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 […]
Christchurch earthquakes 15 year anniversary: then & now photos
February 2026 marks 15 years since the magnitude 6.3 Christchurch earthquake shook the city, took 185 lives, injured thousands, and left tens of thousands with emotional scars. It’s impossible to overstate the profound impact this tragedy had on our city – so in commemoration of its anniversary, we reflect on how far we’ve […]
Sky high shade
Pantone’s 2026 colour of the year asks the question (colour lovers, brace yourselves): is minimalism here to stay? P antone’s 2026 colour of the year, Cloud Dancer is “a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection”. Following its 2025 predecessor Mocha […]
Mental capacity and the law
If someone you loved lost their mental capacity, is there someone close who is legally entitled to make critical decisions on their behalf? For many of us, the thought of future planning is a daunting prospect. Yet the reality is that none of us can predict what might happen to our health or […]
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 […]
Renovation revolution
Staying put could be your best move in a sluggish property market. Here’s a guide to taking on that nagging renovation project. With the local housing market in something of a slow period, more people are choosing to stay put and channel their efforts into renovation rather than selling up. There are two […]
Timeless style: Maree Hynes
The history and garden tours at Harlau House add an intriguing new angle to a visit to the innovative interiors showroom on the outskirts of Timaru. Just two minutes south of Timaru lies a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. As you turn down the drive toward Harlau House Café and Maree Hynes […]
Bonjour, broderie
Broderie anglaise, French for English embroidery, is the answer to your summer fashion woes. Airy, lightweight, dreamy, and effortless (very Cloud Dancer-esque), broderie brings wearability and femininity to the summer wardrobe rotation, perfect for looming Valentine’s and ‘Galentine’s’ Day dates – and warm weather in general. A timeless needlework technique dating back to […]
Welcome Honor into the fold
Foldable mobile phones have spent the last few years hovering between novelty and necessity. Impressive, yes. Practical, sometimes. The Honor Magic V5 feels like one of the first to stop asking for patience and start offering confidence instead. Metropol’s gadget guy Ian Knott discovers there’s more to Android life than Samsung and co […]
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 […]
