Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2025-26 i homestyle

As spring makes its exit — red-alert winds one day, snow the next, then a stretch of bluebird skies — I've been reminded that home has a way of helping us recalibrate when life gets messy. Amid all this unpredictability, I've been drawn to homes and ideas that feel grounded, spaces where calm and creativity can coexist. When I stopped by Adam Mercer's studio in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, our discussion made it clear that his design sensibility extends beyond architecture. He's as thoughtful about lifestyle as he is about structure. A surfer at heart, Adam's collaboration with Meg Woodward and Adriaan Dekker in Raglan captures a balance between freedom and focus. The outdoor space we chose for our cover shows it perfectly — designed for real life, where work, rest and…

TOUCH POINTS Good news. Handcrafted Modern, an online store which champions a collective of skilled makers, is set to open a bricks-and-mortar establishment pre-Christmas. When the physical store arrives in Ponsonby Precinct, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, lovers of artisan-created wares can examine the tactility of the store's woven, hewn, carved and forged pieces in person — and learn the stories behind the making in human, rather than digital, format. One new addition welcomed to the fold is Oros, a brand based in Europe that celebrates the diversity of wood. Check out the natural attraction of their swirled salt and peppermills or the sinuous sweep of their hefty fruit bowls — plus there's a cutlery holder, utensil holder and napkin rings to complete the family. If you're playing Santa this season, get along…

Light and dark is a much-loved theme explored across art, film and interiors. In this setting, the idea goes beyond simple contrast to explore how warmth and tone can work together. This palette stays close on the colour wheel, where hues share a family resemblance rather than oppose one another — a relationship known in colour theory as analogous. The warmth of each shade connects them, creating an easy sense of cohesion. The gentle brightness of Aalto Wonder meets the mellow neutrality of Aalto Eaton Cream, their lightness grounded by the rich, chocolate-like depth of Aalto Whittaker. Together they create a scene that feels balanced and inviting, proof that light and dark can coexist within a harmonious scheme. Classical forms and tactile materials enhance the sense of depth, allowing the…

Stylist's tip Want that beautifully soft layered look? Choose a paint colour a few shades deeper than your base, then mix it in a ratio of 95% Resene Paint FX with 5% colour. Blend it well using a clean rag. Creating a space from scratch that feels gently time-worn (in the most charming way) can be a challenge. By using Resene FX Paint Effects, we set out to capture that lived-in character with a mural that channels the feeling of a European escape. The result? A space imbued with warmth, texture and a sense of story. Here's how we did it: 1. Paint your walls with two coats of the main base colour that will form the largest area of your mural — we used Resene Morning Haze. Allow to…

Even on the busiest days, there's value in caring for what we live with. The Miele Guard Comfort XL vacuum cleaner brings design intelligence to that everyday rhythm, combining precision with enduring strength. Its streamlined air circuit and sealed construction deliver steady suction with minimal noise, while advanced filtration captures fine dust and allergens for a cleaner, healthier home. Designed to move with ease, it's as functional as it is refined, with thoughtful detailing that reflects Miele's long-held commitment to quality and craft. Every element has been considered, from performance to form, so it feels at home in modern spaces — restoring a sense of order underfoot and a breath of freshness to the air. It shows how purposeful design can quietly enhance the balance of daily life. mieleexperience.co.nz/guard…

OPENFIELD HOUSE KESHAW MCARTHUR Within the expansiveness of the Crown Range, this family home exists as an object of geometry that rejects the distinction between interior and exterior spaces. A distilled concept, developed in collaboration with London-based Matheson Whiteley, the architecture is limited to the necessary. It's an unfussy, honest response sympathetic to the powerful energy of the land. The square plan and corrugated roof of the home reference historical structures of the region (think agricultural sheds and miners’ huts) with a rationalised grid to facilitate the opening and closing of interior spaces around the needs of the occupants. Among the collection of interchangeable zones, heavy concrete volumes provide groundedness: an open fireplace anchors the building's centre, and concealed sliding joinery commits the thresholds to an openness that invites the…

WALLACE COTTON — Homeware Wallace Cotton's collections are designed for elevated living. Surround yourself with natural fabrics, plush textures and hand-painted fabrics that offer comfort and warmth. Discover timeless bedding, beautiful home essentials, loungewear and sleepwear for hibernating in cosy contentment. Shop online and in-store. wallacecotton.com 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 RESENE — Colour consultations Are you planning to decorate but not sure what to choose? Resene Colour Experts are here to help. They can visit you…

1 … COVETING artist Leanne Culy's ceramic studio set-up. I visited Leanne and Brian at their place in Ahuriri/Napier recently, and came away all sorts of inspired by their creative approach to life at home. You can experience it too via their new project ‘The Honey House’, featured on page 128. 2 … UNWINDING with the new Baina Apothecary range, a gentle reminder to pause. The scent is a sensory delight, and you can discover more in my interview with creative director Bailey Meredith on page 41. 3 … CURATING my summer reading list. One of life's simple pleasures is getting lost in a good book. At the top of my stack right now is my friend Jono Fleming's new release — A Visual Feast. For more on what makes…

This colour-blocked building, at once severe in form yet joyful in expression, embodies the philosophy of design as a powerful tool for social change. Developed as a place to accommodate women who have survived war, violence and social injustice, the property in a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina has an industrial edge tempered by a soft palette and a connection to nature. At ground level, a 25-metre threshold features 10 bi-fold doors that fold open to the landscape. Five private rooms (one for each occupant) boast kitchenettes for self-contained independence, two concrete utility pods contain bathrooms, and a generous common area encourages collective living. On the upper level, behind a façade of rippled metal panels in shades of pale pink, magenta, blue and green, there's a multi-functional area built…

There's a relaxed style to summer living that calls for things made well and made to last: pieces with texture and integrity — the kind you reach for instinctively, that carry a sense of the outdoors and settle effortlessly into everyday life. Handcrafted in Adelaide, R.M. Williams boots embody an enduring artistry, shaped by hand and worn with purpose. Their aesthetic balances utility with quiet refinement. It's this mix of natural textures, earthy tones and timeless detailing that translates seamlessly to interiors: think saddle leather, oiled timber and sun-warmed terracotta offset with crisp linen and heritage plaids. Try layering textured neutrals to create depth, or pull out handcrafted ceramics and casual textiles for sweet summer entertaining. Like the boots waiting by the door, these are the items you return to,…

Since we last caught up you've moved to Sydney. Where have you settled and what drew you to this part of the city? We're in the eastern suburbs, close to the water and surrounded by a lot of green. It's a quiet pocket, with a mix of Federation-era homes and elegant apartment blocks from the 1930s. There's an ease to this part of Sydney — a balance between community and calm — which felt important coming from Aotearoa. The slower rhythm and sense of neighbourhood really drew us in. Tell us a little about your home. How have you shaped the space to feel like your own? We live in an art deco apartment, a small brick building with just seven others. It has distinctive characteristics of the period that…

Nelson-born jeweller Warwick Freeman says “materials are my words” and he has been speaking the language of expression and identity through his applied-art practice since the early 1970s. Internationally recognised and locally loved for his contemporary work, he has received many accolades throughout his career, most recently the John Britten Black Pin at the Best Awards, the highest accolade presented by the Designers Institute of New Zealand. Homestyle caught up with Warwick to see what drives his continous exploration… Your work has been described as redefining what jewellery can be. How do you explain it to someone encountering it for the first time? Not Michael Hill. You've worked as a jeweller in Aotearoa for more than five decades. What keeps the act of making compelling? An adage that often goes…

All afternoon a nor'wester had pushed hard against the low-slung roof of Caroline and Simon Curtis's home. By twilight, the air softened and the last gusts rippled through the grasses edging their perennial border. Beyond the deck, the land rolled towards the foothills, the sky easing into stillness. “The calm between two fronts,” says Simon. He means the weather, although the phrase sums up life here: a family finding steadiness between work and rest, resourcefulness and reward. That rhythm defines this home: a project shaped by determination and care, realised on a modest budget, without feeling compromised. The couple left Ōtautahi/Christchurch in search of space and community, returning to family land north of the Ashley/Rakahuri River to raise their girls with the same rural upbringing they'd each experienced. They built…

A black-and-white theme was a key driver behind the update of this 1920s bungalow in Point Chevalier, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. The owners (a couple with boys aged 10 and 8) asked architectural designer Michael Macfie to work within this contrasting palette to craft a modification that would meld with the traditional vernacular streetside, but be a contemporary surprise, hidden from view, in an extension that overlooked a pool. Michael incorporated a glazed link to connect new to old and, while the couple shocked some of their friends by painting the original floorboards white, in the stepped-down addition, concrete floors grace the open-plan living. “We knew we'd never match the timber flooring exactly so went for something totally different — something robust enough to pair with the black joinery and black kitchen…

What's your secret for a happy home? One that tells your story. I love it when you can walk in and instantly get a sense of who lives there. Morning must-do before the day begins? Coffee, always. Then a quick check of my plants to see who's thriving or throwing a tantrum, and a scroll through Marketplace for things I don't need but might buy anyway. A styling trick you'll never tire of? Mixing eras and materials. A mid-century chair next to a Moroccan rug and a $20 op-shop vase: that tension is where the magic happens. What's catching your eye creatively right now? The return of rich, muddy colours such as brown, maroon and murky blue. Everyone's moving away from beige and embracing mood again, which makes my heart…

Subtle but special… one look and linen lovers will recognise that here is everyday luxury epitomised. The most delicate hairline pinstripe collides with 100% pure European linen for a bedtime match made in heaven. While the Sova Savannah quilt cover and sheet sets by Weave Home channel modern elegance, the fabric has an aero finish to lend it a buttery soft, vintage feel. If you lust after serenity with your shut-eye, this calming pinstriped crew will make your dreams come true. weavehome.co.nz…

We both grew up in country Tasmania, meeting during our university days in Hobart, a picturesque southern outpost close to national parks and beaches. Our move to Melbourne, a city of 5 million people, was culturally energising but left us feeling disconnected from nature. The next decade was spent moving between inner-city share houses and, eventually, into a sturdy 1970s red-brick apartment overlooking a racetrack, while we established our careers. As we became increasingly experienced in our jobs, styling and photographing beautiful high-end homes, we developed an appreciation for architecture and fine craftsmanship, even as we craved an aesthetic that felt more ‘real’. Like many city folk, we would make occasional day trips to Melbourne's bushy outer suburbs of Warrandyte and Eltham for the simple pleasure of walking among trees…

Australian designer Greg Natale is a luxurist who soaks up inspiration from many worlds (including the tailored fashion of Tom Ford, the graffiti graphics of street artist Banksy and the moulded boldness of Verner Panton's furniture), and mashes it into inimitable highend interiors. Now he brings his eclectic expression to a debut edition of bathroomware in an exciting collaboration with Plumbline so that you can instantly steal his style. The Milazzo collection is a showcase of Natale's deluxe design language: bold in a painterly manner, sculptural yet elegant and guaranteed to turn a utilitarian room into a space that makes a statement. A freestanding bath and two basin formats (oversized oval and compact pill shape) are crafted from solid-surface composite which lends longevity and tactile appeal. Their form is gently…

When Sarah-Jane Paine and Laird Cameron moved to Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland from Te Whanganui-ā-Tara/Wellington, they bought a three-bedroom bungalow in Mount Eden. It was a cosy fit for their family of five. “The living room was very small. We had a three-seater couch for two adults, three children, a dog and a cat,” says Sarah-Jane. But the couple was taken by its potential for creating a home where they could anchor themselves, somewhere modern yet familiar, grounded in the memories and atmosphere of the homes that Sarah-Jane and Laird grew up in. After living in the house for a few years, they embarked on a renovation with Rogan Nash Architects. Like every good architecture brief, theirs had two sides: the practical and the experiential. Functionally, this entailed more bedrooms, larger living…

Pulling up to one of Ahuriri/Napier's most historic homesteads, I tried to remember how long it had been since I'd last visited artist/designer Leanne Culy and her photographer husband Brian. A lot had stayed the same: the laughter, the view, the sense that creativity spills out of every corner. But there's always something new to discover here. This time, I was playing hotel inspector, checking in as their first guest at the Honey House. “You'll be the guinea pig,” Leanne had warned when she invited me to stay. I didn't hesitate. Any excuse to spend time in their company and to see what they'd been dreaming up next, was reason enough to pack a bag and an appetite for good coffee and creative chaos. Their latest adventure takes its name…