The 1/2 We Don't Tell You

As you probably know at this point, we do a lot of quoting for properties all over Auckland City. We quote to provide AirBnB packages, full stages (which means we stage a completely empty property), part stages (which means we work some of our items in with the client's pre-existing items), or to offer a styling service where we visit a property, head back to the office and draw up a suggested plan of attack for our client. The point is, we run around quoting a lot!

Now, we show you the beautified results after we’ve been through and worked our magic but boy do we have some stories of properties we’ve only ended up quoting for! My personal favourite is having arrived at a property when a party had just finished and the cleaning crew hadn’t been through yet! We find ourselves in an array of different situations upon arrival. 

We visit properties that haven’t been built yet and we aren’t going to get to see before the day we’d bring all of our gear in! Our skills accommodate for this. But we also arrive to screaming kids, families in the middle of a move, I’ve literally had to step over a sleeping child before, ha! I mentioned in another blog that we get dogs running full force at us too! Luckily we’d do the same thing to them if it was socially acceptable. Another skill we have though is showing up in people’s lives and properties at a time where things are usually a whirlwind for them and commit to just meeting people where they’re at.  

We exchange jokes, assure our clients as to how we can help and leave them hoping we’ve brightened their day at the least, before heading back to our office to draw up a proposal and quote should they be interested in going ahead with our services.

I wanted to help you understand through this blog that it's a wild ride being an interior designer sometimes. Yes, it’s so beautiful to be able to do what we do and meet so many amazing people but it’s also a delicate art to meet people where they’re at and paint a picture for them of what their property can look like when their minds might be in overdrive, their homes might be a smidge chaotic in the middle of a move, or their 4 kids might all be home on school holiday and their multiple dogs might be getting potty trained still! We pride ourselves in hosting people to an exposé of our services on their turf and get excited with each new property at the vision we develop while we’re there.

Let me assure you here, like I would do during a visit to your property, that Nook has got you! Needing to grab a quote? Inquire with us now. :)

Confessions of a CBD Apartment: Megan Edition

Why are your interiors important to you? What’s the tale it’s telling currently?

We have a home office in our apartment so I spend a bit of time working from home. I can't focus on my workday unless I have an orderly, clean and pleasant area from which to work. So interiors are important for me personally, and for the business. I realised when I lived in a flat through university that I really need a “sanctuary” to retreat to which is free from clutter and is quiet, with all my special items surrounding me. I never thought I was a homebody until I became sick when I was about 20 and had to spend a lot of time at home recovering. It was during this time I discovered how important and powerful interior spaces can truly be. For me, they are a place to relax and restore yourself from the outside world (like a little bubble of happiness!). Our place currently tells a story of young professionals who like to spend time off relaxing rather than gardening or doing housework (it’s really low maintenance as it has no garden), it's furnished with items we have collected on our travels, there's inevitably dog toys scattered around in weird places from our french bulldog Bronson, the fridge and pantry are normally stocked with limited but good quality ingredients for cooking a couple of yummy dinners a week, the laundry basket is always overflowing with sweaty gym gear (lucky we have a door we can shut off so no one sees this!), and it speaks of our love of natural materials, warm oak and texture. We also love plants but are pretty crap at keeping them alive - most of our plants have a disease of some kind at some point and are being nursed back to health.

What was your approach to your interiors? 

Even though I find it really easy to decide on a direction for clients’ interior spaces, I find it really hard to decide on pieces for my own home. I think it's because I know how much choice is out there and I hate choosing items only to then see something else I prefer a few months later! I have a clear style in terms of the things I like, but I am definitely the type to mull things over for many months before making the simplest of decisions. That's the one approach I would say I have - a snail pace (haha).

Was there a thought process or direction you borrowed from someone else to put it all together? 

No, I tend to just plug away at things myself. We bought our apartment off the plan, so it was brand new. We also sold all our old furniture to the person who bought our old place so we were starting completely fresh when we shifted into our current place. It was a true blank canvas. We had many months leading up to completion of the property where I could order key items, which was very handy. I ordered the sofa, a lounge chair, dining table and chairs, plus our beds, prior to completion. Because we weren't allowed access to the property (being a construction site) I had to hope and pray the dimensions for the items I picked would work in the space! We'd been allowed in to measure once but I hadn't been able to get a feel for the space since the kitchen hadn't been fitted and many of the walls weren't properly in place at that stage. So it was definitely a risk. But it all worked out in the end. I think this is largely because I used the "Nook formula" by which I mean purchasing flexible pieces that can be worked in anywhere if needed - a chair which can be put in any corner, a sofa without a chaise so we could move it around in the space, an ottoman which could be used as a chaise or separately if needed. 

Were you considering things like function, a certain aesthetic or fashion trend when approaching things yourself?

I don’t have current fashions forefront in my mind when choosing things, but I have definitely adopted certain trends which are in fashion at the moment, because they inspire me. For example - I definitely jumped on the "bar cart" trend in our living space. We have a brass and glass 1920s style trolley which I purchased after living in the place for about a year, and I love it. This is trendy at the moment but I know it will continue to be a cool piece forever. The same thought process applies to pretty much all the stuff we purchased - yes it is in fashion now, but hopefully because they are fairly classic pieces they will continue to be even as trends cycle around. I tend to invest in key furnishings which will get us through for a while. We spent quite a bit on quality linen curtains, and also spend a bit on artwork, but less on things like soft furnishings as those can be changed over the years as different colours come and go from favour.

What’s the most recent purchase you’ve made for your property and why?

I think the last thing we purchased was a huge Tyler Shields photographic print we have hanging above our dining space - it's called "The Swans". My husband really wanted us to have one of Tyler's photos in our house. We bought it both as an investment (hoping it will increase in value at some point as it’s a limited edition) but mostly because we love to look at it. I think this is important with artwork - you still have to love it, even if you have bought it as an investment. The print was shipped over from London and Hannah & Priya at Gow Langsford Gallery here in Auckland were amazing in terms of coordinating the receiving/inspection of it, framing and hanging for us.

Thanks for reading guys! Hopefully this helps you put language around understanding your own home!

Talk soon,

Megan

Confessions of a Flat: Hannah Edition

Have you taken some time lately to listen to the story that your home is telling? If you’re anything like me, my place can get real messy, real quick, the busier I get. Floor-drobe can become such a political issue we should hit up our PM about it. Point being, our surroundings reflect our lifestyle. Most importantly, they definitely influence our attitudes about life, the experience others have of our hospitality, and plain and simple, can sometimes become a health and safety issue, ha.

Let me explain the story my house is telling at the moment to give you an idea of what yours might be saying. My house whispers that it holds a lot of visitors, because we have one too many sofas in our lounge. Honestly, we have 3. It’s also saying the whole flat likes to cook, as indicated by our many exposed pots, pans and cooking utensils. It’s laughing at us about how my flatmates and I need to utilise our dining table more, because currently there’s a paddle board on it, as depicted by the intro photo here. It’s saying that there’s a bunch of transient young adults living here as we haven’t put up much art around the place, but those of us looking to lock down a long term place are starting to hang art in our rooms! It’s a start.

More specifically, let’s talk about my room. There’s a large piece of art, nestled into an oak frame, featuring Toetoe above my bed, a light green duvet with light brown decorative cushions, a white closet unit, rattan bedsides and an old-school picnic basket that holds an even more retro mirror. I’ve placed my furniture thoughtfully throughout the room to make sure I’m taking advantage of how open it could be. I’ve thought about how lighting hits the room throughout the day and want my bed to get that first, crisp morning sunlight while I sip on my coffee. My room is saying that I like earthy tones, nature, sunlight and open spaces. I like to sit on the floor while I do my makeup in the morning (because most of my upbringing I lived in places you sat on the floor), and that I like photography and interior design as depicted by the magazines in my bedside drawer and cameras on my wardrobe. 

What tale is your house spinning? Have a wine and go room to room to think about it, because we often don’t. Visitors notice and if we’re honest with ourselves, we do too on some level. May your home be a happy, productive, hospitable place. If you can take anything away from this wee blog remember, your interiors reflect your lifestyle. I'm looking forward to Megan's blog about the story her house is telling next. Keep an eye out x

Aroha,

Hannah

What We're About

It’s nice every once in awhile to remind our readers why we’re here, doing what we’re doing. We thought we’d take the time today to share what Nook Staging and interior design means to us, why we focus on small apartments and small spaces, and how Nook has grown in the last couple of years!

First of all, Nook has become a little family. It isn’t just Megan on her own anymore roping her hubby in for late night staging jobs after she’s been out all day hustling consultations. It isn't running out of a storage locker with a smaller number of products at our disposal now either. It’s actually becoming a bit of a machine! This year we have some new plans and expansions in business up our sleeves! Megan has a partner by her side (aka me) throughout the week and we’re currently swimming in furniture packages, staging jobs + a renovation city-side! We have a big ol’ warehouse where all of our products fit for staging jobs and we’re dreaming up of where-to even from here! It’s a pretty exciting time to be a part of the business, to be honest.

We focus on staging smaller spaces and apartments in Auckland because Megan noticed a couple of years ago that there was a need for that in the industry. She wanted to bring quality design, service and products to those looking to sell their apartments from a bespoke brand. She’s been developing that brand continuously and now we fit out Airbnb’s and small properties all over Auckland. We have solid relationships with our sales agents and regular clients and have even put our hand to renovating a property under Nook just off Symonds Street. We’re feeling really lucky to be where we are and to have some cool opportunities to expand Nook.

We love what we do. That’s why we do it. From brushing shoulders with people on their A-game in the industry, to helping clients sell their homes at the price point they were expecting to, it’s just a pleasure to go into Auckland properties throughout and dress the place to it’s potential. We’re also pretty nerdy about putting together look-sheets on our computors and creating hypothetical environments then get really stoked when we get to see those colours and feature pieces bring a place to life. We find it rewarding. Our clients do too. That’s why we do what we do. If you’re looking for interior designers, home-stagers or consultants with passion - you’ve just met your match. :)

An Autumn Excerpt

Trees are brushing off their neutrals, burnt oranges and reds in those chilly winds, fall fashion is layering up our sun-kissed bodies, we’re holding on to coffees a little longer than usual for extra warmth and what we’re cooking for dinner is slowly accommodating for colder times too. Let’s talk interiors. Auckland skies are holding more clouds and our sunlight is disappearing quicker, so it’s important to have a space that provides a positive environment for the wintery times ahead.

Time to take inventory of our surroundings. First of all, what’s going on with your lighting? We spend more time inside in man-made light as the weather changes, so we highly recommend getting this right! Do your light bulbs give off a white or yellow light? Which of the two makes you feel calmer? Or makes your space feel bigger? It’s important to have good light throughout winter to optimise your mood. Adding a lamp here or there can be a help too! Secondly, what’s going on with the textures of your rooms? Draping a blanket on the arm of your sofa or chair, or replacing a couple of cushion covers with texture could work a charm! Even plumping your cushions regularly is a simple tool to help your living room feel cosy. Keep in mind that the fabric of your cushions affects the experience of temperature you and your guests have too. For example, do you feel chilly when you think about leather cushions during winter months?

Last but not least, colour! Depending on the room you’re working with you might want to play with darker, neutral colours - to set your intentions for rest. If you’re needing to wake up the room you might want to add a tinge of pop to solidify your expectations, through aesthetic. That is just scratching the surface of the whole colour conversation but hey - it’s simple advice you can take on board immediately!

Have a chat with your family about their favourite colours at the dinner table and see if you can give your home character with their character throughout this winter. A little something for the kids to smile at whenever they see it. Or chat with your partner about lighting and see how they feel about whether or not you have enough in your home for those books you’re both about to get stuck into. Or have a play with textures on a rainy day by yourself and feel it transform your room. Make it a conversation with yourself and the people around you and keep warm, friends!

Dried Florals, My Father’s Florist

“I don’t think I’ve shared this before, but a big part of my business and my love for dried florals is grief. But grief interwoven with learning how to step into gratitude and step into joy.” A quote from our new obsession over at My Father’s Florist. Joanna is a beautiful weaver of stories and she tells those stories through dried florals. Based in Auckland, this dreamy woman spends her days foraging in the wilder parts of Piha and the like. Her care and hard work is so evident in every bouquet, in her modern circle designs, in her mood boards, frames and oh my - you should hear her talk about her brand! This woman is belly-full with belief about why she does what she does, and we’ve fallen for her brand too.

The reason why we’ve chosen Joanna is because her products speak for themselves. In our line of work we want products that will create an aspirational space for potential buyers, will last a fairly large amount of shifting, and will add a sense of magic to what we do. Dried florals have an amazing lifespan and we’re chuffed to be working with a local business we can get behind. If you’re thinking she sounds like a good idea - we’re right there with you! Check out her website and give her a cheeky follow on Instagram to get in touch or keep up with her Piha adventures. Her arrangements and displays are perfect for the colder months because they pair so sweetly with autumn and winter tones. We’re obviously a little bit into her and found her at the right season for our designs!

- Megan and Hannah

Winter, Hygge and How I Am Trying to Achieve it

I've been in a bit of a mid-winter rut for a few weeks. The cold weather has bought with it a feeling of sluggishness, and a lack of motivation for me. In order to combat this feeling, I have been looking into "Hygge" (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah!). Hygge is seemingly being mentioned everywhere at the moment. It is a Danish word which is used to acknowledge a feeling or moment at home or outside, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special in some way.

There's apparently no English word which directly describes Hygge - but there are a few which can help us understand the general idea. Cosiness, happiness, a feeling of contentment, security, comfort and simpleness are all along the lines of the feeling of Hygge. 

Winters in Denmark are cold and dark, and yet the Danish continue to rank as some of the happiest people on earth - so I figure they must be onto something. 

I'm trying to approach my time at home with a feeling of Hygge as opposed to feeling guilty or lazy. I'm trying to relish the moment and acknowledge how good it feels to do things a little slower for a time. I am finding this is making it easier for me to then be productive and get things done afterwards!

So, how do we create a feeling of Hygge? It will be personal to each individual, as it is a "feeling" rather than an object or thing. I have found lighting beautiful candles when I am working, showering in the dark with a scented candle at night time, making a fragrant cup of tea with a teapot, having a great glass of red wine at night with dinner, walking my dog on a cold morning with lots of layers on, and sitting at my desk with a soft blanket over my knee are all bringing a feeling of contentment or cosiness for me this winter. Most of these things I would be doing anyway, but stopping to appreciate them seems to be doing the trick.

What are your favourite things to do to create Hygge? I'd love to know!

Megan

Why Home Stage? A Few Thoughts and Figures from Megan

It was while I was working as a property manager that I became passionate about presenting properties in their best possible condition. I saw time and time again that the properties that were well maintained and presented in their best condition rented quicker, for higher rent and to better tenants, or sold faster and for higher prices than those which were not. 

New Zealand continues to lag behind when it comes to getting in the right mindset with investment property. We tend to want to do everything ourselves, and with minimal money spent. While this is commendable in many ways, it also means many of us struggle to see an investment property as just that – an investment. Investments by nature do not cost nothing to upkeep. They tend to need some money spent on them in order to get a return. 

I have been doing some reading on overseas markets to get an understanding of the differences the NZ market has. I found some interesting statistics compiled by the National Association of Realtors in the USA, where home staging is almost a routine occurence. 32% of agents believed staging a property increased the dollar value a buyer was willing to offer for a home by 1-5%, and 16% believed it increased the dollar value by 6-10%. If we are looking at a standard apartment, even a 1% increase in value more than justifies the cost of staging.  There are also many other less quantifiable benefits for staging apartments. These include making the apartment stand out from other listings in the same building, which in turn could decrease the time taken to sell the property.  The same survey also found that 28% of agents believed buyers were more willing to overlook other property flaws if the listing was staged. 

So how can you use this information to your advantage? Well, obviously contacting Nook Staging to furnish or stage your property is a great start! There are also a few other tricks of the trade you might like to keep in mind:

• Remove as much clutter as possible. People need to be able to imagine living in the property, and it makes it tricky for them to do this if there are personal belongings filling up every square inch available. Remember that in apartments storage is at a premium, and therefore storage spaces need to be clear of clutter as well to make them look as large as possible.
• Make sure your apartment is presented in a clean condition, and smells good. I use diffusers and candles when staging to ensure the property smells good for the duration of time it is listed.
•  Have the property painted/carpeted with neutral colours throughout. 
• Don’t fill small apartments with heaps of bulky, large furniture. Glass is non-intrusive. Couches which have space underneath the base are less intrusive than those which sit directly onto the carpet. Mirrors are also a good way to make rooms feel larger.
•  Great art and plants elevate a property from being boring to amazing!
• Make the property as light as possible by having all curtains drawn, all lights on for viewings, and lamps in any dark patches. Consider changing bulbs for brighter daylight types if possible.
• Fresh flowers and small touches are the cherry on top which make a house feel like a home. 

I am happy to work with you to ensure your property is presented in the best possible condition for rental or sale. Be sure to send me an email if you wish to find out more about how Nook can help your apartment look sharper.

Megan

Abbey's Winter Edit

Hi guys, Abbey here!

Winter has always been my favourite season. Coats, boots, scarves….Layers upon layers. It’s all about the layers!!

At Nook, we have been creating warm and cosy rooms with a range of textures/fabrics which mimic the layering effect for interiors.

You can still use all your basic neutral pieces which translate across the seasons, but you can update the look for winter by adding the equivalent in homewares to a cosy sweater or scarf to build up texture and warmth in your home for the change of season!

My absolute favourite this winter are velvets, chunky knits and classic linens. A mixture of crisp, cosy and classic!

Fabrics can give such a tactile experience to a room. Velvet pieces often have beautiful dramatic shades and rich textures. Jewel colours create a glamorous luxe look which is perfect for creating a winter nest to relax in after being outside in the cold.

To keep the look feeling effortless, you can't go past linen. Neutral shades and washed pastels are stunning when layered with contrast or feature colours. I also love a traditional check wool throw, which works well with natural fabrics and wood furnishings creating a harmonious effect in the Scandi vein Nook is well known for.

All you need after that is a good book to curl up with!

Here's a few of my favourite pieces I have been loving working with over the cooler months:

Clockwise from top: Siesta Wool Throw from Citta, Gava Dish from Citta, Reflect Wool Embroidered Cushion from Citta, Space Works Book from Alex & Corban, Luna Wool Embroidered Cushion from Citta, Moss Stitch Wool Throw from Citta, Washed Velvet Square Stitch Throw from Citta, New Zealand Sheepskin from Thread Design.

Happy snuggling! 

Abbey x