with guests. Laidback pad at the beach meets contemporary cabin in the woods, the result is an inviting amalgam of outdoorsy informality and clean-lined geometry, set within its own lush mini-forest. To ensure the three-bedroom abode could happily function as both a family home and Airbnb accommodation, it was conceived as two separate parts within the same form. Downstairs, the main dwelling’s entry is via a solid rosewood pivot door positioned beyond a covered breezeway staircase. The guest quarters — two…

PLUMBLINE —— Bathrooms Plumbline’s range of contemporary and traditional bathroom and kitchen products is carefully selected for its enduring quality, exceptional design and outstanding value. With one of the most extensive bathroom collections in New Zealand, it’s your one-stop destination for your bathroom or kitchen project. Visit a Plumbline showroom or the website for the latest ideas. plumbline.co.nz FREEDOM —— Furniture & homeware Mirrors, mirrors on the wall, which is your favourite of them all? It’s a tough choice to make with the incredible range of styles, shapes and sizes available at Freedom. freedomfurniture.co.nz THREAD DESIGN —— Interiors Created in collaboration with ultra-talented local textile designers Walker & Bing, the gorgeous digitally printed pillowcases and cushions in Thread’s Stella collection feature a subtle yet sumptuous floral motif in an exquisite…

Most valuable layers With the change of season comes a chance to revisit your personal style — the way it’s expressed in your wardrobe and the rest of your home. Nothing says snug like luxurious layers, so if you’re purchasing, pick up forever pieces one by one that play well with what you already own. Introduce extra cosiness and comfort with items that can come with you from room to room, like this velvet throw that will work as well with the cushions on your couch as it does with the pillows on your bed. Apply these principles to your ensembles with lasting designs like this shirt dress, which can be worn undone over loungewear or buttoned up under a coat when you venture out. The mood is monochrome Are…

CHOOSE THE HERO When crafting a display, start with a focal piece. This is known as the ‘hero’ of the scene; it’s where the eye goes first and should be something you love and are excited to have on display. Objects matter, so choose carefully. The hero should be a statement piece that lays the foundations for the personality of the display. Scale is important too. The hero needs enough visual weight and height to create impact. Avoid adding objects that compete for attention. Lamps, large- scale floral arrangements, vases, artworks and mirrors generally work well as the hero. ALLOCATE THE SUPPORTING ROLES Once the hero has been established, add objects to play supporting roles, such as sculptures, foliage, books, smaller artworks, ceramics and candles. These pieces should differentiate themselves…

Launched in December to such acclaim that every last item in their first collection was snapped up within 24 hours, new business Noa Blanket Co arose from its founders’ desire to be surrounded by their culture in their everyday existence, retell the stories of who they are and express themselves in a fabric that’s also part of Aotearoa’s story — wool. Having been the grateful recipients of taonga themselves, they wanted to create something that allows others to experience giving or receiving something precious and timeless. Just a few months after their debut, Whakaawa Te Kani (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Kahungunu) told us how she and husband Josh (Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) are defining their own success while working on their dream. So Whakaawa, where’s…

The white, double-storey villa in a quiet street in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland’s Cox’s Bay looks like something out of a storybook. With its gracious gabled end, ornate trims and balcony with a turned-wood balustrade, it could be a dollhouse. To Lou and Sam Halse, it was the picture-perfect home, where they could fling open the French doors to the capacious back garden and host the very occasions they came back to Aotearoa for. Lou and Sam are both Aucklanders but had been living overseas for 10 years when, by pure chance, they booked flights home, with no sense of impending pandemic panic. “It was December 2019, just before Covid was a thing,” says Lou. Their young children, Toby and Juliette, were growing up fast and it was hard having family so…