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by Times Media
INFERIOR INTERIOR DESIGN?
When it comes to interior design there is plenty of great advice. However, a little dose of what not to do can go a long way as well. Of course, style is subjective and what we may consider to be a fashion faux pas may be as ‘with it’ as it gets, but to the team at EastLife here are some of the design nightmares we most love to hate.
Those who love it and those hate it would agree that there is only one thing that should be done with inflatable furniture – blow it up! But if you’re not prepared to fall afoul of restrictions on the use of explosives, best not bother with such pieces in the first place. That said, a lilo can enhance the experience of a dip in the pool but plastic is not fantastic indoors. CARPETED BATHROOMS Cold floors are no fun, especially during our morning ablutions. Carpeting in bathrooms can defend our poor tootsies and, so long as we are very careful to mind our pees, all will go swimmingly. But let’s face it, no matter how hard we try, boys will be boys and not even William Tell could score a bull’s-eye every time. So, that’s why under floor heating was invented and that’s why we would suggest our readers part with carpet in their smallest rooms. TAXIDERMY We get it. You shot it. It’s dead because you are an alpha predator. In all seriousness, we’re not knocking hunting – it’s a sport enjoyed by many for many reasons. But, unless you intend ensuring visitors get the message that you have a gun and know how to use it – not the most common approach to hospitality – stuffed stuff is best left in pubs and clubs or on the walls of a mancave rather than anywhere else in the home. Incidentally, the partner of a certain EastLife writer once engaged in a dalliance with a man who had a 12 point stag head above his bed... once. Enough said? TOILET SEAT COVERS Porcelain pans are not the softest looking bathroom fixtures so we can understand why some people want to jazz them up with warm fuzzies, such as warm fuzzy toilet seat covers. But, as with carpeted floors in bathrooms, they come with the same drawbacks. L ADDERS USED AS SHELVES In an age where ending is not considered better than mending, reclaimed items can prove useful for storage, taking on new life in modern homes. Old ladders can prove functional for storage but it could be argued that they have become a victim of their own success. So commonly used in this way, ladders have become rather ‘old hat’, unlike old hats, which never seem to go out of fashion. MIRRORED WALLS Thanks to Wren Kitchens for their assistance with this article. Many of the items mentioned featured on this UK company’s study into the least popular design trends of all time – visit www.wrenkitchens.com/blog/ room-101-best-worst-kitchen
INFL ATABLE FURNITURE
Taxidermy
trends-revealed/ to read more.
small spaces feel more open and bring in light, and there are some types of ‘premises’ where mirrored walls can build on the experiences they deliver – funhouses we mean, of course! However, unless you really are sure you will look your best at all times of day, constantly being confronted with one’s own reflection can prove startling. As for visitors, they’re almost certain to believe you may well be the person immortalised in that famous Carly Simon song – and you probably think this article is about you too!
WATERBEDS & LAVA LAMPS
Throwbacks to the 1970s that may yet boomerang, waterbeds and lava lamps may actually make a comeback and, in fact, some interior designers would argue that they already have. Interior designers intent on being avant-garde might want to include such elements but the rest of us might prefer to wait lest our guests mistake these additions as an invitation to place their keys in a bowl beside the bed!
PICASSO & ESCHER PULL UP A PEW!
CUBIST SURREALIST: When is a cube not a cube? When it’s a 10 Central Terrace, Howick, Auckland. PO Box 38232 Howick, Auckland 2145, New Zealand Telephone: +64 9 271 8000. Email: info@times.co.nz. Website: www.timesmedia.co.nz Picasso, of course! However, thinking outside the box is not a characteristic limited to cubist painters, as the Not a Cube range from Portugal’s Insidherland demonstrates.
DECEMBER NOVEMBER Inspired by the work of acclaimed American furniture designer, Donald Judd, the Not a Cube stool is intended to stimulate the mind as well as rest the posterior. Revealing how reality and perception can work in harmony and discord, it delivers a functional optical illusion also reminiscent of the works of the surrealists. AUGUST JULY
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Is it a cube? Sometimes. Is it a stool or a table or a chair? Sometimes. Is it available in New Zealand? Yes. Contact Insidherland via insidherland.com to purchase and arrange shipping.
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Howick Ward Community Calendar
2021
OUT NOW! ONLY $20
Howick Motor Bus Company outside the Marine Hotel. The company failed as the horse buses had to haul it out of Pakuranga potholes regularly. 2021
