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
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
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.
photo: Florence Charvin
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.