Renovation & Conversation Evening

October 24, 2017

Last week we held an evening at our workspace with our friend Laura Jeffares. Our aim was to let our guests know a bit more about our businesses, and for them to leave with a few interior styling and floristry tricks that they could try themselves at home. Dael and I work in a very cool old warehouse in Ahuriri, Napier which we share with a number of other small businesses. The building has an industrial vibe, and this combined with Laura's amazing floral arrangements made for a great venue.

A gorgeous big floral display greeted guests outside our building | photo: Florence Charvin

The lady herself, Laura Jeffares, next to one of her arrangements | photo: Florence Charvin

The entrance to our work is through an old shipping container which we lined with greenery. Inside guests were welcomed by the dulcet tones of super talented local musician, Sarah Wiig.

One of our favourite artists, Rae West, arriving through our shipping container entrance | photo: Florence Charvin

Sarah Wiig sings as our guests arrive | photo: Florence Charvin

Another of Laura's creations in a Bibby + Brady vase | photo: Florence Charvin

Even Sarah's mike and music stand didn't escape Laura's touch | photo: Florence Charvin

Upon arrival guests were treated to a glass of delicious Rod McDonald wine, and there was a spectacular 1m long grazing platter that was created by The Mad Platter - a relatively new local business that is growing in leaps and bounds.

Beautiful bouquets by Sarah Till of My Flower Cart were available to purchase | photo: Florence Charvin

One of the divine 'Mister' wines by Rod McDonald | photo: Florence Charvin

Laura models the Rod McDonald 'Mister' Syrah | photo: Florence Charvin

The incredible platter provided by The Mad Platter | photo: Florence Charvin

Sister-n-laws, Kylie and Birgitte, are The Mad Platter | photo: Florence Charvin

One of the best parts of our job is being surrounded by so many clever and interesting people. We had an incredible group of women at our event, both helpers and participants, as well as our guests.

From left to right: Sarah Wiig, Laura Jeffares, Sarah Till & Sarah Zonneveld | photo: Florence Charvin

Our fabulous friends and helpers, Kathryn (Savve) and Sally | photo: Florence Charvin

photo: Florence Charvin — photo: Florence Charvin

Birgitte explains more about her and Kylie's business The Mad Platter | photo: Florence Charvin

Dael and I have worked with Laura Jeffares a lot over the years. She is highly talented when it comes to floristry, styling, and hair, specialising in weddings and events. If you're interested, book her now, as she gets super busy over the Summer months.

Laura demonstrates a simple floral display using flowers from My Flower Cart | photo: Florence Charvin

Laura demonstrates how to use oasis when putting together an arrangement of foliage | photo: Florence Charvin

Dael and I wanted to explain a bit about how we work and show some "before" and "after" images of our work. We shared some of our top interior design tips, and finished with a quick demonstration and explanation of how to style a console table.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Renovation & Conversation evening, we had a fantastic time with you all. We will be holding more of these events in the future (including one next month in Gisborne), so keep an eye on the blog and our social media for up to date information. Please let us know if you have anything in particular you'd like to hear us speak about, or if you're outside of Hawke's Bay and would like us to visit your town. You can get in touch with us here.

A special thanks to all of our amazing friends who helped make this evening a success - Laura Jeffares, Florence Charvin, The Mad Platter, Rod McDonald Wines, Sarah Wiig, Sarah Zonneveld, Sarah Till, Kathryn McGarvey, Sally Barnett, and our awesome landlords, Band.

NZ House & Garden House Tour | Hawke's Bay

January 27, 2017

The NZ House & Garden House Tours are the largest charity house tour in New Zealand, run in support of the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation, and this year I'm happy to announce that Hawke's Bay will be involved. “We’re thrilled to be launching the 2017 tours in Hawke’s Bay this year, giving locals and visitors the opportunity to step inside some of the area’s most beautiful and intriguing homes,” says Sally Duggan, Editor of NZ House & Garden.

The tour takes in nine homes scattered from Havelock North to Te Awanga and Haumoana. It includes a heritage-listed property built in 1926 and painstakingly restored by its current owners, and a spacious Andy Coltart-designed modern farmhouse with sweeping views.

Three of the houses on the tour have an artistic connection: a peaceful home alongside a creek designed by celebrated Maori architect John Scott for his artist daughter Ema which, she says, is like “living within a sculpture”; artist Dick Frizzell’s former home and studio at Haumoana, which Duggan describes as “a happy collision between Cape Cod and the Kiwi bach”; and artist Rae West’s haven, a rustic collection of humble buildings set around a central courtyard inspired by the owners’ travels in Mexico. We styled Rae's home for a photo shoot last year, so we're very familiar with this fantastic home.

Three cute but comfortable cottages at the beach settlement of Te Awanga prove that small can be chic. “The tiny-house movement is still going strong,” says Duggan, “and renovating former baches for living in permanently is an option that keys into this trend.”

A double-storey homestead that once stood proud on a Napier hillside and was relocated to become a family-friendly retreat in Clive, rounds out the line-up. “The homes on this tour truly reflect the diverse lifestyle that Hawke’s Bay offers,” says Duggan. “It’s little wonder that so many people are moving there from our bigger cities.”

The Hawke’s Bay tour will be held on Friday 24th February from 10am to 4pm. The tour Hub at Red Barrel Vineyard - 265 Te Mata Road, Havelock North - is open from 8.30am - 5pm so you can meet up with friends, and wind down here once you've finished your tour. You can also hear more about the work that The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation are doing, and meet the House and Garden Associate Editor Rosemary Barraclough from 12-2pm.

It's going to be a fabulous day raising money for a very important cause, we are so looking forward to being inspired by the variety of beautiful homes. If you haven't already, get your tickets here, and we hope to see you on the day.

Designer Beds For Charity

October 16, 2014

This month the world's number one bedding brand, Sealy, is celebrating 25 years operating in New Zealand. As part of their celebration they have teamed up with four very talented New Zealand designers in a charity campaign for New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF).

Masters in their own fields, ASKEW ONE (Elliot O’Donnell), Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, Juliette Hogan, and LeeAnn Yare have now mastered the art of sleep by designing a bespoke fabric panel for a Sealy Posturepedic Exquisite bed. I love this concept - the beds all look so great, you definitely won't want to cover them up with valances and bedspreads. The beds are all listed on TradeMe and the auctions close 28 October, so get bidding.

LeeAnn Yare | interior designer: "Carnival" was inspired by LeeAnn's most recent bed linen range for her store, Collected. She has a thing for simple yet bold graphic shapes and really wanted to turn up the volume with her bed design.

Juliette Hogan | fashion designer: "Dalmation Silk Print" takes Juliette's love for monochrome and mixes it with the luxe revival of an animal print we all love. Her design is gorgeous, yet understated, inspired by her upcoming '15 collection.

Denise L'Estrange-Corbet | fashion designer: "Pebbles" is an eccentric and eclectic polka-dot cover that perfectly captures the essence of Denise's internationally acclaimed label, WORLD. She wanted to create something fun, so bright and bold was an obvious choice.

Elliot O'Donnell (ASKEW ONE) | artist: "Aute Uliuli" features (if you look closely) shell necklaces and hibiscus flowers that Askew has spray painted for his design. In a time of extensive digital production, he pulls back his approach to 'construct' his art, focusing more on the props and accessories.

When you bid on one of these amazing Sealy bespoke designer beds, you are not only one step closer to an exceptional night's sleep, but you are also helping to fund research and support women in New Zealand with breast cancer. Go for it, bid now!