Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2025 i homestyle

After nearly two decades at Homestyle, I’ve come to see each issue as an exercise in perspective. Returning to the familiar and noticing it differently keeps the story alive. Spring makes this instinct tangible, a season that brings energy and invites new ways of seeing. Architects and designers do it when they reimagine a site or material. Homeowners do it when they shape those ideas into everyday life. Our cover story carries that spirit. Architect Guy Tarrant pared back a 1990s home with tangled rooflines in Mount Eden, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, refining it into a series of calm gables filled with light and air — turn to page 52 to see the transformation. In Tauranga, architect Steven Chambers designed a special space for his own family on a wedge of land,…

With global events tumbling our sense of stability, our homes are becoming ever more an environment in which to feel safe and grounded. Two spring releases from BoConcept lean into this truth, with considered pieces for living rooms and bedrooms that are timeless yet customisable. The Aarhus collection of sofas and tables, designed by René Hougaard, founder of Arde Studio, bears the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and tunes in to both planetary and personal needs. Scandinavian simplicity is celebrated in the lightness of the wooden-framed sofa, where sleek yet comforting lines take a cue from the mid-century and collide with today’s circular design principles. The rounded curves of the frame lend a sense of fluidity that complements the refinement of slender arms, and solid-wood coffee and side tables in a natural…

You’ve launched a new category for Sans with solid refillable hair care. Where did the idea begin? The genesis of Perpetual began when visiting one of our contract manufacturers back in 2012. As he walked me through their raw material library, I noticed a large percentage of ingredients were in powder or wax pellet form, meaning waterless. This struck me as interesting since it presented huge potential for solving some fundamental sustainability conundrums. The first noticeable highlight was potency, as it was in concentrated form. Along with this, the absence of water opened up packaging materiality, enabling us to move beyond virgin plastic and the option to use true sustainable materials such as paper. Removing water would dramatically reduce mass and weight during transit, too, lessening environmental impact, and leaving…

Complex. That’s a word that fits this property in multiple ways. First, in terms of the triangular piece of land, which was also geotechnically challenging. “Only an architect would be stupid enough to buy the site,” is the way homeowner Steven Chambers of Stufkens + Chambers Architects describes it. Then, when it comes to the layout, the dwelling forms a little ‘complex’ of two self-contained buildings, connected by a fire door. Finally, it’s relevant to the family’s requirements: with two neurodiverse children to consider, the design had to respond to some rather complex needs. Steven and his wife, Clair Herron, purchased the 645sqm Ōtūmoetai section six years ago. Although it was steep and awkwardly shaped, it was blessed with plenty of native bush and an aspect of Tauranga Harbour from…

1 … CONSIDERING the next step in our own garden update. This scene — from the home designed by Guy Tarrant with landscape by Xanthe White (page 52) — has me dreaming of a fire pit for roasting marshmallows. After all, outdoor adventures often begin in the backyard. 2 … REVAMPING the spare bedroom with a new bed from Eva. Flat-packed and easy to assemble, it’s also brought the bonus of under-bed storage. The mood feels so zen in there now, I’m tempted to stop in for a midday meditation. 3 … DISCOVERING new artists, which is always a joy, especially when it happens unexpectedly. This issue it’s the seascapes painted by homeowner Rebecca Herring — see more of the place she calls home, and why it’s become such a…

What do you do when the roof is compromised and on the verge of collapse? Well, perhaps you reach for the stars. In this renovation of a tiny apartment in Madrid, architectural designer Emiliano Domingo, of Bardo, came up with an intriguing solution that would not only fix the problem but add a mezzanine level for extra living space. Effectively, the design functions as a large, inhabitable truss, a tubular skeleton that is lightweight but also strong enough to support a new place for rest and repose. This sense of weightlessness lends an incredible lightness of being to the design. The team named the project Casa Cometa — kite house. Within the 63sqm footprint, the volume soars, and material and colour choices work hard to key into this spatial quality.…

Stylist’s tip Before applying Resene Colorwood stains, always test a patch on a sample piece to determine the number of coats needed for your desired effect. For this look, just one coat was sufficient. When we think about interior walls, it’s usually in only one finish, one material, one colour. Yet the potential for interesting outcomes opens up when you consider not just choosing timber or paint in isolation, but both together. Here, we’ve stained a simple, no-frills plywood-panelled wall in a single coat of Resene Colorwood in Resene Meranti. We then concealed the joins with battens painted Resene Illuminate, and added extra to form a visually pleasing grid. The result? A wall treatment that’s a totally unique combination — one that works with the plywood panels, not against them.…

On the porch with a cup of tea in hand, Bec Snelling pauses between hanging drapes and adjusting finishing touches for the show she’s staging inside her Mount Eden, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland home. The setting is more than a backdrop; it’s part of the work, a lived-in context where new pieces sit naturally among family objects and daily life. A move from Clevedon was led by family needs and has also shifted the way Bec works. Here she has a home studio and a new outlook beside the park. Material remains central, although the palette is shifting with place. “I’m picking up more colour than before,” she says. “Tone once drove everything. Maybe it’s just osmosis from being in the city.” From this base, she has been developing the next instalment…

Jamie and Paul Oliver run a branding agency and their house is proof that, just as when crafting a compelling campaign, success lies in the details. However, you’ll have to look closely to discern those in their Point Chevalier, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland home, because its charm lies in restraint. The details are there, but a streamlined aesthetic and clean lines triumph over fuss. The site was a surprise find for the couple who, six years ago, were ready to vacate their Western Springs home, with their eyes on neighbouring Westmere. When the real estate agent led them to a 1920s bungalow do-up across the road from Pt Chev beach, the untouched house drew them in. “When we looked at the property, I thought, ‘This is amazing’, because the house was so…

Sunlight washes over pine walls, tracing the knotted grain before climbing into the gable’s peak. A central living space anchors the plan, with two bedrooms to one side, and a third plus the combined bathroom and laundry to the other. It’s a layout that recalls the organisation of the wharenui, the long forms of agricultural woolsheds and the gathering spaces of villa heritage. Each room is wide enough to feel generous, ready to serve as a place to sleep, work or host guests. Conceived by RTA Studio as a direct response to housing affordability, climate resilience and construction efficiency, the Living House emerged during architect Richard Naish’s mid-career reflection. Determined to embed sustainability and accessibility from the outset, he brought the concept to RTA Studio’s in-house design group, a forum…

BOCONCEPT — Interior design BoConcept are experts at making design, furniture and colour come together. If you need someone to bounce ideas off, their interior decorators are on hand to assist you to complete any scheme — single rooms, small apartments, large houses or corporate spaces. Book a free consultation with one of BoConcept’s professionals today. info@boconcept.co.nz boconcept.co.nz PLUMBLINE — Bathrooms Plumbline’s offering 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 comprehensive 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 WALLACE COTTON — Homeware Wallace Cotton’s collections are designed for elevated living. Surround yourself…

Makers’ Market is an immersive experience aimed at design lovers. What can we expect? Surprise and delight — hopefully we manage to pull off a small festival vibe. We want to offer an enriched gallery experience where people can make new connections with makers they might not already know. How has your new space created opportunities for a showcase like this? With 650sqm of floor space in the gallery, there’s plenty of room to share. It’s a way to engage with a wider audience and foster talent, create community and give back in a small way. It’s the kind of event we’d like to go to ourselves, with an experimental, collaborative angle. What would you like to see more of in New Zealand interiors/design? A willingness to be bold and…

INTRODUCING IVOR If you’re a regular reader of Homestyle, you’ll have seen the work of Wellington interior design studio Kurio. Now the team has added Ivor to the fold — a natural offshoot of their brand, with a focus on mindfully sourced and custom-designed pieces that showcase the artisan artistry of their aesthetic. The collection embodies modern elegance and includes furniture such as the Omeia console in American oak, the Oteil side table with curves and tapered edges and the Envie footstool featuring a delicious caramel velvet top. Accessories such as retro-sculptural door handles crafted from solid oak and sumptuously detailed cushions lend a finish with finesse. Beautifully grounded in good principles, each item brings a mindful moment home. ivor.co.nz PRETTY AS A PEONY Swing into spring and capture a…

Display your children’s artwork Is there anything more one-of-a-kind than the artwork your own kids have created? We don’t think so. There are lots of great ideas for displaying children’s art in both temporary and more permanent fashions. For example, we like to frame meaningful or milestone pieces like self-portraits, family portraits, hand or foot prints or a piece they’ve devoted a lot of time to creating. But framing does not mean they’re part of our family’s permanent collection. It’s easy enough to rotate artworks in and out of frames. And if hanging them on walls seems too big a commitment, try propping them up on top of a shelf or dresser, or use a wooden clothes peg to suspend unframed works from a string. How you choose to display…

Artist, architect and māmā Raukura Turei works with whenua-based pigments to create textured paintings that speak of atua wāhine, whakapapa and connection. Her practice draws on clay, sands and kōkōwai/red ochre gathered from the land, uniting material and storytelling. The result is work that shimmers with ancestral presence, while grounded in the everyday. With a new monograph just published, we caught up with Raukura to discuss what sustains her practice, days before she travelled to exhibit at the 36th Bienal de São Paulo. Why did now feel like the right time to bring your work together in a monograph? The catalyst for the monograph was the exhibition Takoto ai te Marino curated by Karl Chittam at The Dowse in 2023. The show was almost a mini retrospective of various techniques…

THE PROJECT With Guy Tarrant Architects, Hargraves Homes and Xanthe White Design, the owners of this four-bedroom Mount Eden home renovated, extended and landscaped it for themselves and their two children. Once an awkward, plaster-clad 1990s build with a jumble of tiled hip roofs, this Mount Eden home bore little resemblance to the elegant, gabled form it is today. Architect Guy Tarrant doesn’t mince words. “The roof forms were the really ugly thing about the house,” he says. “They had to go.” Set on a generous section, the place had space on its side and owners ready to make it work harder. Early on, when the owners mentioned their intended budget, Guy didn’t sugarcoat it: the figure wasn’t going to cover what they had in mind, but economies were achieved…