30-years of working with wood sparked the inspiration for this book and aren’t we ever grateful for it.

Love Local, our new blog series celebrating places and makers in my hometown of Hawkes Bay, starting with Clifton Glamping.

In our line of work we meet some pretty darn clever makers, and we're big fans of the ones who take care of their work, conscious of environmental impact whilst designing thoughtful, functional and timeless products.

We recently chatted with Annie Loveridge, about her store The Ivy House, and how it represents her meaning of “home” (whist admitting she too is a homebody at heart)

Annie and her delightful team firmly believe that natural materials, sourced kindly, produce healthy homes, and live by their number one belief “choose what you love".

If someone had told me 20 years ago there was no right or wrong with colour, it just came down to personal choice - I would have stopped the search. This book makes you want to unleash colour in your home, wardrobe, and even your lips (why do I reserve red for confident days?).

Roadtripping north earlier this year I gave strict instructions to my beloved that we must make a slight detour to the idyllic coastal town of Waihi Beach - The home of Sunday, the bricks and mortar of Alana Broadhead, - book maker, blog writer, shop keeper, beachside dweller, and lover of living well. Alana shares with us a little on her background and how Sunday evolved, why living a high-grade, slow life at Waihi Beach is important and how everyday should feel like Sunday.

I have a reckless love of linen and our house is full of Foxtrot goodies. My respect for these two sisters is enormous – running a fantastic business together, growing a great brand and product while working remotely.

Linen is equal parts functional and beautiful, it has breathable qualities, a great depth of colour when dyed, and the more it’s used (and washed) the softer it gets. Keep it on your bed all year round, because linen is warm in winter and cool in summer too.

Here’s what our friends at Foxtrot had to say.

We’re putting the spotlight on suppliers! I’m so excited to showcase the talent, energy, and creativity that sits behind a few of our favourites, starting with Emma Hayes Textiles.

Emma Hayes Textiles is a New Zealand based design company with a vision to “create beautiful textiles for beautiful spaces”. Oh how we relate. Wallcoverings, fabrics and accessories are a major weapon in our style armoury.

This one’s for you, my doggo lovin’ friends. Quite simply and best described as a book of incredible homes and the dogs that live within.

Despite being a dog lover since way back, we’ve never actually owned one (well not for any longer than three weeks, but that’s a different story altogether). My children actually claim to be mentally scarred from not having a pooch in their younger years. Instead, I opted for frogs and goldfish, enjoying the lazier approach to parenting pets.

Ever grateful to have the final word on our modhouse blog series, it certainly won’t be sugar coated. You’re my favourite audience, so let me entertain you with the truth bombs that make up a husband and wife team embarking on a build (oh, and a new business… and a relocation… and farewelling our children). While leaving the bulk of it out, I will share the major obstacles, the highs, the tests on our marriage, a few regrets, and what the future holds.

Call it the rebel in me, but the title of book #9 in our Book Club really grabbed my attention. Individual is a celebration of 15 Australian interiors that don’t conform to latest fads, seasonal ‘must-haves’ or a cookie-cutter design approach.

It’s time to capture all the nuts and bolts behind modhouse. Stick with us in our 3rd modhouse blog series because it’s downright heavy with the details. But if you love architecture like we do, we reckon you’ll dig the nitty gritty too. Let’s obsess together over materials and building elements, and I’ll share how sustainability has been given a big healthy nudge. Chanelling my inner grand design voice, here we go...

We’re jumping straight into part 2 of our blog series with a frank examination of building our first modhouse. What unravels below is an honest assessment from the architect and owner, John (my ideas man) and outtakes from me too. To play fair, we’ve also checked in with the builder for his thoughts.

Welcome to my house – welcome to modhouse. Residing in Hawkes Bay, I share it with the author himself - my ideas man, John. I figured it’s a cool theme for a blog series about the people who have moved through our journey to date. I’ll dish all the skinny from the heads, hands and hearts that have breathed life into this exciting prototype we now call home.

With a passion for architecture and natural instinct for styling, Michelle's ability to capture the essence of a space is unique and compelling. We have been lucky enough to grab 5 minutes of her time to delve into her world.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to pick the brain of Dulux Colour Specialist, Davina Harper. Colour has such an impact on our day to day, so we took the opportunity to ask Davina those crucial colour questions.

Linen as a textile should have its own fan club – soft, breathable, eco-friendly, timeless… so when it’s partnered with a beautiful book, it goes straight in my shopping basket. On the spine of Country Style Homes is a decadent bolt of linen, holding together weighty pages and photography that echoes homely love. The author has pitched it perfectly with this one – think rural charm meets intelligent story-telling.

Tricia Guild is a spectacular human. Colour and Guild go hand in hand, she is one of the world’s most admired interior designers and a respected author too. In My View is an invitation for us to peer into her strong, expressive interiors, across two very unique addresses and approaches. The doors are generously swung open for us to experience her personal homes in Italy and London.

As I piece together this review, I scan the room. All around me are little good-health crusaders, swathes of green, wonky shapes, air filters and new growth. Potted together in a variety of colour and form, I’m talking about an urban jungle of indoor plants.

“NZ House & Garden Interior of the Year Winner – Stylemaker.” When I utter the words I still giggle in a silly, nervy, shy kind of way. It was a glamorous awards evening last Thursday, and some beautiful spaces were celebrated. The room was filled with clever design folk, the bubbles flowed, the judges spoke, and the rooms revealed.

Diane Keaton - actor, director, producer, and a recipient of an Academy Award, BAFTA, and two Golden Globes. Feeling slightly inadequate yet? Sorry to prick your bubble further, but she’s also a photographer, real estate developer and singer too – and now she’s giving our Book Club something to write about.

Close your eyes and picture oversized glasses, red lipstick and intoxicating outfits. Did Iris appear? Most of us know her face, dwarfed by those punchy glasses, “all the bigger to see you with my dear”. Her red lipstick has a ‘sit up and listen’ powerful, glamourous quality, and she’s perhaps the world’s oldest living teenager (self-proclaimed).

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children.”Frieda and Javvy. Even the names possess a kind of razzle dazzle, a magic, a bohemian rhythm. On a brisk December day last year, I was lucky enough to step inside the world of these two exquisite humans - the founders behind House of Hackney. 

A series of stories from people who see work more than a simple job. Some with a single vision, some in a working partnership and some creating communities. Followed by a lengthy chapter of TIPS (worldly advice from workers in the know).

Much to our delight, we’ve been profiled in urbis news.From its fascinating muses, architectural wonders and stylish interiors - urbis magazine has captivated me since forever.The article highlights our recent win at the Amara Interiors Awards and talks about an invite to London that stopped me in my tracks. A shiny bright summons to join the Amara winners at the Tom Dixon Studio at King’s Cross. Umm, okay (exuberant happy jig).

I’ve hovered over the keyboard, bitten my pencil and tidied the desk six times. You see I’m bashful at best over this blog, a tad scared at most. The real Nikki puts a spotlight on clients, blogging with reckless abandon about topics close to my heart while staying under the radar. But sound the drums, raise the soapbox… I’m stepping out of my comfy zone and swinging the doors wide open to our home (eek shy feels are peaking right now).

At Stylemaker, we have been soaking up Robyn Cooper’s blog with oohs and aahs. You possibly have too? Robyn’s support of the New Zealand design industry is to be applauded. Using elegant photography and snappy words, she is putting the spotlight on many talented Kiwi creatives, and capturing a heavy following. 

We can’t thank you enough for your votes. Ole London town kicked up its heels at a ritzy awards ceremony on 25thOctober while we waited (impatiently) in Aotearoa for news.

Eeep… we were crowned, WINNER.

We feel so humbled to be chosen from such epic talent, everyone is very deserving.

This book had me at; “A home is one of our most important creations. Within its frame, we create lifelong memories and manage our lives…” and, “Homes must not start with the end in mind.

They need to begin with our story. To unearth a home, we have to dig deep, to understand ourselves as well as others who live there… home design should shift from the surface to the sensory.” If there is one thing I stay true to in my work, it is these very sentiments.

Our littlest Stylemakers are busy dreaming, playmaking and building bright futures. It’s our role to gently coordinate their sense of style without completely losing the stage to Buzz Lightyear or Elsa in the process. Even when those die-hard phases chill out (and they do), Miss and Master bedrooms should reflect their own personal story. With a little planning and picking of battles, you can both be proud as punch to bring a playdate inside.