It’s the thought that counts for homestyle editor Alice Lines at her abode by the beach.
My partner Nick Burrowes and I moved into our home in Auckland’s Pt Chevalier 10 days after our son, Ted, was born. It was hectic to say the least, but when our good friends told us the cottage they were renting by the sea was up for grabs, we just couldn’t pass it up.
It’s a funny little place, with wonky floors and a tiny kitchen, but the view over the water to the Waitakeres more than makes up for the quirks, which we’ve actually come to love. The sunsets here are superb, so we enjoy dinner on the deck or in the dining nook most nights, while catching the last rays of the day.
“We’ve made a discovery tray with a rotating selection of finds for Ted to investigate at the table.”
Nick is a minimalist and I am not, but what we do share is a mutual appreciation of thoughtful design and objects with provenance, so decisions about new purchases are usually easily made. Pieces picked up on our travels to places like Bolivia and Istanbul live comfortably with others handcrafted in New Zealand workshops — amid the growing collection of shells and rocks collected by Ted on our trips to the beach and bush!
When I’m not being an editor and a mum, I indulge my other passion — pottery classes. In the past few years, I’ve replaced all of our plates, bowls and dishes with ones I’ve made myself.
@alice.lines
