A World of Wonderful Treasures

 
New to our streets is Kate Findlay's quaint little shop found behind the little courtyard on Helwick Street in Wanaka. As an interior designer, Kate has recently branched out to offer selected individual pieces for both indoors and out. The selection has a somewhat worldly theme to it and what I like about it is that many of the pieces are true antiques you will be lucky to find anywhere else. Here is a peep look a some of the things she has to offer. It is fantastic to see interesting pieces available for use outdoors, including pots, Indian dye pots, sculpture and old antique balistrades.... Well worth a visit! You can contact Kate on 03 443 4057 or email katefindlay@xtra.co.nz.

Chemical Free Pools

 

 

A client of mine a while back questioned me as to a natural pool system that relies on aquatic plants to help with the filtration of the water without chemicals being required and I have to admit I have never heard of it. I have now discovered that someone in little old NZ has introduced this concept which is very exciting!

The Natural Pool offers clean, chemical free swimming by combining a swimming area and a shallow planted water region - an area given over to aquatic plants which not only oxygenate the water but along with micro-organisms, act as living filters and organic cleansers, naturally and continually filtering the water through their root system.
These 2 areas are separated by a submerged barrier wall but the water still flows between the 2 regions. There is no need for chlorine or any harsh chemicals only the addition of a filter and circulation pump system.

Ecological Outdoor Furniture

 I've just taken this information direct from Rebecca's Art and Design Blog as it says pretty much what we need to know!
"This is a design that we have been working on and off for the last three months. We wanted to do an outdoor table, purely because we like this timber called Vitex. Vitex is directly marketed against other hardwood timbers such as Kwila as is comes from a sustainable source. 

I like it as it ages gracefully in the elements and ends up a beautiful silver tone and refrains from giving you splinters. The design itself uses stainless steel hinges allowing the pieces to be folded down compacted for storage. The Vitex dose have a wonderful hard quality to it and has a life expectancy of approximately 40 years, mainly used in decking we look forward to using this ecological product more and more."

Rain Water Harvesting

 

 

This website is worth a look if you are considering harvesting rainwater for irrigation or household use. The systems provide safe solutions for the collection, storage and distribution of rain water.

We've Updated Our Profile Page!

 

I've just finished updating the photos on the profile page of our website. This gives you a glimpse in to our studio- such a great place to work from!

Rambling Shade

We often get some fantastic comments from clients that see this photo in our photobooks so I thought I would share it! The simple idea of a black steel free standing pergola with a white wisteria providing the shade works really well in the fact that there is shade in summer but sun in winter when the wisteria has lost its leaves. The boldness of the pergola means that when it is not covered in leaves it still looks just as effective. Pergolas are also a great way to frame vistas in the garden.

Modular Outdoor Kitchens

I've just received some information on modular outdoor kitchens available in New Zealand, which looks very exciting! The EZI-scape modular system comes with 4 basic units, a BBQ module a sink unit module, a plain bench and a bench extension. Doors are in either stainless steel or cedar louvre and custom tiles are also an option. These modules look to provide a fantastic easy and workable option for creating that outdoor kitchen. I can't wait until I can find a client keen to give them a try.... Will keep you posted!

Blog to Watch

A group of four Lincoln University students have taken on the huge mission of creating an installation at the up and coming Ellerslie Flower Show. The blog is in its very early stages but should be an interesting one to keep an eye on. Good luck to the Four Play team!

Plant Profile: Lomandra longifolia 'Tanika'

A great tough plant that is almost indestructible, Lomanda 'Tanika' is easy care and very drought tolerant. It is great used on mass and needs very little maintenance other than the odd haircut. It gets to about 600x650mm high.

COD Delights

The old classic the Cape Cod chair is a great way to add colour and impact to your outdoor area. The chairs  by COD: Classic Outdoor Designs (made in Wanaka) are available in any colour on the Resene colour palette. These chairs were recently featured on the front cover of  Resene's Habitat magazine.

Update for Tiritiri Lodge

I have spent some of the morning taking some shots of the wonderful Tiritiri Lodge. Seeing your work come to fruition is a hugely satisfying part of begin a Landscape Architect. It does make such a difference to have a client who is a true gardener and credit must be given to Stephanie and Denis as they have taken what I created for them and continued to let it develop and evolve. Here is a sneek preview of the updated photographs before I update them to my website portfolio!

Cover It Up!

 If you haven't got the funds for a new BBQ then why not spruce up your old one with one of these fantastic NZ BBQ covers! 


"We couldn't help but think that the bbq – the centrepiece of the great Kiwi outdoor dining space – spent 18 hours a day and eight whole months a year smothered in a rubbish bag. So we asked ourselves, if you’re going to invest time and talent and moolah in the bbq and the whole picture-perfect, indoor-outdoor flowy thing, why the heck not find a way of protecting your steel baby from the elements that didn’t then turn around and throw style to the wolves?"