It was one of those smug “ta-da” moments. With my visiting friend beside me, I whisked open the door of my son’s super-tidy bedroom. “Ohhh,” she breathed. “Bet that took an argument.” She was right. I’d bickered and cajoled for days to get my then-teenaged son on board for a clean-out that took two hours. [...]

My home is a quieter place than it used to be. Most nights my husband, Nick, and I arrive home from work to the cat waiting at the ranchslider and the warm fustiness of a shut-up house. Our son Ben, 23, gets home later. Sometimes he’s right there as I cook dinner, a beer-drinking, bear-hugging roadblock [...]

It’s easy, in this job of mine, to be overcome by lust for lovely stuff. Right now, for example, I’m in thrall to the white fountain pen on our gift ideas page. I want it so much that I’m almost tempted to put a Post-it note on the page (“Sally’s Christmas present here”) and leave [...]

Tucked away amid the splashy resort-like spaces of the Carliers’ award-winning indoor/outdoor area in Auckland is a tiny enclosed deck: just one chair, looking out to the view. It was used, says homeowner Amanda Carlier, when her son phoned his long-distance girlfriend for a chat. Elsewhere there’s an infinity pool where the Carlier boys frolic [...]

There are few things in life more satisfying than having exactly the right tool for a job. A sharp knife that surgically slices tomatoes. A non-stick baking tin that plops your cake onto the stand without a stray crumb. A regiment of favourite pens at hand in the top drawer of your desk. A soft-touch [...]