Flower bomb

Scottish artist Fiona Douglas’ hand-painted textiles are influenced by a love of colour and all things floral. Bright, beautiful and very covetable, they sit comfortably alongside antiques as well as contemporary furnishings. Douglas, whose work has been featured in many leading British interiors magazines (she was nominated for an Elle Decoration design award), works under the label Bluebellgray. Her gorgeously distinct and memorable watercolour-like cushions are now available in New Zealand. Check them out – and find a stockist close to you – by visiting www.importico.co.nz.

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All decked out

How handsome is our new deck starting to look? We love the way the ground appears to fall away as you look out to the sea (the deck height is actually less than a metre off the ground) and how the structure itself wraps around the trees. In total, we reckon it cost us about $3000 in fees; resource consent, ground survey, arborist and architect. That, of course, excludes labour and materials. But, despite the fact you can only see it from one side of the house, the view and the way the house nestles in the trees was a key reason for us in coming to live here. We're planning on spending a lot of time out here enjoying the view and listening to the tuis.

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Great kit

It was Kendyl Middelbeek, designer and stylist for NZ House & Garden, who first put me on to Mr Kitly, a store and gallery in Brunswick, Melbourne. The pieces – ceramics and textiles, jewellery, woodware and other objects – have a pared-back, slightly Japanese feel. Mr Kitly ships to New Zealand. Find them at www.mrkitly.com.au.

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Woolly tales

I am obsessed with sheepskins. My renovation 'look book' includes a zillion pictures of rooms with fluffy skins thrown nonchalantly over chairs and beds. I think I prefer them more on the furniture than I do on the floor. So now, despite the fact we have neither a proper bedroom (it currently doesn't have walls) nor or a dining room, I can take comfort in the fact our storage unit is stuffed with sheepskins, all awaiting the time they can move into their new home. There are black ones, brown ones and traditional snowy ones and I started buying them a few days after we bought this place. The good thing is that since New Zealand has quite a few sheep, it's never going to be difficult to find more.

This bed isn't actually wearing a sheep but probably something far more exotic, but this image is a good illustration of why I love skins. It was styled by a Danish stylist called Camilla Tange Peylecke. The room looks so serene and I adore the mix of blonde wood and grey paint but it is the addition of the skin that makes it so special.

The shot below is another of Camilla's. It has the same lovely calm feeling that makes a home so welcoming. camillatange.blogspot.com

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Bob and the builder

Our builder's name is Euan Smith, of Lifestyle Builders. This isn't him. This is Bob our dog saying his goodbyes to the shack. Euan was far less sentimental and the building and the spa pool were gone within a day or two. We found Euan by chance. When trying to find out whether we needed permission to remove the shack (it wasn't all that clear when I talked to the council) I happened to ring a building expert for advice who happened to know Euan and it all went from there. Apparently, this isn't the way to do it. Google 'how to choose a builder' and you get all sorts of advice on how to protect yourself (and the builder) from disasters, including having watertight agreements, definitive schedules and regular meetings. We've failed on all fronts. Like my husband Stu, I believe in a handshake. 'Watertight' contracts have never prevented me from catastrophe before. Euan might not be the type of person who sends regular email updates or pre-warns you weeks in advance of the need for something, but a face-to-face chat with him inspires confidence. We're not naive enough to expect there never to be any problems; one episode of Grand Designs is enough to make you realise the horrors that can happen when communication between client and tradespeople breaks down. But for now it's great.

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Bye bye shack

There's another good reason – apart from its inherent ugliness – that the shack has to go. And this is it. High on a ridge, we look out across the Manukau Harbour to Glenbrook and Clarke's Beach. The shack blocked this view. So, this is how it's gone down so far: we applied for resource consent to axe the shack. Mainly because the building was butting up against a couple of kauris, this was granted. The conditions are that we employ an arborist to supervise the demolition of the building and to ensure we protect the kauris' roots at every stage. None of this is a problem. What does seem a little odd though is that because we are building almost up to our boundary, we are also required to plant a privacy hedge (in a  native specified by the council) to stop us overlooking our neighbours on one side. To do this we need to remove a row of perfectly healthy (and native) griselinia currently there. Go figure.

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Star finds

May’s NZ House & Garden cover turned up two great new resources to add to your address book: The Vintage Table (www.thevintagetable.co.nz) a home-based vintage crockery and tableware hire company, and Bluebells Cakery (www.bluebellscakery.co.nz), a source of unbelievably pretty and tasty cakes. Both are well worth checking out, especially if there is a vintage-style celebration coming up. And if anyone is wondering… the cute edible flowers on the cake are from Milly’s Kitchen.

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Gotta have it

With a tagline that reads "heirlooms for the modern home", I guess you should expect a certain simplicity and quality from Pigeon Toe Ceramics, out of the States. They don't disappoint, producing designs that are timeless and authentic. These votive lanterns, porcelain casts of Kerr Mason jars, give off a lovely glow and, at $55 each, make a special gift. Available through Marketstore, www.marketstore.co.nz.

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Budding bursts of cheer

Receiving flowers can make your heart skip so it stands to reason that having them around must be good for you. According to a Harvard study, flowers in the home feed compassion, chase away anxiety and boost energy. Researchers also found that just looking at them first thing in the morning can make you feel happier and more positive about the day. And if you are perkier at brekky, you are likely to transfer those feelings to others. The scientists call it “mood contagion”.

The kitchen, since we spend most of our waking time in it, is a great place for flowers. A few suggestions...

✿ Cut stems short and place in everyday containers – tea tins, glass coffee jars, salt and pepper shakers, jugs, an old teapot....

✿ Citrus-coloured flowers will always make you feel sunnier. If you don’t mind mixing fruit and flowers, put spring flowers in a narrow cylinder vase and place it inside another, wider, cylindrical glass container filled with lemons or limes.

✿ Line up bud vases or bottles on a kitchen table or along the sink and fill with blooms in the same colour tones.

✿ Go for the “wow” factor with a massed display of one type of flower tumbling out of a large jug.

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Poetic inspiration

The flowers of New York-based stylist Amy Merrick have an almost poetic beauty. Mainly using flowers found in gardens, rather than the market, she creates gorgeous arrangements with a romantic, vintage feel that’s modern but also timeless. I love the looseness of them and the fact I imagine they would look great in both modern and contemporary settings. Visit her at amymerrick.com for inspiration.

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Botanical beauties

Tucked away in storage somewhere I have a whole stack of botanical drawings and watercolours waiting for the chance to see the light. One of my favourites is this whimsical one by Finish artist Anna Emilia Laitinen. I haven’t yet decided how to frame it.

Another is this by Amber Alexander. I liked it so much I made it my ‘object of desire’ in NZ House & Garden for March.

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Flutter buy

Calling all brides... I’m always looking for new ways to style things up. And when searching for pretty cake decorations for a cake for the May NZ House & Garden cover I came across these edible butterflies at SugarRobot on Etsy (you might be able to tell that Etsy is one of my happy places). So incredibly sweet.

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Bob both ways

Auckland’s Homage has been a must-visit for quality reproduction furniture for a while now but the pieces there currently catching my eye are those by Bob&Friends. A store-within-a-store, based at Homage, Bob&Friends features furniture and accessories from top contemporary British designers, including Donna Wilson. Check her out at www.donnawilson.com and then go visit Bob&Friends at either www.homage.co.nz or at 1 Morgan Street, Newmarket, Auckland.

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The shack’s revenge

Just found out that in order to draw up plans the council will understand, we need to get our property surveyed. Twice. Once to definitely establish our boundaries but also to gps-plot to the kauris. That completed, we need an arborist to come out and certify that any work proposed won’t have an adverse effect. All just to bowl the shack. I whine to friend about the cost. She raises her eyebrows and says, “What did you expect? You moved to the Waikateres.” Good job we love the trees, some of which we’ve worked out from the size of their trunks must be about 600 years old. There were a few that thought the shack had a certain charm. Can't see it myself. That's it at the back of the shot.

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Shack attack

Our new house includes a spa-pool room tacked onto the back. It looks like a shack and has to go. But demolishing it isn’t as simple as we first thought. It might be rickety, too close to the trees and an eyesore but it is consented and, therefore, we’re best to get permission to knock it down. It’s also within the drip-line of about five protected kauris, which means we not only need building consent but also resource consent. Oh joy.

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In a monochromatic mood

I’m researching kitchens at the moment. This one, from Danish design company Kvik, is a great example of what can be achieved without spending a fortune. I love the U-shape format – far more interesting than your bog-standard island – the skinny black countertop and the way the kitchen seems to ‘float’ in the room. I guess you would need a big house... Kvik isn’t available here but if you are looking for gorgeous kitchen shots to inspire your own reno, visit www.kvik.com.

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Pastel perfection

It’s difficult to sit on the fence when it comes to pastels; you either love or hate them. I’m a fan. But there’s a difference between sweet and saccharine. This works because the floors and walls are neutral and the table and chairs rustic and washy looking. I adore the stacked crockery in the cabinet. And the potted flowers are gorgeous. But I wonder if a coloured shade would have been better?

I love this image. I love the open door and hint of pink coming through. I think it works so well because the pastels are restricted to two shades – pink and blue – and it’s simple rather than fussy. The result is more sophisticated than sweet.

This pic just makes me feel happy. It’s such a clever but simple mix of textures, colours and stripes. And, from a styling point of view, the cool cacti match the subtle Mexican feel of the hats and rugs perfectly.

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Our new house

My first big do-up was a sweet cottage, my second a somewhat larger arts and crafts-style bungalow (top) that we often used as a location for NZ House & Garden shoots. Both were pretty, feminine and white. My third – not a solo project but one involving a husband and a large extended family – is very different. A mid-century house set in a kauri grove, it poses building challenges we never anticipated and a complete change of aesthetic. That's a pic of it in all its unrrenovated glory above.

This is the inspiration for our new home. We have rather lofty aspirations. This is a picture of the Philip Johnson Glass House, an uber famous example of mid-century modern architecture. If only...

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Cute and crocheted

Not quite sure why these have made my must-have list ... maybe they bring out my inner clean freak. These handmade cotton crocheted washcloths from an Etsy shop called CocoaBeans come in just about every colour are far more beautiful than ugly old kitchen sponges.

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Scandi style

When I first started thinking of ways of decorating our new home I imagined it Scandi-like, full of blonde wood and white ceramics. I’ve moved away from that now but I still love some of the things I first started pulling together for my ‘look book’. For example, Sandberg’s Raphael II range of hand-drawn botanical wallpapers and fabrics.

If you are in the market for beautiful wallpapers for say, a villa renovation or a country kitchen, it’s well worth checking this Swedish brand out at www.sandberg.se. The collection is available in New Zealand through Decortex, www.decortexefamiglia.co.nz

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Scent surround

You can’t love flowers without appreciating scent. Fragrance is such a big part of what makes a home a home. As Tania Sanchez writes in her book Perfumes, the Guide (Allen & Unwin), just about any perfume, even the cheapest and most starved of ideas, decorates the day.

There’s nothing cheap about Jo Malone, of course. A long-time favourite of mine, the subtle, unselfconsciously traditional scents are gorgeous (try the combination of Orange Blossom and English Pear & Freesia – it’s the best). But it’s in the home where the Malone fragrances really work their magic. One candle lit for an hour or so will perfume a room for a day, and there are few things nicer than walking into a fragrant home after a long day. A Lime Basil & Mandarin candle + a glass of wine = total bliss.

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Coordinated Kate

When Kate Winslet walked the red carpet for the London premiere of the 3D version of Titanic, she looked beautiful from polished hair to perfect cleavage. Her look got me thinking about how beauty is so often about coordination. Kate’s hair, brows, lashes, lips and dress all say essentially the same thing: elegance. Her lip was red but not so red it overwhelmed. Her lashes were amplified, brows groomed and her hair the essence of retro glam. Proof that, when it comes to makeup, less is so very often more.

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Must-haves for the makeup bag

Two of my current new-season favs: L’Oreal Paris Color Infallible Eyeshadow in Endless Chocolate and YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in Rose Fusain.

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