What we're loving right now

In the spirit of being authentic and embracing our individual styles - which is what we’re predicting more of for 2025 - we’re sharing some of our “favourites” which are wonderful examples of that…

Spaces we’re loving…

Studio Giancarlo Valle is an award-winning design practice dedicated to creating spaces that are playful, studied, and unexpected. Their portfolio of work is so inspiring, and radiates joy, style and sophistication. We particularly adore this Soho Townhouse - six floors dipped in a saturated palette of deep emeralds, mauves, pistachcios, and cotton candy blues.

What we’re loving listening to…

Arent&Pyke is a Sydney-based design practice and a long-time favourite of ours. They were the first guests on This Much I Know - a podcast by Est Living hosted by design writer Karen McCartney. If you love interior design or are planning on embarking on your own project, we highly recommend listening for valuable insight into how these talented designers create unique homes for their clients.

Style we’re loving…

Blair Eadie is the owner and operator of the personal style site Atlantic-Pacific. She is a fashion guru and an inspiration for anyone who wants to dress to express their personality and find joy in their outfits. She’s written a fantastic article on “how to find your style”, and it’s amazing how similar her process is to the one we tell our clients. There are many crossovers in the fashion and interior world, and we often tell people to look to their wardrobe for clues to their interior style.

Food we’re loving…

We’ve both had our kids home from University over the Christmas break and I know I’ve had to adjust to cooking for more than just two people again. We’ve been loving making these wellness bowls as they’re super delicious and nutritious, and everyone can build their own bowls to suit their taste. We’ll have different protein options, as some are vegetarians and some are not, and people can add more of what they love and less of (or leave off altogether) what they don’t love.

If you’re inspired to inject more style and personality into your home we would love to help you. If you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, let us use our wealth of knowledge and experience, and our extensive network of suppliers and manufacturers to bring your visions to life.

“SHINE BRIGHT, BE YOURSELF” - Stephen Richards

What we want to see more of in 2025

2025… it feels like an auspicious year, a quarter of a century! Over the last week I’ve had a lot of fun scouring the internet to get some insights into what this year may bring for the world of interiors. I am so inspired and so excited to let you know that one of the main themes seems to be individuality and authenticity. With everything that has happened over the last few years and with what the world is facing, our homes, more than ever, are our havens. They need to reflect our own unique style and be less cookie-cutter. Our homes should be filled with history, character and personality, a place to recharge and fill our cup.

Whilst we don’t necessarily like to follow trends, we prefer our designs to be timeless and ageless with a sense of permanence, there are definitely some slow-burning design characteristics that we are loving and will look to introduce, or continue to use in our designs.

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The Pantone® colour for 2025 is Mocha Mousse. A warming, brown hue imbued with richness, it nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort. Combining this colour with warm creams, dark chocolates, and burnt coppers is a beautiful answer for those who love a neutral colour palette.

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We’ve been moving away from a palette of more cool grey based tones for several years now. The use of these warm tones is cosy and welcoming, like a warm hug.

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There are no straight lines in nature and we’ve always loved to work with circles and curves in our designs. It’s a wonderful way to soften the lines and angles found in most architecture - walls, windows, doors - although even a lot of these are being created in arches and soft curves right now. We’re continuing to embrace this attribute as more and more of our suppliers are producing stunning curved furniture and accessories. With an amazing group of skilled furniture manufacturers and contractors at our fingertips we can custom design pieces if we can’t find exactly what we want. The curved and organic forms emphasise the warm, comforting environment that people are craving.

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Alongside natural form we continue to love natural materials like wood, wool, linen, stone etc. But we’re juxtaposing those earthy textures with the gorgeous shine of metal and glossy, highly lacquered paint finishes.

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Another thing that I’m so happy about is the normalisation of rich, deep colours in our interiors. This is especially exciting for those of us who crave a touch more colour in our homes. Colour can be just as sophisticated as the beautiful neutral palettes of above. I’m seeing a lot of rich reds, burgundys, and deep, browny pinks, as well as our favourite earthy greens and steely blues.

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The high gloss paint finish on the cabinetry in this room is contrasted with the dryness of the velvet sofa and the wool rug. And take note of the built-in bookshelves, as custom built-in furniture is another feature we’ll continue to see in 2025.

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Coloured kitchens are here to stay, no longer do you have to stick to plain white especially now we’re using a lot of integrated appliances that are hidden behind cabinetry doors. A lot of kitchen cabinetry is designed to look more like furniture.

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Natural elements like wood and stone are still popular and look stunning surrounded by rich colours. Don’t forget that art isn’t confined to the living and bedrooms, bringing artwork into traditionally utilitarian space such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundries is a way to emphasise your personality and individuality.

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Just another way we’re seeing curves used in our homes is the resurgence of bullnose bench tops. They provide a smooth, comfortable surface to lean against, accentuating a sense of warmth and safety in our homes.

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In the bathroom below they’ve used a double bullnose bench top and repeated the look at the top of the splash back. In both images the combination of green with dark brown wood is divine and borrowed straight from nature.

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Combining red and green together might be a scary concept for some, but because they’re complementary colours it makes perfect sense. I love the boldness and playfulness of the kitchen below, it’s a great example of the unique, personality-driven design we hope to see more of. The burgundy and cream glossy tiles surrounding the cooktop are the hero, and complemented beautifully by the sage green cabinets and peachy pink walls.

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The use of scallops, ruffles and curved edges will be prevalent this year. Using them in small touches such as lamp shades and cabinet handles is a great way to introduce this look into your home. There’s an emphasis on hand crafted pieces, treasures and trinkets in your home that bring you joy and spark memories.

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Built-in furniture will always make a home look more finished and intentional. We’ve transformed many of our clients’ homes by designing custom built-in pieces to fill nooks and small spaces. Storage is always welcomed, especially clever storage that utilises the space well. The cabinetry below in a child’s room is not only fantastic storage, but showcases what we want to see more of - bold colours teamed with pattern and personality. They key to mixing this much bold colour is to keep the palette reigned into three or four hues, in this case - red, green, blue and yellow.

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Maximalism has been on the rise for a couple of years. The look we’re loving hints at maximalism… less cluttered, more brave and unique. The use of bold patterns; embellishments like ruffles, fringes and piping; sculptural forms and colour drenching.

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To summarise, be bold but exercise restraint. Add curves, softness and fun into your home. Surround yourself with things that bring you joy. You do you! And if that means a disco ball inspired rangehood in your kitchen - go for it! I hope you leave this blog post filled with inspiration and excited about the possibilities.

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Bazaar Boutique | Before + Afters

Bazaar Boutique is a luxury fashion store based in our local neighbourhood, the seaside village of Ahuriri, Napier. It’s always been a treat to pop in and see what beautiful clothes and accessories are in-store, and we’ve had a special interest in the business since it was started by two young women in 2012, the same year that we started Bibby + Brady.

In 2023 the business was bought by Vicki Meech who was excited to merge her business experience with her love for beautiful clothing. Naturally Vicki wanted to put her mark on the store and give it a makeover. Working with local company, Your Solutions, who are specialists in commercial fit outs, the plan was to renovate as quickly as possible so as not to have the doors closed for too long.

We worked closely with Vicki on the design and new look. We chose a beautiful warm white paint from Aalto Paint for the walls and a slightly deeper shade for the floor, which was then sealed. This provided a beautiful neutral base to layer all of the gorgeous clothes and accessories on to, allowing them to shine. The new paint colour infused with subtle tones of raw umber and yellow oxide pigments, brings a soft welcoming glow to the space.

One of the most noticeable changes in the space is the relocation of the counter and the dressing rooms. Previously the check-out area was a large table to the side of the entrance with the dressing rooms on the far side. The table was a good size for display on top, but the space beneath was underutilised and lacked storage.

Now the counter is positioned in prime position straight ahead of the entrance. The scalloped front and sides adds subtle texture and hides the open shelving on the far side which is perfect for storing the printer, bags and much more.

When you stepped out of the dressing rooms previously you were visible to anyone in the shop. Removing the old dressing room walls and building a new one facing the back wall provides a lot more privacy.

The curved wall adds a softness, which is important in a small space where you want customers to be able to move around freely. The curves were repeated in the arched doorways and the mirrors on the opposite wall.

You can now open the curtains and use the mirrors inside and outside of the dressing room to see your outfit. Even if you step out you’re still tucked away from most of the store if you prefer your privacy. We used stunning linen fabric from James Dunlop for the curtains and luxurious wool carpet underfoot from Bremworth.

Another custom joinery piece sits in the middle of the store. It provides a place to display some of the accessories with more valuable storage below, and is also a lovely point of interest for customers when they first arrive.

Lastly, new shelving was added to display jeans, handbags and shoes - staple pieces in every girl’s wardrobe.

Working with Vicki and helping bring her vision to life was a joy. If you’re in Napier make sure you pop into Bazaar Boutique, there are exciting new things arriving all the time. Vicki, Krissy and their team will would love to help you find your perfect outfit. You can see all of the photos of the newly renovated store in our portfolio.