Home Tour | NZ House & Garden

September 22, 2017

My home recently featured in the August issue of NZ House & Garden, and I thought I would share some of the fantastic photographs taken by Jane Ussher. Our home is a constant work in progress and never quite finished. The perks (and sometimes the curse, if you ask my husband) of being an interior designer is that there's always a new furniture piece or fabric that you fall in love with. I also just like to experiment and change things continuously.

Photo: Jane Ussher | courtesy of NZ House & Garden

If you follow us on Facebook you probably know how much we love built in dining bench seating. I commissioned Sunshine Joinery to build our one to mirror the window seat in our living room, with lift up lids for additional storage (you can never have enough). The squabs were made by the amazing Anna from Cushions Unlimited, topped with our own Bibby + Brady custom made throw cushions. Our American Oak dining table was beautifully built by Francois of Le Workshop.

We designed the kitchen and Sunshine Joinery created it for us. My husband wanted a white kitchen, so I made sure it had lots of texture for interest's sake - beautiful tiles and panelled cabinetry.

The twins were reluctant models, unlike Minnie that cat who followed the photographer around all day trying to get in every shot.

The living areas in the house are all open plan so you can sit in the end living room and see right down to the kitchen. We recently painted this room dark blue (Resene Celestial Blue) to define it from the other areas and it's become my favourite space to be in. The middle living room has large bi-fold doors out onto our deck which fill the house with light.

This is another favourite corner where I can curl up next to the open bi-folds with a glass of wine and a magazine. The chair is from our supplier Soren Liv (all of their furniture is available to purchase through Bibby + Brady), and the antique side table and vintage lithograph both belonged to my parents.

The end living room overlooks the Botanical Gardens. The hanging pod chair is a popular reading spot, and the most comfortable chair you're ever likely to sit in! These are also available to purchase from Bibby + Brady.

My desk is a happy place where I'm surrounded by favourite prints. A lot of our decor has a nature theme - water, birds and botanicals. This was never a conscious thing, but when you collect things you love you'll often see a pattern emerging.

My grandmother's bridge table sits below a painting of my parents' next to the front door. My mother-n-law is always bringing us fresh floral arrangements, so this vignette is very close to my heart. We love mixing old and new pieces in a home to create interest and a sense of history.

A few years ago I imported some bone inlay furniture from India. I couldn't find any in New Zealand at the time so took it upon myself to bring some in. I sold a lot of it but managed to keep a few piece for myself. Along with the antique gold mirror this definitely defines my side of the room, but you can see the reflection of my husband's surf print which is part of his side :)

The print above our bed is by Australian artist, Andrew O'Brien. Our headboard was made by Little and Fox, but I've decided it's time to recover it. The soft grey velvet is lovely, but with so many amazing fabrics available to us in our job, it's hard not to be tempted by something new.

With our kids growing up so fast, we're in the early stages of adding an extension onto our house. It includes a new master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, allowing our three girls to each have their own room. The kids' bedrooms will all be having a re-design at the same time, and they're looking forward to having input into the design of their own room.

Make sure you pick up the October issue of NZ House & Garden as it features the gorgeous home of one of our client's - keep your eye out for the pink Smeg fridge.

Kitchen Makeover

April 10, 2017

As interior designers it's a blessing to work with amazing clients who trust in your designs and follow them through. One such client is Fiona, whose living and dining rooms we've already transformed. Fi has great taste but came to us to help her narrow down her options and create a home that would reflect her cool and eclectic style.

We recently finished a complete kitchen renovation giving Fi a modern kitchen with lots of extra storage while still in keeping with her cottage's traditional bones. Once again we worked with Rick and his team at Sunshine Joinery, whose workmanship is fantastic. The tiny two bedroom cottage had an equally tiny kitchen between the entrance and dining room. Although small, it was in proportion with the house, but it just felt a bit tired and in need of some TLC.

We lightened and brightened the space with all white cabinetry and bench top. The panelled cabinetry adds subtle texture and helps it to fit in with the traditional cottage surrounds. Negative detail handles also keep the kitchen humble and not too flashy.

Fi bought the pink Smeg fridge before we started designing the kitchen, so that was a key component for us to work the design around. That was another reason to keep the kitchen light and white to allow the fridge to be the hero. Wooden shelves and a Turkish rug also bring a touch of warmth to the space.

An old wall cupboard was replaced with open shelves so Fi could display some favourite pieces and add touches of her personality.

In a small space it's crucial to utilise all available space wisely, especially vertical space, so we filled the wall above the fridge with cupboards. We chose to use handleless cupboards above so we could keep the small space clean and unfussy. We moved the oven and cooktop around to this wall allowing room for a single dish drawer where the oven once was. Initially we priced up a stone bench top, but to keep within budget we decided on a plain white laminate bench and we're really happy with the outcome. The marble subway tiles add that touch of stone and some subtle pattern.

Outside the kitchen a set of stairs leads you up to the front door and entranceway. The old carpet was ripped up and we chose a beautiful two-tone wool loop pile carpet from Cavalier Bremworth to replace it. It runs from the kitchen stairs up to the entrance floor and the stairs beyond that take you to the master bedroom.

Any available walls are covered in Fi's extensive art collection, which is a perfect way to reflect her eclectic style.

The small wall at the base of the stairs, between the dining room and the hall to the living room was another space we thought we could utilise better. We had Sunshine Joinery build us a really shallow cupboard with bi-fold doors - shallow enough so that it didn't come out into the room too far and block the flow, but deep enough to fit cans and cups and saucers. We haven't got a full photo of the cupboard but you can get an idea of the depth from the photo below where two wooden birds from Homebase Collection perch. You also get a glimpse of the cupboard in the third photo in this post.

Walking in Fi's front door is such a fun experience and starts speaking to you immediately about her personality. After this welcome the kitchen is the first room you see, so we're really pleased with how beautiful it looks, not to mention it's way more functional. Thanks Fi for being such a cool client to work with and allowing us to share our work and your home.

Colour Crush | Green

February 21, 2017

Green is one of my favourite colours to decorate with. It's a restful colour and is known to have a calming effect; it's gender neutral - not overly feminine or masculine; and it's a reflection of the beautiful environment we are lucky enough to live in here in New Zealand. You only have to look to nature to see how green goes with every colour.

The Bogart Block sofa in lush forest green velvet available to purchase via Bibby + Brady

I was asked to write an article late last year predicting what 2017 would have in store for us in terms of interior design. I suggested that we would see a lot more green this year, and sure enough Pantone released their colour of the year as Greenery - "satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and revitalise. Greenery symbolises the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose".

My favourite green tones are slightly deeper than the 2017 colour of the year, I prefer emerald green and forest green tones, or soft muted sage greens. But I do think "greenery" looks beautiful in smaller doses mixed in with deeper tones. I was inspired by the colours in the photo I snapped (below) on a morning walk - dappled light and a carpet of green overhead.

Green is beautiful in an entranceway where it truely brings the outdoors in and creates a lush and fresh welcome.

We used a gorgeous emerald green on the ceiling of one of our client's entranceway. It's slightly unexpected to see a coloured ceiling, which creates that 'wow' moment we were after.

Green and white is such a classic colour combination and one that will never fail to look fresh and beautiful. I'm a huge fan of this home (see the two photos below) which has a clean white base and light parquet floorboards throughout the house, peppered with pops of green.

I also love this image (below) where the picture wall and that burst of green completely take the focus away from the TV when it's not on.

You can create great impact whether you use green in large or small amounts...

A green and white combo is particularly beautiful in kitchens...

We did a bank of green cupboards in this kitchen (below) of our client's and combined them with tall white cabinetry on the other side. It looks amazing with the plantings outside the window.

For a bold move in your kitchen choose a classic subway tiles in a deep green, as seen on the exterior of L'Americano Bar in Sydney - how amazing is that?!

This kitchen (below) has taken advantage of the greenery outdoors and really brought the outdoors in by adding a low window instead of a splash back.

Of course the simplest way to bring green into your home is through plants, whether it's potted plants or some leaves snipped from your garden. As well as colour, plants add instant texture and life.

Here are just a few ways to brings green into your home (many of these items can be ordered through us)...