ITS ALL ABOUT BALANCE I’m all for creating a lifestyle that you love. A little Hygge. It seems a little contrived, it should just happen, but often there needs to be some sort of organisation for things to be able to occur naturally. The word Hygge; which in essence means to be cozy, to be still, to share, to be content, to feel well, to enjoy simple things; is something that can happen only when all your ducks are Its all about balance
ITS ALL ABOUT BALANCE I’m all for creating a lifestyle that you love. A little Hygge. It seems a little contrived, it should just happen, but often there needs to be some sort of organisation for things to be able to occur naturally. The word Hygge; which in essence means to be cozy, to be still, to share, to be content, to feel well, to enjoy simple things; is something that can happen only when all your ducks are 
Chocolate Brownie Balls
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE BALLS I am no great baker, nor, have I decided, do I want to be. No, that would just be far too tempting and there are enough temptations in life without adding another that ultimately no good is going to come from. Agree? Okay, then here is the recipe to end all recipes, its a pick me up, a sweet snack sensation without all the fuss and bother and without all the refined sugar; something to How to style your coffee table (in 5 easy steps)
STYLING 101 – THE COFFEE TABLE Stylists have a knack of grabbing what is available and arranging it in a way that looks perfect, without being too perfect and its all because of these 5 simple rules; Vary your heights Use odd numbers Contrast colour Add an item from nature Contain smaller items And using these 5 simple things; Books; add a pile or add just one, books convey your interest, they provide the ability to add height Five top tips for moving house
MOVE ME As a child we moved a fair amount. I remember coming home from school and seeing a pile of boxes in the corner of my bedroom which meant… get ready, we’re on the move! It became quite an art of precision. Pack the boxes, label the boxes, load the boxes, unpack the boxes, settle in and relax. Until, you come home from school one day and there they are, those boxes waiting for you, again. Once Comfort Food
COMFORT FOOD There is always a recipe you relate to that feeling of comfort, of contentment and warmth. A Hygge recipe. This is mine. I was given it by my Aunt so I don’t know its exact origin, but it quickly became the recipe I pull out when someone is coming for lunch at short notice, or a casual dinner, I’ve handed it out to many friends and family, so I thought it was time I get it in How to make simple interesting
HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE INTERESTING We’ve all done it. Ooohed and Aaahed in wonder at something simple, that some clever person has somehow made interesting. They, however are not that clever; all it takes is something unexpected to make a simple vignette suddenly interesting. Here is how. Take a piece of furniture with clean lines Add a framed piece of art Add a plant (of course) Add a pile of magazines or books Now to make it interesting Add Annise Designs – Scented Soy Candles
THE COTTAGE AND THE CANDLE MAKER Once upon a time there was a little house in the Hawkes Bay called Kingfisher Cottage, home to Rebekah Burton, her family and her business, Annise Designs. Its story book quality just begs for something equally romantic to be made here and I will not disappoint you. The business is hand poured, scented, soy candles, made right in the heart of that little cottage; the kitchen. If anything could depict hygge and Velvet in Interiors
MY VELVET CRUSH Interior Designers love velvet, we cant help ourselves, just ask my friend Nita from The Gooses Bridle. Shes a little obsessed! Velvet to us, is like what Tonic is to Gin, Ice cream is to Jelly and Juliet is to Romeo, (well not quite, but its a good analogy). Seeing velvet makes us go weak at the knees, its our biggest crush! For me it started with my first home, technically it was my second Summer Entertaining
SUMMER ENTERTAINING There is something about summer that we New Zealanders embrace, not the muggy heat, not the mozzies and certainly not the unpredictable weather, but we throw off those BBQ covers and get inviting. Subtle and simple, we don’t possess any airs and graces its merely a casual “pop over and we will throw something on the barbie”. Well, I do have a little problem with that, not the simplicity, not the food itself and not the spontaneity, Let there be light
LET THERE BE LIGHT When we bought our little cottage the thing that really stood out was the lack of lighting. There were no pendants or ceiling lights, only wall fixtures, and the the light coming from those was limited. When we renovated I was adamant that I wanted each space to have adequate sources of ambient, task and accent lighting. Ambient lighting is the rooms main source of light, so generally its your down lights or feature