Sometimes a client will come to us for a colour consult, which then organically grows into a much bigger project. That’s what happened when we worked on this super cool home by Don Pitt Design. Our clients, Dana and Maia, with their two gorgeous kids (one who arrived mid way through this project), wanted their home to be calm and restorative. It had to be practical for their family that includes two dogs as well as the two kids, welcoming to their friends and whanau who they like to entertain, and a sanctuary to retreat to after a busy day.

Once we had selected paint colours for outside and in, Dana came to us for help choosing rugs and coffee tables for the two living areas. The existing sofa in one living area wasn’t proving very practical either, so we chose a custom sofa that would suit the style of the house and covered it in an amazing fabric with a built-in stain resistant technology. We then added custom made Bibby + Brady cushions.

We love the concrete fire surround and window ledge that Don Pitt designed. It creates a divide between the two living areas, helping to zone them, and the window ledge doubles as a place to perch. The Samsung “The Frame” TV sits nicely to the side of the fireplace, looking like a piece of art when not in use.

The oak dining table and black stained chairs have strong, clean lines with subtle design detail that complement the home

Dana and Maia had chosen the two sofas in the second living room and they still looked great, but the rug was very similar in colour, so we moved that to one of the bedrooms and replaced it with a rug that introduced a subtle pattern and contrast. We added a custom made round ottoman to nestle with the oak coffee table we’d chosen, and made some more custom cushions. We even sourced some pieces that look great but are child-friendly, as the ottoman and coffee table are at the perfect height for toddlers.

The little powder room was designed by Don Pitt, but we sourced some accessories to take it to the next level. The little in-set wooden shelf is the perfect place for a few “pretties”.

The hallway leading to the bedrooms is one of our favourite features in the home. One side of the hall has large floor to ceiling windows to let in light and give it a luxurious, spacial feel. The other side has large floor to ceiling sliding doors to each bedroom that can be left open, or closed for privacy and quiet. The doors are such a beautiful, dramatic feature - open or closed.

We had beautiful linen curtains made for the bedrooms that hung from an almost invisible track in the ceiling. In the primary bedroom they wrapped around one corner for additional texture and softness. We designed each bedroom and wanted the primary bedroom to feel extra special, creating that luxury retreat for the hard-working parents.

Dana had already chosen the duvet cover, but we elevated the room by adding the custom made headboard that we designed, along with a linen quilt, Euro pillows, a Bibby + Brady lumbar cushion, oak bedsides, elegant lamps, the oak bench seat, and a stunning piece of art by Rakai Karaitiana.

The middle bedroom needed to be flexible so that most of the time it was a child’s bedroom, but sometimes the two single beds could be pushed together to make a king bed for guests.

There’s a built-in wardrobe on one side of the room but additional drawers were needed. To keep it clean and cohesive we matched the tallboy to the bedside table, and added height to the table with a bedside lamp in mossy green. The print on the wall is another favourite by Rakai Karaitiana.

The last bedroom needed a solution for when the children were sharing the room, so we added the cutest set of bunk beds leaving room for a large bookshelf and some room to play.

We chose white wooden shutters for the narrow, high window. They look clean and smart, let plenty of light in but can also be closed up tight at bedtime.

Thank you so much Dana and Maia for allowing us to share your amazing home, and for being the coolest clients ever! You were a pleasure to work with, we know you love your home as much as we do, and we hope you have many, many happy days in it.

There’s something about a freshly made bed. Climbing in after a long day and sinking down into beautiful linen sheets straight off the line. It’s one of life’s simple pleasures. To be honest, there are no hard and fast rules about how to make your bed, but we wanted to show you how we like to make ours, and show you three variations using the same bed and duvet and just swapping out the pillows and throw.

We start with a classic white linen duvet cover. We always go one size bigger than the bed to ensure the duvet hangs down nicely and covers the mattress. This is a king size bed and a super king size duvet. Whenever possible we have a headboard to anchor the bed. We had this fluted headboard custom made using a super luxe blue velvet leopard print.

Next add a throw to the bottom third of the bed to add some weight and balance the bed.

We like to fold the duvet down over the throw to add an extra layer, which adds interest and will make the bed look cosy and inviting.

Place your first set of pillows. We’ve used a soft grey pillowcase and sheet set to differentiate slightly from the white duvet.

The second set of pillows are the same fresh white as the duvet.

Next come the Euro pillows. Once again, it’s about layering and having varying heights to make it look extra comfy, and who doesn’t like a Euro pillow for sitting up in bed to read.

And to finish, one long 90x35 lumbar cushion. One of our favourite cushion sizes, they’re perfect on a bed to add impact while keeping it simple and unfussy. In this look we’ve kept the bedding colours all soft and quiet so as not to compete with the hero pieces - the headboard and lumbar cushions, both in varying sizes of navy leopard print.

For the next two bed examples we worked with our friends from Foxtrot Home. The duvet cover, sheets and pillow cases on the first bed set up are all from Foxtrot Home, and then we borrowed a few more pieces to create our other looks.

So the base is the same - light grey sheets and brilliant white duvet.

These lightweight linen quilts are amazing and we can highly recommend them. We chose the ochre colour to contrast and complement the blue headboard. With the crazy, hot weather we’ve been having recently, these quilts are the perfect weight on their own with a sheet set.

Again, fold the duvet down over the quilt. Doesn’t the quilt look great with the gorgeous hand blown Monmouth lights.

Pillows, two…

Pillows, four.

Again, add the Euro pillows. You could put the Euros at the back, but I find they cover too much of the headboard that way, and the smaller pillows at the front with the throw pillows create a busier look.

To finish the look this time we used two 50x50 cushions that pick up colours and tie everything together in a nice, bold figurative ribbon.

Our final look uses a more earthy, muted colour palette, and shows you another way to display your cushions.

Step 1, white duvet, and if you look closely you can see that the sheets are the olive green stripes.

Here we’ve used the natural quilt. All of the quilts feature the grey stripe on the reverse, which we love.

Add the natural pillowcases, and this time we’ve propped them up vertically, just because we can.

Now the white pillowcases. It looks nice, but a bit too safe.

To spice things up we’ve added one rosewood Euro pillow and one 50x50 cushion. The cushion has a natural linen base with thin stripes in pink and blue.

To tie the two bigger cushions together we’ve finished with a small 30x50 lumbar in front. The solid checks work well with the thin striped checks and the solid colour of the rosewood pillow.

I just couldn’t help myself, I had to pull the quilt down to show off those cute striped sheets.

So there you have it. A few different ideas to try if you haven’t already. I love having a collection of bedding so that I can switch things out and create different looks from time to time. Visit our friends at Foxtrot Home to help get you started. Their linen is so beautiful to sleep on, and being a natural fibre they breath and get better with washing. They’re definitely my pick for these hot nights as they’re much cooler than cotton sheets, but also keep you snug and warm in winter.