Haven

Confession time: when I was planning this issue, I didn’t know it would turn out to be quite so colourful, but given how many striking shades appear in our pages, it’s heartening to know that Kiwi homeowners are starting to embrace a bolder palette and express themselves in vivid hues that extend beyond the neutral safety net of white and beige. When it comes to interior design, there are seven identifiable elements: space, line, shape, light, texture, pattern, and colour. Playing around with these is where the fun starts, especially when getting creative with the latter. Amy Moore’s Gisborne home is a masterclass in experimentation, and features a kaleidoscopic clash of violet, tangerine and lemon, while the Nelson home of Bonnie Slade uses colour as an artful accent and veers toward…

I’ve been on the hunt for a hanging basket for my bathroom, and this gold-plated beauty is a winner. Made locally from steel wire, all it needs is the perfect plant to fill it. francesnation.co.nz As the weather turns cooler, knits are high on my list of must-haves. This trans-seasonal tee is perfect for work or the weekend and checks all the right boxes. nz.kowtowclothing.com I’m loving this handcrafted pasta bowl from ceramicist Alex Wilkinson, using a unique technique called nerikomi – the folding of coloured clay. I’m lining up an entire set! mysterycreekceramics.co.nz…

Where do you call home? An area between Greytown and Martinborough called Morrisons Bush, in the beautiful Wairarapa. Who do you live with? My husband Andy, a sales engineer, our 13-year-old son William and my father Malcolm, who moved in with us in 2006. Rounding out the family are Robbie the Border collie and Floyd the cat, as well as four sheep and two Araucana chickens. What is your home like? Home is an 1880s railway cottage that was moved from Taihape. The previous owners moved it onto this five-acre block 25 years ago. How long have you owned it and what have you done to it? We bought the property in 2004 after we returned from our second OE in London, where we were based for a couple of years. The previous…

Fall in How cosy does this corduroy dog basket look? Homeware company Adairs has released an inviting autumnal range, including bath towels, bed linen, fleece slippers and the Ziggy dog bed. The seasonal forecast is for gingham checks, playful textures and nostalgic florals in muted, earthy colours – think ginger, khaki, seagrass, pale pink and mustard, with dramatic dalliances into luxe jewel-like teal. adairs.co.nz Shape up The curve is having a moment, and furniture brand Coco Republic is taking advantage with its new Objet Collection, with which it intends to create “unexpected interior spaces and juxtaposed design moments”. It includes the Soho side table (left) with its intersecting sections of Carrara marble and a burnished brass top. Given that brass is also enjoying a resurgence, it couldn’t be better timed. “It was our…

Full disclosure: I was desperate to get my hands on a copy of this plant-based, gluten-free and refined sugar-free cookbook because a beloved vegan friend was coming for lunch and I was tired of trotting out the usual limp lettuce leaves. And boy did we eat well: walnut cauliflower tacos with pineapple salsa, a creamy kale and potato salad with cranberries and capers, and to finish, a velvety chocolate mousse cake we’re all still talking about. Sophie Steevens, if you haven’t heard of her, is a Kiwi mother of three who has been flying the flag for simple, wholesome food since she was diagnosed with a crippling autoimmune disease in 2015. Doctors told her she’d have to be on medication for the rest of her life. But she wasn’t having it, and instead…