MY WORK

The final and full reveal.

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Its almost bitter sweet writing this post, but it’s pretty fun to see all the before photos to see how far we came!

As a few of you may know, the old ( ish ) girl was bought down from the mighty Waikato in the summer of 2014, in various types of disrepair, and in two pieces. We then began to fix her from the bottom up! Above are a few snaps of what she looked like before, not so pretty.

But here is what she looks like today!

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The exterior was painted in Resene Foundry, and landings in Resene Woodsman Cedar Stain 

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The Master bedroom was painted in Resene Black White

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The bathroom was painted in Resene Black White, with Resene Smoky Green on the floors

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The Laundry was painted in Resene Atomic, with Resene Smoky Green on the floors

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The Hallway was painted in Resene Double Alabaster, while the Spare Room and Office  was painted in Resene Black White, with Office floor in Resene White Gloss .

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The lounge and Dining where painted in Resene Black White, with Office floor in Resene White Gloss .

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The kitchen  was painted in Resene Double Alabaster.

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The fire pit fence was painted in Resene Blue Bark with Resene Woodsman Cedar Stain  on the built in seating.

And as many of you know we have now sold, and moved into a new project ( at the same time as another pretty big project ) But before leaving we were lucky enough to have our main gal Heather Liddell fully document our first home and renovation for the latest issue of Homestyle magazine. I then got all nostalgic ( read pregnancy hormonal ) and wanted to share a few of our favourite snaps.

Although you may have seen snippets of the progress in Homestyle over the last year, if you are after more information on what we did, how we did it, and more detail on the Resene paint colours we chose ( beware, there is A LOT of black white ) you can check out my  previous posts. And if you want to read the full story pick up a copy of Homestyle, or head over here!

Here’s to ( all ) the new adventures!

A peek at BLACKBIRD GOODS online store

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It has been a long time coming, but it is finally here!

Blackbird Goods online store is live!

We are now able to share our shop with those who can’t get to our bricks and mortar in Napier, Hawkes Bay. We bring you a selection of hand picked, ethically sourced goods, from around New Zealand and abroad. Goods with an emphasis on quality, beauty and everyday practicality. 

We hope you like it.

Head over and visit www.blackbirdgoods.co.nz

Christmas Foraged Wreath

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Last week we threw a little Summer Night Soirée at Blackbird Goods , we drank bubbles, met new people, found out the name of our local barista and I demonstrated a foraged wreath.  It was such a great night connecting with our community and all the people who support Blackbird and Blackbird Goods. Thanks so much to all the babes that made it out! We may need to extend the space to fit you all next time!

Okay, so I am a total sucker for a good wreath, believing that they are not only a great decoration for Christmas, but a great way to slow down and celebrate the change of seasons and milestones in our lives. Wreaths are such a great way to bring a festive feel, in a subtle and ‘grown up’ way. So, for this wreath, I bought a large wire round from a local emporium as my base, but you can make it out of willow or another bendy branch. Next, using florist wire ( also from the emporium ) I attached evergreens ( unsure of the names sorry! ) to a little over half of the round, bulking it out a focal point with a piece of budded yarrow and some dried Corokia. But really, just get out there with your secateurs  and a thoughtful eye and you can create magic! And I would love to see what you end up making!

I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and relax with delicious food, family, friends and some sun!

Make sure you pop into Blackbird Goods if you are in Napier for the summer! Until then you can find us on Instagram, just follow @blackbirdgem !

Until next year! x

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Blackbird Goods feature for Homestyle Magazine

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Images by our ever talented gal pal Heather Liddell

For those of you who have been following our journey,  you would’ve seen that we opened our very own bricks & mortar a few months ago, and we are so very proud to have Blackbird Goods featured in the latest issue of Homestyle Magazine ! It’s so nice to see the shop in print, to see our hard work come to fruition! ‘Cos it wasn’t that pretty when we moved in (cue images of dark grey, coffee stains with a flaking fire engine red feature wall) Luckily, Resene to the rescue!

After pulling everything out and cleaning off coffee grime, our next port of call was to block out the wall of red. Red is one of those colours that seeps through when you are going white, often leaving a pink tinge. So we painted a coat of Resene Stack over the lot which covered it nicely allowing us to power ahead with the white. We also had a large chalkboard wall to cover, sealing it with trusty Resene  Sureseal.

Next up we bought back our old favourite, Resene Black White, we knew it was the only choice for walls, giving us the gallery like feel we were after. We wanted the shop to feel open and fresh, to have space to let each item breathe and shine. Resene Black White went over the walls, bar our panelled back door and panel which I wanted to feature. ( You can see that a little in the top image ) we painted that in Resene Antidote, a new favourite, it’s a neutral almost nude like putty. I loved it so much we also painted our gallery like plinths in it too! The idea with the plinths was to  feature different products, to show them off in isolation to the rest of the mid-west general store type feel. Our floor to ceiling  shelves were made by the handy father and husband, Metal frames painted in Resene Flat Black, mirroring our giant industrial windows painted in the same. The pine shelves were stained in Resene Iroko, and the stain echoed in our large plywood counter.

When it came to the exterior we wanted to give a nod to the heritage of our city of Napier. An art deco feel, but bringing it into 2015. After multiple tests to find the perfect earthy, slightly muddied green we landed on Resene Siam.

All in all we are pretty chuffed with the outcome, and we hope you like it too!

To read more about the shop, our influences for the design and our journey between work and life go pick up a copy of the latest Homestyle! Or come and chat in store at 25 Dalton Street, Napier.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for my wreath DIY later in the week!

Until next time