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From habitat magazine - issue 04, editorial

Striking a balance between maintaining your house and finding time to enjoy with family and animal companions isn’t always easy.

Rachel - editor

Two factors common to the Kiwi lifestyle are a desire to own our own home and a love of pets. However, striking a balance between maintaining your house and finding time to enjoy with family and animal companions isn’t always easy.

You know things have reached a sad state of affairs when you don’t go away for a holiday weekend because there’s gardening to be done and the house needs water-blasting. It’s simply amazing how much time most of us find ourselves spending on the upkeep of our homes.

So, in this issue of Habitat, we take a look at two homes – a family house in Auckland and a holiday home in Turangi – that have both been designed for minimal maintenance. We also step into a stunning garden in Lower Hutt where the lawn-mowing has largely been replaced by striking planting.

We also offer some ideas on how to create pet-friendly environments… plus some tips on happily co-existing with your animals. If you’re feeling in a DIY mood and have a little time up your sleeve, follow our step-by-step instructions for building a wooden dog kennel.

We meet some interesting people, too, in this issue. We catch up with Mark Leishman, and chat to Maurice Kain fabric designer Tanya Wolfkamp. We also investigate the art of the scenic artist with Kathryn Lim, who’s spent the last couple of years painting on Peter Jackson’s film sets.

We hope you enjoy the read. As always, please let us know if there’s more you’d like to see or if you have any specific questions you’d like answered.

Rachel Macdonald editor

It has been a busy start to the year, with the release of The Range Whites & Neutrals, a collection of 300 whites, neutrals and monochromatic hues. We’ve also launched a number of innovations, such as Resene Waterborne Sidewalk, a waterborne flooring and paving paint to make painting easier. You’ll find out more about these products in this issue of Habitat, or pop into your nearest Resene ColorShop or our website to find further details.

We’ve also recently had the honour of being named Best Interior Paint and Best Exterior Paint, as well as winning the Supreme Award in the AGM Specifiers Choice Awards, announced in late 2005. In addition, the Resene website won a HitWise award for being the most visited in its category, so thank you to all those who have supported us.

Now, with the winter months approaching, our attention often turns to decorating inside to escape the chills and rain outside. With many interior paints having low odours, it can be tempting to keep the windows and doors shut. However, this can inhibit the cure of your paint, so be sure to plan your ventilation before you start work, and keep the paint well ventilated while it is drying, to get the best result.

If you are stuck inside this winter and looking for inspiration, log onto the Resene website and immerse yourself in hundreds of pages of paint advice, information and inspiration, or download Resene EzyPaint virtual painting software and paint your house without leaving the comfort of your chair.

Happy surfing!

The Resene team

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winter 2006, issue 04

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