Exhibit your personality with GIB-Cove®

Dael and I wanted to share a project with you that we've had so much fun with and are very proud to have worked on. It's a campaign for GIB® to promote their new range of GIB-Cove®. With five different cove profiles available, you can choose the one which best suits your style and your personality, whether that is modern and minimal, more traditional, or something in between. Coving is an important architectural detail in your home and deserves as much consideration as any other piece you'd choose for your room. We worked with the amazing team at justONE in Auckland who created the campaign and the five different personalities to represent each cove. We designed a living room for each personality that we felt worked beautifully with the chosen GIB-Cove®.

Behind the scenes

We were able to fly up to Auckland to create one of the rooms we designed, and it was amazing to see the room come to life. We designed the room for Mason (and his dog Rusty) to suit his laid back lifestyle and personality. The contemporary lines of the Mezzo GIB-Cove® complimented the room beautifully.

The other four rooms we designed have been turned into fabulous illustrations. Make sure you check them all out on the Gib® website and click on each style to see how to 'get the look'.

A special thanks to all our suppliers whose products we've used in our room designs, but especially to those who allowed us to use their products for Mason's photo shoot - Soren Liv, The Ivy House, Maytime, The Poi Room, Bianca Lorenne, Torpedo7, Carpet Court, and Black Bridge Nurseries. If you're interested in any of the amazing products we've featured you can also purchase through us, just give us a call or fire through an email. And if you're interested in using the GIB-Cove® in your home talk to your local, architect, interior designer, or builder about the range.

Favourite Finds

I keep a folder on my desktop of my favourite finds during the week, and this time they seem to have, unconsciously, fallen into two distinct categories - healthy & wellbeing, and cute & cuddly.

 I'm a big fan of Lorna Jane activewear, and they usually have a free gift when you spend $150 or more. Currently you get this great citrus squeeze water bottle to give your water that extra zing. We all know that we're supposed to drink lots of water to keep us healthy and hydrated, and I always have my water bottle on hand. But for those who struggle to drink their quota, this is a brilliant idea - a bit of flavour may be all they need to make it more appealing. Be quick though, this particular offer only runs until 25th February, or while stocks last.


One of my young daughters is having trouble getting to sleep, with her overly active imagination fueled by a scary movie she saw at her friend's place recently. So to relax her before bed I've been doing a simple yoga routine with the twins. Although this is called 'good morning yoga sequence' it seems to work in the evenings to stretch out their little bodies and leave them with a sense of wellbeing. They absolutely love it - I may have created a couple of yoga addicts!


If you're looking for something beautifully delicious for you or your friend's baby, Coast New Zealand have created The Baby Mac. It's a smaller version of their Mackenzie Throw, and made out of 100% NZ wool, it's light and breathable while still being snuggly and super warm. You can also have your choice of initials embroidered onto your blanket turning it into a family heirloom.


I happily stumbled across the most gorgeous Danish online shop called De Winkel Van Woonblog (super cute name!). They have some some adorable products and they ship to New Zealand.


As the owner of two cats I can tell you they would love these cute hideaways - the CatCube and the Cat Tipi - and because of their cool design, I'd be happy to have them in our home.


Lucky last (my favourite), my Mum bought the book Quake Dogs for my niece at Christmas time, and my girls loved it so much she bought them their own copy this week. It's a collection of stories about dogs that were affected by, and survived the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Some were rescuers, some were rescued, some of the stories will make you chuckle, and as a hopeless dog lover, some made me cry!


If you're a fellow dog lover I highly recommend this book by Laura Sessions with simply beautiful photography by Craig Bullock. Part of the proceeds from the book go to support HUHA, a national organisation that works to rescue and re-home animals around the country. They went to Christchurch three times to take more than 70 dogs, plus numerous other animals, to safe and loving homes elsewhere in the country.

Favourite Finds

This is the first of another new blog series - Favourite Finds. Once every week or two I'll be bringing you a selection of favourite things I've discovered - maybe a new website I've found, or a movie I've seen, a delicious recipe, or cool product... an eclectic collection. Hopefully there'll be something in there to inspire you to.

 I've recently taken the Meat Free Monday pledge. The concept to cut meat out of your diet for one day a week is taking the world by storm, and little ole New Zealand is jumping on board. I quite regularly cook vegetarian meals for our family, so it won't be a hard concept for me at all, but I'm most excited to try the yummy recipes you can find on the website. Pop over and read all about why you should take the pledge with me.


Autumn fashion is hitting the shops already and my favourite label, Moochi, has lots of cool new stock to entice me. I have a long list, of course, but at the top are these awesome Lead Pants. Tapered at the ankle and with an elasticised waist they look really smart and super comfy - a brilliant combination!


I've just discovered the TV programme Offspring. I know what you're saying... "Where've you been?! Offspring has been around for ages!". Yes, I know we're about to start season 4 here in NZ, but before a few days ago I'd never watched an episode. Thanks to the wonder of TVNZ On Demand, I was able to watch the last three episodes of season 3 back-to-back on my iPad in bed. Now I can't wait for the new season to start so I can see more of the craziness and of course, Patrick - sigh!


I'm always happy to add another interior book to my collection, and I love the look of Creative Family Home. It addresses both the practical and decorative issues involved in creating a stylish home for your family, whether you've got one tiny baby, or a tribe of teenagers.


And last, but certainly not least, my favourite new find... get ready to have your heart wrenched! I follow an incredible instagram account called mommasgonecity. Owned by Jessica Shyba, her blog by the same name was initially started as a way to keep in touch with family when they moved from California to Manhattan. Jessica moved back to Santa Cruz, California with her husband, three adorable children, and their latest addition, a rescue puppy called Theo.


A very special bond has formed between Theo and Jessica's youngest child, Beau - there is nothing quite like the love between a boy and his dog. Read Jessica's full story here about how the pair became such close buddies, and how nap time is no longer Jessica's most productive time of day! She spends most of it watching this remarkable love story with her heart bursting. As a massive dog lover, this just makes me want to cry with joy! I'm a bit of a sook when it comes to animals, if you are too make sure you follow Theo and Beau's journey, as well as the rest of the family, on instagram.