NEW YORK NEW YORK Though many would associate retirement with spending less time at the office, for this barrister it meant converting his Auckland CBD chambers into a New York-inspired loft apartment. Drawing palette inspiration from the existing steel window joinery, designer Nicola Manning echoed a light and dark juxtaposition throughout the [...]
Texture, comfort and colour - interior designer Nicola Manning says soft furnishings can help create a sense of home. Photo / Dean Purcell Home is where the heart is - and also the dining table, the fridge and a comfortable bed. Twelve creatives tell Kim Knight about the essentials that make their house a [...]
The homeowner’s brief for this project was to improve the functionality and flow fo the 1920s home’s kitchen, while adding strong visual interest to the space. The kitchen flows directly into the family room and connects with a formal dining room through double doors. The space originally had an eastern-facing window above the sink [...]
Five Ideas on How to Use Mirrors to Add Light and Space Mirror, mirror on the wall. Many of us would like to achieve more light and space in our homes. In today’s Blog I discuss five ideas for achieving this by using mirrors. Let’s have a quick look at the history of mirrors [...]
7 Ways to Add Value to Your Property For many people, their property investments are their largest financial asset. How can you maximise the value of that asset through great interior design? This question is one of the cornerstones of my interior design practice. Over the past thirteen years that [...]
Going graphic With its strong retro aesthetic, this striking black and white galley kitchen designed by Nicola Manning melds with the character of the rest of the 1940s home, creating a highly functional space. Nicola’s clients are a family of eight living in the same house, ranging from a new born to children in [...]
Tips for Fabulous Front Doors For some reason I have been obsessing about great front doors lately and pinning lots of pictures on Pinterest! I know, interior designers focus on strange things! First impressions do count. Your front door is generally the main welcoming point of your home to visitors. Here are some tips [...]
Where Do You Start? When I am working with my clients on renovation projects or building a new house, I am often asked where do we start? On my Blog this week we will discuss the design process and more specifically where is the starting point for putting together a design scheme. The [...]
Why Nearly Every Bedroom Should Have An Upholstered Headboard I love upholstered headboards. I would even go as far as to say that every bedroom should have one. A bed without a headboard is like wearing an outfit without any shoes. It just doesn't look finished. Timber headboards look great too [...]
The bathrooms in this Auckland home are a contrast of dark and light. The rooms dictated their looks says interior designer Nicola Manning of NM Design - the master ensuite was already a light and bright room and the downstairs powder room/laundry was quite dark, so she worked with that instead of against it. [...]
