HOME: WHERE THE HEART IS

ABSORBING READING FOR COOLER EVENINGS FROM CAROLE BEU AT THE WOMEN’S BOOKSHOP

Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus - $37 Fantastically funny and feminist! Elizabeth Zott is one of the most original, stunning, forthright literary characters I have ever encountered. Being a scientist was a nightmare for a woman in the 1950s and 1960s. Zott is uncompromising, outspoken and subversive in this bitingly satirical novel. Brainier than her bosses, she makes the patriarchy look ridiculous and TV cooking shows extremely unusual and exciting! Brilliant!

Booth - Karen Joy Fowler - $37 A fascinating, sweeping historical novel that focuses on the whole Booth family, not just the ninth child, John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Lincoln. A marvellously theatrical family (the father and three of the sons were famous for performing Shakespeare all over the USA), they were torn by different beliefs and values - very relevant to what is happening in our world today. The author is renowned for her earlier novel, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

Love Marriage - Monica Ali - $35 This is an absorbing and hugely entertaining exploration of family dynamics and cultural differences. Yasmin and Joe, an engaged couple, are junior doctors in the same London hospital. Yasmin is from a good Muslim family; Joe’s mother is a firebrand feminist. The delightful characters are vividly drawn and often very funny as they grow to new understandings about themselves and others.

Nuku: Stories of 100 Indigenous Women - Qiane Matata-Sipu - $65 This is a glorious book with stunning photographs created by and entirely about indigenous women - Maori, Moriori, Pasifika, Melanesian, Wiradjuri, Himalayan and Mexican. Recognising the power of storytelling and honouring the female essence, this book celebrates the wahine experience - who these women really are, not who they’ve been told to be. Magnificent! Dip into it each evening and be inspired.

30 Queer Lives: Conversaions with LGBTQIA+ New Zealanders - Matt McEvoy - $40 This is a big-hearted book in which Matt McEvoy lets the thirty participants speak in their own voices. The result is a fascinating range of individuals, of different ages, ethnicities and sexual orientations who reveal the challenges and successes of their lives with candour and warmth - doctors, farmers, politicians, musicians, fa’afafine, businesspeople - including Carole Beu from The Women’s Bookshop!

Remote Sympathy - Catherine Chidgey - $35 This brilliant novel has just been longlisted for the international Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) - a huge and well-deserved honour. Set in a vividly created Nazi prison camp, Chidgey reveals the secrets, deceptions and wilful obliviousness that are necessary for survival - for those living in the town nearby and for those in power, as well as their victims. Engrossing and deeply moving, this is an extraordinary novel from one of New Zealand’s finest writers.

THE WOMEN’S BOOKSHOP, 105 Ponsonby Road, opposite Ponsonby Central. www.womensbookshop.co.nz

@ Dawson & Co.

Refined, luxurious wardrobesby Molteni&C.

Gliss Master is an ecosystem designed by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni& C, which redefines the concept of the custom-made wardrobe. The Gliss Master Glass doors, made with 180° hinges built into the side – a Molteni&C exclusive – present an extruded aluminium frame with 4 mm thick crystal. Gliss Master Deep has a distinctive built-in handle and, like other models seen above, hinges with dampers, the Molteni Design Team has enriched the custom-made and designer wardrobe collection with Start doors, whose handles are affixed to the front.

Gliss master wardrobe from RRP $29,000 available from Dawson & Co

THE FAIRY LIGHT SHOP’S GARAGE SALE

With winter nights closing in there is nothing better than feeling warm and cosy with the perfect lighting.

The store has moved from the North Shore to a more convenient new central location, and not far from Ponsonby and Grey Lynn. If you can’t visit in person, you can shop online with fast delivery.

The new store is magical, elegant with high quality products. As owner Belinda Gregg told Ponsonby News, “We will be running our garage sale on Saturday 14 May from 10am until 2pm at 20 Mt Eden Road. Please call in and see us - we’d love to help get you the lighting look you want.”

Here is what some customers have said. "This shop is so fantastic, the lights are really good quality and the personal service is second to none. Highly recommended if you are looking for something special for any event - you should take a look at this place."

"Quick and easy purchase. And when my lights arrived I appreciated their eco packaging."

Sanderson OneSixty Collection-Mauritius. 100% cotton satin curtains with blinds

WINTER WARMTH

Lahood® will help you make your home warm and cosy with new insulating curtains or blinds.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been spending more time in our homes than ever before. As such, being able to control our home's heating naturally rather than relying on active heating is becoming increasingly important, both as a way of saving money and making the home as comfortable as possible all year round.

Our window furnishings play a very important role in home heating. In fact, a huge 30% of our home's temperature is lost through uncovered windows.

However, by making some smart choices, you can help prevent this situation from happening, and start to save money this winter – better for you and the planet! To do so, it's important to:

Choose “state-of-the-art” window furnishings. While all Lahood window furnishings are designed with energy efficiency and thermal control in mind, our Luxaflex® Duette® Shades are very much a market leader in this area. These shades have a unique honeycomb 'cell' structure that traps air and acts as an insulation barrier for windows.

The Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® range also features a unique cell-within-a-cell honeycomb construction which creates four fabric layers and three insulating pockets of air.

Include “Protection Plus” curtain linings. Lahood® have released into the New Zealand market a range of New Zealand made linings to complement your décor, keep your home warm and cosy and enhance the appearance of your curtains. This new range consists of Serenity, Insulpro and Armourguard. All are energy saving, adding insulation, are dry cleanable, hand washable and covered by a comprehensive guarantee.

Be sun smart. One of the smartest and easiest ways to keep your home warmer in winter is to open or close your window coverings at the right time of day. This means keeping your window coverings open during the day and allowing the sun to naturally heat up the interior spaces. Then closing blinds, shutters or curtains as soon as the sun starts to fade. This will help capture some radiant heat in your internal spaces.

Lahood’s showroom has the largest range of window fabrics and blinds in Auckland. Our experienced and award-winning team are ready to guide you. From inspiration to installation, Lahood® Window Furnishings have it all.

Luxaflex® Duette® Shades keep your home warm in the winter

SEVEN PRACTICAL PROPERTY MAINTENANCE TIPS

As your home or commercial space is your biggest investment, maintaining it is a must. New Lease explains how to take care of your property.

Many property owners fail to address home repairs and regret it when one little issue left can turn into several major property repair problems in the future.

1. First things first, - Plan. Owners should have a regular property maintenance schedule or ask their property manager to prepare and implement one.

2. Budget. New Lease advises landlords to set aside at least 2% of their rental income towards maintenance to be spent on repairs, preventive maintenance, or put towards a refresh or property upgrade overtime.

3. Keep the gutters clean in autumn. Clogged gutters have a risk of overflowing or breaking, which will result in costly repairs. In a storm, blocked gutters could cause water to flow inside a building, causing significant damage to the walls and floor coverings. Some owners may have learned this the hard way and faced a painful insurance claim.

4. Clean your heat pump filters or the wood fire before winter. Clean air filters can help save between 5% to 15% from the electricity bill. Likewise, if using a wood burner, inspecting the fire and cleaning the chimney will ensure it burns cleanly and safely.

5. Wash the building exteriors every spring or summer. Dirt and grime on the facade may damage the exterior paint and masonry and cleaning the property regularly will give extra years towards the paintwork between repaints.

6. Inspect door and window seals. Landlords should make sure there are no gaps or cracks in the door and window seals, especially if the property has old wooden joinery.

New Lease advises landlords to ask their property manager to check at routine inspections. Healthy Homes

Standards require that a residential rental should be free from draughts and gaps.

7. Check smoke detectors are working. Landlords should make sure smoke detectors are in working order at the start of each tenancy and tenants are not removing or covering them. It is best to install long life photoelectric smoke detectors alarms that last 10 years for further peace of mind.

Don’t delay and contact the team at New Lease, they will conduct a full review of your property maintenance needs. As J.F. Kennedy once said, "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."

NEW LEASE LTD, Just moved, new address: 3 Glenside Crescent, Eden Terrace, E: sandie@newlease.co.nz, M: 021 352 670, www.newlease.co.nz

We are personable and passionate about property and people. We act professionally and proactively to bring out the best in your property and make your investment more profitable. “inject new life into your property”

For a trusted partner, contact Sandie: 021 352 670 sales@newlease.co.nz

HOME WHERE THE HEART IS NEW TO MELUKA

Fresh and stylish, Melukas first modular sofa is here.

Meet Anna make and create your dream lounge with Meluka today. Pair it perfectly with our Carmel collection or wide range of accessories.

Shop online or in stores today. www.meluka.co.nz

B Y D ANSK E M ØBL ER Furniture. Simply.

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BEDSAND BUNKS

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STYLE AND STAGE YOUR HOME WHEN SELLING…

Selling your family home can be one of the most stressful and emotionally draining times for a home owner.

It can look a bit worn and tired from everyday living with marks on walls, worn carpets and fading furniture, making it harder to sell. But with Rigby & Co Home Staging it doesn’t have to be.

Well executed home staging draws the eye away from these ‘sale inhibitors’ and allows buyers to focus on the positives. We ensure that it stands out from other properties on the market by making it look warm and inviting, modern and contemporary, and we have a range of home staging styles to best suit your property and help it sell more quickly and for a higher price.

When working with Rigby & Co Home Staging, you will work directly with me, Vanessa. I am the owner of the company and a qualified interior designer so you can be assured of professional and personalised one-to-one service.

I’ll help ensure we: •maximise the sale potential of your home •sell your home faster •sell your home for greater value •make your home more appealing to more people •attract better buyers

And we do this by treating the property like it was our own and it was our property we were selling. In this way we ensure we don’t miss ’the little hidden things’ that can mean the difference between success and failure, a great sale, or no sale at all.

“Thank you Vanessa. Your amazing vision and wonderful sense of style most certainly helped us achieve a fantastic sale price for our property. Potential purchasers all made comments about how well the property was presented. Your easy manner and great communication made it so easy for us. We applaud you and could not recommend your services highly enough. Well done!” - ANNIE

For more information please contact Vanessa Rigby on 027 772 0606; vanessa@rigbyandco.nz; www.rigbyandco.nz

48B Sunny Brae Crescent

BLAIR HADDOW: High-end greater Ponsonby residential property market still active – as latest auction result testifies

Who says the residential property marketing in Auckland is stagnating?

Certainly not the Bayleys’ Ponsonby team and leading salesperson Blair Haddow who has just negotiated a high-end sale as good as anything you would expect to find when the market is fizzing.

The auction room at Bayleys was buzzing this month when the gorgeous home at 3A Hope Street in Westmere came up for auction. The contemporary luxury four-bedroom/ three lounge/three-bathroom home features state-of-the-art design elements and fittings. Wrapped around an inground pool, the majestic two-storey residence with harbour vistas is an entertainer’s dream in any of the three living rooms. The master bedroom, replicating a luxury lodge style of living in its own ‘wing’, has a private balcony, walk-in wardrobe, and immaculately tiled en-suite.

Bayleys’ auction room activity for the Hope Street stunner was frenetic with all five bidding parties in the room having a crack at the top offer. Bidding opened at $4million, and rose quickly in increments of $100,000, then increases of $50,000, and final in $25,000 portions until Bayleys’ auctioneer brought the hammer down for a price of $5.85million.

Interestingly, the final, and highest, offer, which brought the auctioneer’s hammer down, was the only bid from the successful buyer who patiently sat on the side-lines until striking with clinical precision to nab the deal and bring about cheers and loud clapping in the auction room.

"It was an amazing auction – one of the best I’ve seen in years,” confides Blair Haddow. “Having so many bidders participating in the event really underpins the rationale for choosing the auction process and achieving the best result for my client who was rapt that the marketing uncovered so much interest for their property."

The Hope Street sale comes just months after Blair sold another architecturally stunning dwelling at 48B Sunny Brae Crescent in Westmere at auction for $6.2million. All of the unsuccessful underbidders on that property have remained on Blair’s exclusive database, and were personally contacted about the Hope Street listing. They all came through to view the home on Blair’s advice.

"The $5million-plus residential property market in the Ponsonby/Herne Bay/Grey Lynn/Westmere locales is still very much alive and well. I have a private and very restricted database of buyers out there looking for homes in this price bracket but I simply don’t have the properties they are looking for," said Blair.

"The buyers in this sector are very particular though, so they are prepared to patiently wait until the right home comes up. And when they do, well, the Hope Street and Sunny Brae Crescent sales say it all. The parties in my $5million-plus database are well-funded and fully pre-qualified to buy when the right home comes up."

With listing stock still ticking over, Blair has three new listings lined up for auctions at Bayleys in May, featuring…

60 Ardmore Road in Herne Bay – a fully renovated and modernised four-bedroom/two-bathroom villa, with off street parking for two vehicles. The rear of the home features a private beautiful courtyard space with a landscaped water feature and spa pool.

11 John Street – a former three-bedroom/one-bedroom worker’s cottage on a flat sunny site just a few doors down from Jervois Road, which is perfect ‘as is’ and also has oodles of potential to modernise and expand out over the sizeable back yard lawn.

45 Clarence Street in Ponsonby – a three-bedroom/twobathroom villa opposite Ponsonby Intermediate School, with off-street parking for three vehicles and potential to add value by expanding the home’s size or potentially retaining it ‘as is’ for a rental investment.