House prices seem to be skyrocketing and those of us lucky enough to already own our own homes wonder whether our children will experience the same. Will the rental market take a turn and provide long term lease properties that give the dwellers a little sense of peace and ability to make it their own at least in a manner of speaking? I ponder if it matters. Could I live in a house without calling it my own?
My Stories
Challenging the useful and beautiful
So, I am not the most gadget orientated person, in fact I’m usually the last person to get such things, but lately Ive been pushing the boat out; I finally upgraded my IPhone 4 (this was partly due to my failing eyesight); I bought a UE wireless speaker and signed up for Spotify; I am happy to say that an Apple TV has been purchased and I now have the ability to watch SUITS on Netflix (Harvey Spector I
High Tea
HIGH TEA I love to plan a party. Not a big one, just a gathering, to me it beats dining out where trying to talk to everyone is almost impossible. No. Leave the outings for couple-time and plan your gatherings at home. I’m not the most gifted of cooks but I can throw together some Scones with Jam and Cream and Club Sandwiches aren’t exactly difficult. Coffee and Tea or perhaps a Gin and Tonic, either or, its a High Tea to be proud of. Creme and Caramel with a hint of Copper
CREME AND CARAMEL WITH A HINT OF COPPER Inevitably the seasons change and as they do they bring with them new colours and feelings. When Summer leaves, its cool whites and bright primary colours give way to the beige, caramel, russets and coppers of Autumn. Next comes Winter with its cool greys and blacks, darkest of greens and moody blues with rich golds sometimes making a surprise appearance in the mix. Spring then follows with is buttery yellows and pastels; minty Cosy Places
If you cant relax chances are your little house needs a cosy place! I have a few in mine that invite that chance to sit, contemplate, read or entertain. You don’t need a whole room, simply take a space and add in these 5 elements. #1. Functionality; a chair or sofa and a table or surface such as a shelf or window sill to rest a cup or book or both #2. Texture; an item that promotes warmth and gives
My new Crush
I think I’ve fallen in love… again. I am constantly crushing on something, hence why I called the design side of my business Crush; new or old it doesn’t matter, its just a feeling evoked by things that, to me. are beautiful. And so my JuJu Hat, I’ve wanted one for such a long time and finally here it is. These hats are not new in fact they have been around a very long time; for hundreds of years the
The icing on the cake
Lucky for me, my office is located just above a kitchen company which means I am privy to all the insider info, it also meant I was lucky enough to sneak in a quick refresh for my kitchen right at their busiest time – just before Christmas. While most companies will encourage you to replace your whole kitchen others will give you good advice on a revamp or refresh keeping the costs down while still improving value and functionality, so
Bathe in Beauty
We have been looking at real estate lately, its a fairly disappointing affair as our list of wants probably outweighs our bank balance. However there are some things that should not skimped on, and even in the higher end of our property market I’ve noticed that the quality of the bathrooms do not always match the quality and price of the house. I have a couple of bathroom renovations at mylittlehouse under my belt; one went without a hitch and the
Flash Back
Its time for a little blast from the past. Who remembers Lockwood Homes? Quintessentially Kiwi! I remember my mother dreaming of one of these prefab timber houses back in the 80’s, and then, well, things changed, there was not a piece of timber adorning any new homes during the next decade. We opted for paint in all colours imaginable; feature walls were a big hit and outside plaster, plaster everywhere plaster combined with untreated timber framing – hmmmm that didn’t really go well for us though Serial Renovators
Its official I have admitted it … we are serial renovators! And so, here we are three weeks out from Christmas and we have tiles and carpet coming up and new flooring going down, but let me tell you, it doesn’t stop there. In the land of renovations one thing leads to another to another to another, so in order for our new floors to go down the skirtings must come off and new ones need to go on, the scullery