Haven Magazine

If you’re looking to transform your home from average to showstopping, simply add art: collectable art, second-hand art, art from your children, your garden, your camera. Even art that’s not really art (I have an oversized wooden ruler displayed in m

When jeweller Octavia Cook’s landlords bought a Port Chalmers rental just six months before she and her family moved in, they set about reviving the 1890s villa with a fresh coat of paint. “They transformed it from a white house with a blue door to t

Blobs are not usually considered the height of beauty but this mirror from Made of Tomorrow certainly is. A playful mix of retro and modern design and Scandinavian simplicity, it has a specially designed wall mount, which means you can hang it in fou

What inspired you to open an art gallery? My husband and I owned a design agency for 25 years and it was time for a change. It had been a while since there’d been a gallery in St Heliers, where we live, so we thought, “Why not?” After securing this g

Every surface in Elena Renker’s pottery shed is lined with her creations, in various stages of completion. They occupy the wooden shelves, the white windowsills and even the exposed framework of the walls, and each is meaningful. “You get to know you

Moving from an elegant six-bedroom villa with two living spaces and oodles of character into a garage sounds like the stuff of nightmares. But for Dee Johnston, it’s worked out remarkably well. It helps that the “garage” in question was converted int

It’s not often people buy a house on the strength of one photo but that’s what happened to Serena Buonaguidi-Haynes and her husband David. The former Londoners moved to New Zealand in 2004, seeking a quieter life more connected to nature. David, an I

PHOTOGRAPHY HELEN BANKERS, BABICHE MARTENS/CAVE BUREAU ■

Tracey Tawhiao’s home is more than a roof over her head. It serves as a canvas for self-expression, a place where she artfully mixes found treasures with her own creations. Located at Piha, on Auckland’s wild west coast, the residence is also her stu

PHOTOGRAPHY HELEN BANKERS, WARREN HEATH/BUREAUX ■

“I do love interior design,” says Auckland artist Cruz Jimenez. “Like in art, there’s the elements of balance and composition and colour.” Cruz has recently moved into a shared studio space with multimedia artist Katherine (Kate) Rutecki, where they

NICI’S NOTE • Cook sushi or short-grain rice according to packet instructions and stir 1-2 tablespoons of mirin through it once cooked. Serve these juicy, gingery skewers on little plates with rice and seaweed sheets for the ultimate tasty nibble. Ma

For this rustic holiday home, the inventive owner decided that the best way to create a low-maintenance artwork was to paint it directly on the wall. With the help of an overhead projector, she outlined and shaded an image of a hawthorn branch on the

As temperatures plummet, the appeal of warming winter fare definitely increases. Whether you’re creating a hearty casserole in the oven or a spicy stew in your slow cooker, the aroma of a delicious dinner wafting through your home adds a bit of spark

Hastings Distillers has unveiled a French salon-inspired tasting room in the ever-expanding East 200 precinct in Hawke’s Bay. Its bespoke tasting experience is an opportunity to sample its BioGro-certified organic spirits, made with water sourced fro

The influence of a grandmother can never be underestimated, especially when it comes to passing on a love of gardening. There’s usually one or two lurking in the greenery behind every self-confessed plant nerd, and for Auckland gardener and botanical

When I’m gardening a lot, I like having quick, simple recipes up my sleeve to whip up when I come inside in the evening. This pasta dish has fresh lemon, garlic and wilted nasturtium leaves from the garden. Add to that a simple butter sauce made by u

PHOTOGRAPHY LUPINS – BURKES PASS, CANTERBURY BY MARK SMITH & FELICITY JONES, REUBEN LOOI ■

1 Any flower lover knows that the next best thing to displaying flowers in your home is hanging botanical art on your walls, so for this project I’ve combined the two. I fell in love with a palette in smoky candyfloss colours, and used a range of dye

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As a kid growing up in Napier, I was a big fan of garden art – miniature windmills, wishing wells, painted concrete seals balancing balls on their noses (I still want one) and, of course, topiary. One of my favourite specimens was a shrub in someone’

Bounding down the sand dunes in front of his Ōtaki home, terrier mix Bounce lives in full motion – as do his filmmaker parents, Libby Hakaraia and Tainui Stephens. Having founded the Māoriland Film Festival, an initiative that showcases and supports