My Kitchen | Part 3 - Tiles

If you look at these pics (below) it may not look like we've had much progress in our kitchen reno, but in fact we have. You can see the from these earlier posts that all of the old kitchen cabinetry has now gone. I no longer have an oven, a dishwasher, or a washing machine. I'm actually coping OK without an oven, as we have set up a mini kitchen in the living room with a microwave, kettle, toaster, slow cooker, and electric frying pan, and the BBQ is outside. But the loss of the washing machine with our family of five has hit me the hardest. Thank goodness for my Mum and Dad around the corner!




Last week our electrician, Davyd Auckram - Bay Cities Electrical, and our plumber, John - John Riggs Plumbing, were busy doing their part. They're both great guys, and I can highly recommend them - email me if you want their contact details. We also had our hot water cylinder removed and an infinity gas water heater installed, which did mean no hot water for a day - eek!

Today the builder, Glynn Pritchard - GCP Construction Ltd, has started, which is exciting because it means we should have walls again soon. Next comes the floor sanding, and all the while our kitchen is being built by the talented guys, Rick Martin and his righthand man Ben, at Sunshine Joinery.




In my last post I was looking into our option for benchtops, and I can report back that we have chosen an engineered stone with a marble look. Now it's the tiles for our splash back that I'm trying to decide on. My first choice was a small marble hexagon tile, and I still love these, but unfortunately they may be outside of our budget.




I really love these cube tiles, but they're from an Australian company, which means shipping complicates matters.





These cube tiles from Tile Space are pretty gorgeous, but they only come in gloss and I was thinking of going matt. They looked great in Alex and Corban's Block kitchen though, so I haven't ruled them out yet.





There is a similar tile found at Tile Space which does come in a matt white, called Rhombus. It featured last week on the TV programme Our First Home, but you can see it's a lot bigger, and possibly too big for our kitchen splash back.




Perhaps this matt white hexagon tile is the one, it is, after all, the same shape as my first choice only a little bigger. If you're wondering why I'm not considering the good old subway tile, our cabinetry features wood panels (vertical lines), so I want to introduce a more contrasting shape in the tiles.




Here's another hexagonal option from Porteous Tiles which looks pretty fab in pink and red. Hmmm... what do you think?




I talk about this as our "kitchen reno", but really we're tackling the kitchen, dining room, and laundry all at once. It's pretty huge and explains why we're living in a mad house at the moment. Spare a thought for me with my dining table in our living room, our console table holding the mini make-shift kitchen, the pantry in the hall, the dishes in the bathroom sink, and now with the arrival of Cyclone Pam, most of our outdoor furniture has also been crammed inside.  Good things are a-coming (I keep telling myself!).

Bibby + Brady Giveaway

Dael and I have decided it must be time for another giveaway - who doesn't like the chance to win free stuff?! Not just any old stuff either, we are giving away one of our gorgeous La Luna Rose beaded bracelets.




The La Luna Rose range is created using sterling silver and beautiful quality Japanese glass beads. They're an instant shot of colour and look simply amazing on.






For the rest of this month you can get 10% off the entire range. Simply enter the code LLROSE at the checkout.





To go into the draw to win our Sandy Beaded Bracelet in pink & blue, you first need to join our mailing list - you can find this at the bottom of our shop home page. Never fear, we won't be overloading your inbox, we will only email you if we have new products or special offers. If you're already on our mailing list you can still be in to win by 'liking' this Facebook post. Please email me to let me know you have done this, so I have a way of contacting you if you're our winner.




The competition closes 3pm next Wednesday 18th March, and the winner will be contacted by email and announced on the Cush & Nooks Facebook page (open to New Zealand residents only). Good luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS TO LARA, OUR WINNER.



Family Haven

I've found another beautiful home to fall in love with. Jenny Li and her husband Hans Gissinger spent four months remodelling the home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, turning it into a serene family home to share with their three children.




Light is important to Li, so she painted the walls, floor and ceiling a bright white. This is softened by layers of natural textures and shots of vivid colour. One of my favourite pieces is the Indian daybed which doubles as the coffee table.





Art and precious keepsakes dotted throughout give the home plenty of personality. Little touches like balls of bright wool in a glass jar, and a feather boa strung over a light add a touch of whimsy.







The kids decorated their own rooms and their creativity is obvious. Taylor's gorgeous headboard was made when she and her friends painted a large piece of linen in the backyard at her 15th birthday party. I love this idea! She now has a piece that will always hold special memories and it looks amazing.





The boy's room, belonging to younger brothers, Harmony and Son, features their colourful creations.


photos by Brittany Ambridge


I'm so inspired by this home, it seems to have a perfect combination of calm and fun!