feather the nest

I am in the middle of changing the kids bedrooms around. I am hoping to move them into the same room soon. (When Patchy stops waking in the night, grrr :) Yes yes I am going to stick with blacks and whites as I find it hard to get away from them but I have decided to have a bit of fun. Add a pop of colour. Im thinking black and white as my base and add in colours such as primary colours- blue, yellow and red. There is one cushion that inspiring me to do this. Yes one cushion! That cushion being the Uimi Indiana cushion from New Zealands feather the nest. Would look very rad against our black and white bedding I think!



I was lucky enough to catch up with Portia one half of the creative duo behind feather the nest.

Tell us a little bit about feather the nest, Portia, and how it began.

When we discovered that we were expecting our first baby, we were part way through a major house renovation.  We quickly reworked our planned office into a nursery and I started searching for stylish, modern accessories to decorate our daughter's room with.  I found that the majority of items were readily available, but I couldn't find any cool modern organic bed linen (this was 2 years ago), so we started looking at options overseas and discovered Uimi and Goo Collection.  We launched feather the nest right after our daughter was born and bring Goo Collection's linen in NZ exclusively.  We've just been up to NYC earlier this year on a buying trip and we're heading to Asia in a few weeks, so we'll be continuing adding to and expanding our range.

And what is inspiring you right now?

I read a fair few interior and fashion magazines and blogs - favourite mags would be Your Home & Garden, Real Living, Inside Out and Vogue Living.  For blogs, it'd be Tiny Tribe Magazine, Studio Home, Juniors Design Blog, The Design Chaser, Cush & Nooks, Ses & Jen, Milo & Mitzy, Little Gatherer, LeeAnn Yare, Babyology, Mini Style Blog and Love & Ginger to name a few.  I can never keep up with my blog feed!  I am constantly in awe of the incredible interior and styling talent that is coming out of NZ.  I think that in general we've got a really down to earth, but well styled lifestyle.

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Thank you so much for your time Portia. Do pop over and visit feather the nest. Above are some images that are inspiring me right now in terms of creating the kids joint bedroom.

Amy x

Gorgi

I am a sucker for beautiful bed linen. I love nothing more than jumping into bed at the end of the night with a new magazine.  So I am always on the look out for fabulous bedroom images to inspire me. This image below caught my eye recently. It reminds me of the beautiful linen range of New Zealands own Gorgi.


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My love for Gorgi products has been an on going thing for a while now and what attracts me even more to this company is that it is fully New Zealand owned and operated with all of their bedding 100% NZ made. I was lucky enough to have a 'cyber chat' with Julie of Gorgi.

Tell us about how Gorgi started, Julie.

We purchased the Gorgi license for New Zealand in 2011. I have a corporate background in Marketing to NZ small businesses, and I knew it was critical for the right business opportunity to be one with points of difference that really set it apart. I had been a Gorgi customer myself, I knew there was a loyal customer following, and I knew it was something I could have a passion for. It really seemed like fate when the opportunity presented itself and so we took the plunge! I love that we have moved the brand to place more emphasis on gorgeous Grown Up rooms (without forgetting the kids) and that we can offer a really unique tailor-made service with gorgeous fabrics, here in NZ. And we do it direct to our customers, so we're not trying to accommodate extra margins in our prices as well.
Shop here
 What inspires you? Favorite websites? Magazines? Books?

The Design Chaser, Milo and Mitzy, Roomie, Your Home and Garden, Homestyle, Urbis - your usual culprits. I spend far too much time on interior blogs and pinterest - it's addictive and doesn't leave time for others. It's also necessary for Gorgi for our own interiors photography, ensuring our styled rooms work, and that we can offer the right inspiration. Part of our philosophy is to not get too caught up in the latest trends though as we believe in purchases of 'base' items that will stand the test of time - although this approach does let you have fun adding in some new pieces to the mix too.    

Shop here and here

Any recipes or meals you are loving right now?
At the moment I'm a convert to My Food Bag - we do it fortnightly and it's meaning we are taking more time to cook properly and eat amazing gourmet meals. We've just come out of a super busy patch - new baby, recent major house renovation, and running a business so we're focusing on getting the basics right again - cooking great food, eating together, exercising and having time away from the laptop (phone, ipad..). I also had a copy of My Petite Kitchen Cookbook arrive a fortnight ago, and I've made the Spiced Chai Carrot Cake twice in as many weeks (add all ingredients, mix, pour in tin, bake in oven!). It's just a gorgeous book, which makes me want to try more of its recipes.  

Thanks so much Julie for taking the time to chat. be sure to pop over and visit Gorgi and see for yourself why I have had such a long love affair with this particular New Zealand brand.

Amy x

Izzy and Jean Co goodies

I am at that age where all of my friends seem to be having babies. I love buying gifts for their new additions, I really do, but jeepers we are spoilt for choice these days. I find it hard to decide! 




Luckily for me Izzy and Jean Co are onto it and just quietly I reckon I have nailed it with my above choices, dont you? As a Mum of a rough and tumble tot I find it hard to keep shoes on my wee Patch so stylish socks are a must. Also, you will never go wrong with a fouta towel and how could one not look cute in that insanely delicious onsie?

Happy first birthday Claire and all of the Izzy and Jean Co team.

Amy x

by nord at Surrey Park


It is absolutely no secret that I am a massive by nord fan. So much so that I have a new duvet on the way for my wee Patchy. Yippee! You can imagine my disappointment when I went hunting for by nord products in New Zealand last year to find that I couldn't buy from anywhere. Luckily for me, Kim of Surrey Park stepped up proving to us again that Surrey Park is definitely one to watch.


Not only do they have a fantastic selection of by nord bedding at Surrey Park but they also stock a huge amount of the most fabulous cushions.


Kim tells me that she loves the simplicity and timelessness of by nord designs. A huge factor for her when choosing products for Surrey Park is that they stand the test of time.  Being  100% cotton, Kim loves the pureness that by nord products offer and the fact that they merge and compliment the rest of Surrey Parks monochrome pallet.


I am not kidding, these beautiful by nord products do sell quickly so visit Kim here to check out the range. I look forward to showing you pictures on Milo and Mitzys instagram when our by nord duvet cover arrives.

Amy x

Home Tour

If I did live in my dream home or if I was lucky enough to own a weekend apartment (Such a dream of mine) it would go a little something like this. Fresh white walls, painted wooden floor boards, tonnes of light streaming in, cool decor... you get my drift? I reckon this space is getting close to bang on perfect. Yup I can see myslef here, kicking back for the weekend....Sigh!




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And how blimmen brilliant is that study nook? Fabulous space saver if you don't have the room. Speaking of which, head over to Cush and Nooks as Vic, the creator of Cush and Nooks has done a brilliant little section of space saving nooks.

Happy hump day.

Amy x

Bold

I am a mad mad cushion fanatic. Why? Because it is so easy to change the look and update any room by swapping cushions around. I am constantly switching cushions around and trading them from the bedroom to the living room. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered Bold a while ago, formally known as Bold Lampshades New Zealand.


As the name says, they create the most gorgeous lampshades, but with all of that amazing fabric that they stock it was a no brainer for creative director and designer Kate to move into cushions also.


And for all of you colour lovers who think that you are missing out. Dont be fooled by my picks here on the blog. Kate is the queen of colour! 

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Cushions allow you the opportunity to mix and match. Dont play it too safe when it comes to cushions. Be sure to display an assortment of patterns, textures and sizes.


So my suggestion for you is to head over to Bold and check out their fabric selection, get in touch with Kate and give your bed and couches that much needed update that they have been crying out for. I am ecstatic with the cushions that I just received.

Amy x

Forestry and Milo and Mitzy - exclusive design collaboration

Boy have I got some exciting news for you. It was just over a year ago that I introduced you to Forestry Home. Here at Milo and Mitzy we are huge fans and so it brings me much excitement and such pleasure in announcing that Milo and Mitzy and Forestry Home have joined together in an exclusive design collaboration.





Proudly I introduced to you the Circle/Grid blanket. These blankets are 100% New Zealand wool made in EU. Size large, measuring 130 X 190 cm. retailing at $199.  

Available for purchase through Piece Makers  here in NZ, through Forestry in Europe, pre order here or if you have any wholesale inquiries email me, Amy on miloandmitzy@gmail.com.


One lucky person has the opportunity to win themselves a Circle/Grid 100% NZ wool blanket. Head over to The Design Chaser to find out how. 

Stay warm. We sure do need these blankets at a time like this. If anyone has a design collaboration idea to put forward, touch base with me via email.

Amy x

Jane Cameron Achitects

I just adore this kitchen by Australian architect Jane Cameron. I dream of having concrete bench tops. And rightly so, they are hot hot hot! Love the lighting, loving that feature wall, love the furniture. Really it is all too cool.



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Some exciting news coming your way early next week. Until then, Happy weekend. Im off on a girls weekend. Stay safe.

Amy x

Pony Lane

I dont actually think that this brand needs a lot of introduction. They've been popping up everywhere as of late and for good reason too.  Focusing on everyday staples that make a statement in your home, I am talking about New Zealands own Pony Lane. Owners Karina and Jennifer work hard so that you dont have to. By that I mean they travel the globe sourcing unique home wears and treasures ruling out your disappointment of not being able to find them yourself.


So whilst trawling through the pages on the Pony Lane website a lot of goodness jumps out at me but it is one thing that I am particularly lusting after. That being their gorgeous wooden light pendants complete with coloured cord in either grey, red and white stripes or a bright blue.


Styling and Photography: Michelle Halford for The Design Chaser
Above Michelle of The Design Chaser has displayed her wooden light pendant in grey immaculately, showing us that pendant lights don't have to be hung from the ceiling. 

Happy day to you.

Amy x

Annabell Kutucu

I have always adored Annabell Kutucu hence the reason I am head over heels for this newly transformed apartment in Vienna...