Styling a Long Shelf

On Friday night we took part in a fantastic Design + Style evening. It was a fundraiser for the Te Awanga Kindy, and Dael and I demonstrated how we work with colour and pattern, and also styled a console table with three different looks. We wanted to give the women who attended some simple tips that they could take home and try in their own home. Our main advice is to work with groupings of objects; vary your scale and texture for interest; and layer, layer, layer!

At the end of the evening somebody asked me how to style a really long shelf as she was having trouble with one in her home, so I thought it might be helpful to show you all some examples. Stick with adding pieces of varying heights, and create smaller groupings along the shelf. Break up the smaller objects with larger pieces to add weight - pictures hung on the wall behind can help to achieve this.

As well as wall hung art, you can also lean artwork or mirrors against the wall for a more casual feel. If you have a window this will act the same as art, contrasting with the smaller objects.

It's nice to keep some areas empty on the shelf to give your eye a little breather. Remember, when it comes to styling your home it's that last 15% - the vases, the candles, the little curiosities - that turn a house into a home. Display pieces that you love, and have meaning to you, and your home will always make you happy.

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The Block NZ Villa Wars | Kids' Room Reveal

Who watched the kids' room reveal on Sunday night's episode of The Block Villa Wars? Host Mark Richardson said it was the best room reveal in The Block NZ history, which is pretty impressive for week two. 

As top scorers of week 1, Cat and Jeremy, and then Brooke and Mitch were able to choose the house they wanted for the duration of The Block. Both chose to start fresh with one of the untouched villas, which put them behind the other two teams who were able to rework the previous week's rooms. The restoration of heritage details, and failed council inspections were the major setbacks, especially for Brooke and Mitch.

Cat and Jeremy: 1st place | 17.5 points

With more time to focus on the styling and details, Jamie and Hayden were expected to take this room out with their amazing built-in bunk bed and cubby house complete with a slide. But they were pipped at the post by Cat and Jeremy, who were thrilled (and a bit surprised) to take out their second room win.

While the brief was "to wow an eight year old", this room is cleverly versatile and could work as a teenager's room, a spare room, or a study, giving the new home owners lots of options. A gorgeous soft grey blue on the walls (Dulux Lake Camp) sets the scene.

I think Cat is very good with her details. I love how her custom made curtains pool ever so slightly on the floor, and how she's chosen lots of warm colours to contrast the cool blue walls. In my opinion, the reason Cat and Jeremy are winning is their attention to detail and adding that little extra layer that gives the room personality and a 'lived in' feel.

Jamie and Hayden: 2nd place | 17 points

Jamie and Hayden had the satisfying task of painting out Sarah and Minanne's awful lilac room from the previous week. They continued with their black and white theme by painting one wall entirely in black board paint (Dulux Design Chalkboard), and the others white.

The bunkbed is indeed epic! Martin the builder did an amazing job creating the bed on a mezzanine floor, a little study area underneath, a super cool slide, and the top of last week's wardrobe became a little cubby house.

The black carpet is pretty cool and works well in the room, but from experience dark carpet like this needs constant vacuuming as it shows up every little thing. I know Jamie and Hayden were hoping to win this room, and they came so close. I think they need to just take it up one more level - a large piece of art on the wall by the slide would've helped to add a bit more life and maybe a touch of colour. Also, although the room is carpeted, the addition of a fun rug would help to create zones in the large floor space. But those things can be added in, and on the whole it's a pretty great room.

Sarah and Minanne: 3rd place | 15 points

The sisters have come a long way since their disastrous first week, and they produced a cute kids' room, also with a built-in bunk bed. It's a great use of space with a desk underneath and makes the room feel huge - there's certainly enough room for a second bed if they wanted it, or a sofa/daybed would be fab.

Once again, for me, the styling is pretty simple and lacking that something special. Sarah chose to put a 3D printer in the room, which, at about $1000, was a big ticket item. I would've preferred to have seen that money spent on some beautiful decor and accessories. But maybe the kids would disagree with me.

The wall colour this week (Dulux Elusive Blue Half) is really pretty and subtle, and I like the calmness of the overall colour scheme. A massive step up for the girls this week, let's hope it continues.

Brooke and Mitch: 4th place | 14 points

It was a particularly hard week for Brooke and Mitch, but with all their set backs they did well to finish their room. I was really happy to see them keep their heritage ceiling and spend lots of time on those details, which they failed to do in week 1.

They chose some sweet pieces and Mitch did a good job of putting up all those pink dots after very little sleep. It needed more, there's no doubt, but it is a good blank canvas for the new home owners to put their own mark on.

Top residential real estate agent, and one of The Block judges, Bernadette Morrison awarded Jamie and Hayden her top score of 9 for their kids' room. But it was Cat and Jeremy's score of 9.5 from judge Jason Bonham, founder and director of Bonham Interior, that propelled them to victory. Can they make it three out of three with The Block's first wet room? I love designing bathrooms, so will be watching this week with interest.

To see more of the kids' rooms and lots of extras, pop over to TV3.

Tête-à-Tête Lounge

Creating a beautiful environment to work in is important (I think) for any industry, but it is especially so for an interior designer. With the high cost of rent and overheads, a commercial office space can seem a long way off for up and coming designers, but San Francisco company, Coupar Consulting, have come up with a clever idea to provide a communal design space for designers to meet with their clients.

Tête-à-Tête Lounge has a number of different spaces available to it's members, including a conference room, individual work stations, communal drafting tables and lounge areas. Clients are able to buy monthly memberships which allows them access to the various spaces, computer equipment, samples, and consulting support.

I think this concept would be fantastic not only for up and coming designers without their own space, but also designers based out of town who may be visiting clients in the city.

Shared workspaces are becoming a popular alternative. I love the idea of like-minded people with businesses that compliment each other. I can think of a few that are really successful. What about you, do you think this is a good idea?

photos by Christopher Stark

Read more about this gorgeous office space at My Domaine.