Are you a 'New Year resolution' kind of gal (or guy), or do you roll your eyes at the very idea? I totally understand why people set goals at this time of year when they feel refreshed and ready to kick butt. Just make sure your goals are realistic, and if you want something badly enough, make it happen no matter how hard it is. Focus!
2015 was a big year for Bibby + Brady. It was this time last year that we moved from our home office into our wee studio/office in Ahuriri, Napier. A lot of the year was focussed on growing the business, getting our name know, and building relationships with a lot of other amazing creatives and suppliers in our industry. We were thrilled to have the home of our clients, Angie and Ryan, in the September issue of Your Home & Garden magazine, not only as a feature, but on the cover too (photos by Helen Bankers). We hope to feature more of our work in 2016 issues, and will start by styling and writing the story for another cool Hawke's Bay home next week.
In October last year Dael & I were part of a fabulous fundraiser for Te Awanga Kindy. The venue was the incredibly rustic backdrop of a working shearing station, which was filled with flowers, fairy lights and 100 beautiful ladies. They came to watch as Dael & I styled a console table three different ways while we talked them through the process.
We also demonstrated how to mix colour and pattern with the use of cushions, and shared our top tips on developing your own interior style. It was a great evening with local wine, delicious canapés, spot prizes, goodie bags, and products for sale at the end of the night. We also shared the stage with the talented Chloe from Peggy Lane who gave tips and a demonstration on creating a floral display. The night was such a success and Dael & I hope to hold similar evenings throughout 2016 (photos by Under the Kowhai Tree - Christall Lowe).
Another of our goals for this year is to find a way to showcase more of the incredible furniture and homewares available to purchase through Bibby + Brady. Of course our interior clients have access to them, but we want you to know that you can all come to us to source and buy furniture, whether you're a client of ours or not. We love working on complete room designs, but if you're happy with your room and are just trying to find that killer coffee table, or the perfect dining chairs to finish the look, we can help.
I'm also really keen to source one-off vintage or antique pieces to add to our shop. I love mixing older pieces with more contemporary ones, so if we find a beautiful old table, or a great chair that we can have re-covered, then that will help our clients and customers to create the unique spaces that we adore.
As well as furniture, I love to hunt down gorgeous and quirky decorative items for my own home. There's only so many I can fit on my coffee table and shelves, so I will be adding future finds into the shop for you to buy.
Last year a lot of you followed me on my kitchen reno adventure. Our home is a work in progress, and this year I hope to finish off a few projects before I put it forward for a magazine feature. Be sure to keep following the blog to get some sneak peeks. We're also working with some lovely clients on exciting new interior projects, and can't wait to see what else 2016 will bring.
One more thing that will be happening is we're going to change this blog and the Facebook page into the Bibby + Brady name. Those were the first things I started all those years ago when I was still a graphic designer trying to express my love of interior design. Now they're the last of my social media to hold onto that name. We keep hearing time and again that people are confused by the two names and don't realise that Cush & Nooks is a part of the Bibby + Brady brand. It's a little sad for me as Cush & Nooks was my baby, but I'm so excited about the future of Bibby + Brady, we have so much more to offer, so it makes sense to unite everything. I have such a fabulous and loyal following, so I want you to know that other than the name, everything else will remain the same. Our Facebook page and Pinterest boards will continue to be a place of inspiration; our Instagram feed will show behind the scene sneak peeks and snippets of my life; and this blog will bring you inspirational and informative interior design content. We have some great new ideas for the blog this year, including a new series where we will share the favourite space of some of our favourite creatives.
Please come and visit us as often as you like and remember we love to hear your feedback. In this busy world we live in it's much easier to click on a "like" button than sign into your Google account to leave a comment. But we do love hearing from you. What do you think about our ideas for 2016? If there's anything you would like to see on the blog, run it past us; if you want to collaborate with Dael & I on something, get in touch. Let's make 2016 the best year ever!
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Swedish photographer, Petra Bindel, I have featured her work before on the blog, here and here. The interiors she photographs always inspire me with their unique style.
I love the dark walls and crisp white trim in this room (below) looking through to the gorgeous teal room beyond. The touches of teal and green in the foreground room provide a link to the room behind.
I'm particularly drawn to the dramatic moody colour palette of charcoal, teal and indigo blue at the moment. Soften with white and bring warmth with wood and metallics.
Also high on my list of current faves is a modern take on traditional plaids and checks. I love taking something old and giving it a new twist.
To see more of Petra's work check out her website, and also Cameralink, I'm sure you'll be as inspired as I am.
You may remember how I blogged about how much I was loving my new SodaStream machine at the end of last year. Well, it's been a lifesaver through these hot summer months, and we've had fun creating lots of delicious drinks. I especially love SodaStream Free, which is a range of fruit flavoured concentrates that contain only a fraction of the calories and sugar of other regular soft drinks.
Dael & I spent this morning putting together some of our favourite healthy hydration creations using fresh fruit, mint (fantastic in drinks), lots of ice, and SodaStream Free caps. Let me tell you, our little studio was smelling divine, and we were set for drinks for the rest of the day.
The first we called "Apple-Peach Pick Me Up". We start all our drinks with lots of ice; then we filled a mason jar cup with diced peaches, nectarines, and watermelon, slices of lemon, and fresh mint leaves; and topped with Apple-Peach SodaStream. The sweet, zingy taste had us feeling energised and ready for the day.
This pretty little number is "Green Tea-Lychee Twist". The SodaStream Green Tea-Lychee flavour is divine on it's own - light and fresh, a real thirst quencher - so we kept it simple with some ice, watermelon and a slice of lemon on the side. This would be great on a hot afternoon with your girlfriends.
My personal fave is our "Fresh Lemon-Licious". Combine lots of ice, fresh mint, lemon slices and SodaStream Fresh Lemon to make the perfect summer cooler.
To find out more about SodaStream NZ visit their website and Facebook page, and have fun coming up with your own yummy recipes.
Last year Dael & I worked with a gorgeous young family who had relocated from Auckland to the beautiful Hawke's Bay. They have a fantastic new home with lots of lovely pieces, but Caryn just wanted some help to pull things together, starting with their entranceway.
It's a large, light and bright entrance with hallways on both sides leading to other areas of the home. The wall opposite the front door was the perfect place to create a welcoming vignette, but we felt the console table was a bit small, and more could be done with the space.
Dael & I created a concept board to show Caryn and Jarrod what we had in mind. The "hero" piece was a gorgeous gold chevron wallpaper, which would create an immediate impact when people entered the house. We wanted a larger scale console table than the original one, keeping the lines clean and simple to allow the wallpaper to shine.
We're so thrilled with the outcome, the wallpaper looks amazing. As I said, Caryn has so many gorgeous trinkets, but we helped her edit and style the table, giving her a couple of different options...
We felt the Motel print was hung a little high and looked a bit disconnected from the table, so the first option has the print propped up against the wall with a simple grouping of vases and accessories next to it. The soft green that's repeated in the stool, print and plant keeps your eye moving.
The second option was to keep the Motel print on the wall, but to add some height on the table so the print was more inclusive in the setting. We had some fun with all Caryn's bits and pieces, layering from front to back and with a mix of textures. Some books helped to ground some of the smaller pieces.
The corner next to the front door is the perfect spot for the coat rack. It's great for things you can grab as you head out the door - coat, bag, dog lead etc. A touch of greenery helps to bring the outdoors in, and the mat provides a fun welcome.
If you'd like some Bibby + Brady interior help, Dael & I would love to hear from you. Sometimes you might not need a full room design, but maybe just some styling help, or furniture sourcing. Get in touch and see how we can work together.
A little interior inspiration to take us into the weekend... I love the work of photographer, Petra Bindel and have featured it before here. I've chosen to share with you three shoots I love, all very different, starting with photos for Urban Outfitters. They always have amazing styling, and in this shoot Petra worked with stylist Emma Persson Lagerberg.
This beautiful home belongs to Ylva Mazetti, and was featured in Elle 2011. The soft pastel colours and vintage furniture pieces give it a lovely relaxed, homely feel.
And these gorgeous photographs are for the Rädda Barnen (Save the Children) design shop - all profits go to their work for children in need. Petral worked with stylist Lotta Agaton on these photos.
