Laze about

Take a seat. Relax. Unwind. All you need is a chair that invites hours of lounging in the sun with a good drink and a better book. Here are our favourites to help you live out the rest of summer in style and comfort.    

Cushion couture: Designer Becky Lee

Christchurch is home to a kaleidoscope of colour in cushion form. “Without apology I am a self-confessed colour-holic from the tip of my ruby red slippers to the top of my tiara,” interior designer Becky Lee says, better known as The Cushion Couturier. “As far as black goes I own a studded black […]

Chairs to that

Visualise yourself basking in the summer sun, comfortably reclining on your favourite chair. Now, what makes the perfect outdoor chair? With endless considerations from durability, aesthetics, to comfort, practicality, and price, finding furniture can be overwhelming. Before you seek out the chair of your dreams, consider the chair’s function. Why do you want […]

Landscape to living space

Canterbury’s iconic landscapes inspire the latest in summer colour trends. Light, fresh, and easy to live with – that’s the brief for summer colour according to Dulux colour forecasters. Romantic tones and airy pastels represent a shift from bold statements to softer hues that work with natural light and bring a sense of […]

A clean approach

There are product updates, and then there are course corrections. Metropol’s Gadget Guy Ian Knott finds that the ECOVACS X11 Omnicyclone robot vacuum feels very much like the latter. It is still worth looking back a little, because there was a period where ECOVACS experimented with a square-bodied design. On paper, the idea […]

Simplicity at its best: Fraemohs Homes

Clean lines, natural timber, and homes built to last never go out of style – and when we talk about style, Scandinavians do it best. For sixty years, one Scandinavian name has been synonymous with blending craftsmanship and innovation to create spaces that both inspire and endure. We can thank Monni Fraemohs who […]

Hot kitchens: M F Turnbull

Giving your kitchen a complete facelift will elevate your whole house – and it doesn’t have to cost the Earth. A new kitchen sharpens up the whole house, but the investment involved in buying a new one doesn’t always make good sense. The better option is a cabinet surface refresh. It is much […]

Home away from home: Last minute local getaways

Didn’t get around to booking a holiday home? Or have you only just decided you need a change of scene over the holidays? No problem… It’s the ‘avocado conundrum’ of holiday planning. For months, you have loads of time to book somewhere to stay over the Christmas break, until suddenly it’s all too […]

Keep it in the family: Holliday and Sons

Six generations of knowledge and hands-on experience is an instant tick of approval. Founded in the United Kingdom, Holliday and Sons has been restoring, repairing and selling furniture since 1848. Jason Holliday is the sixth generation to run the workshop, moving the business into a brand new contemporary space. “The workshop is now […]

Fabrics that feel like home: Fabric House

The right fabrics and soft furnishings have the power to transform your space into a sanctuary. There’s a moment when a house stops feeling ordinary and starts feeling like a sanctuary. More often than not, that shift begins with fabric – curtains that warm a room, textured cushions that invite you to sink […]