Michele Griffin 7/16/24 Michele Griffin 7/16/24

Pull back the curtain

At the helm of Guthrie Bowron Tauranga, Margaret Gill knows interiors. Here, she shares an insider’s guide to window coverings.

Window coverings have a major influence on a room’s functionality and ambience — a fact that’s both exciting and makes knowing what to choose a little daunting. The following insider info might help you decide what’s best for you.

Your first consideration? Function. Living spaces may need a sun filter treatment to manage glare during the day. Bedrooms benefit from blackout curtains to aid sleep. Window treatments will also offer additional insulation if your home is lacking in that department.

Will curtains or blinds be best? Curtains visually soften the hard edges of a room, while providing warmth and privacy. Roman blinds provide a streamlined look for the minimalists among us, and are ideal for high or small windows.

What size are your windows and how much wall space is there on either side? The answers may lead you to floor-to-ceiling curtains for spacious rooms, while blinds will be great for small, narrow or awkwardly placed panes.

Keep roller blinds, venetian blinds, vertical blinds, honeycomb blinds and shutters on your radar too. All have their advantages and limitations, depending on your home’s unique requirements and the look you love.

Enjoy using your window treatments to express your creativity. Whether
you gravitate towards soothing neutrals, energising bright hues or statement-making bold patterns, there’s such a wide range of fabrics available that you can take your pick when it comes to style, colour and texture. Most curtain fabrics can also be used for roman blinds, allowing you to maintain a consistent scheme throughout the house. Then tie it together with other soft furnishings such as cushions, throws, bedding and upholstered furniture. Or make a feature out of an exceptionally special textile. For example, a printed velvet, intricate jacquard or highly textured boucle.

The secret to your success lies in talking to an experienced curtain and blind consultant at the beginning of your decorating project. At Guthrie Bowron Tauranga, you’ll find all the latest collections from UK textile brand ILIV, as well as top-notch New Zealand suppliers. Are you ready to get started?

GUTHRIEBOWRON.co.nz

Michele Griffin 4/4/23 Michele Griffin 4/4/23

Tapping into trends

Harrison Bloy just opened their first North Island showroom in Tauranga, and now proudly provides high-quality products to bathrooms around the Bay.

Words Nicky Adams | Photos Jahl Marshall

The bathroom is a room that is overarchingly functional – however, it is also a space that makes one of the biggest interior design statements. It is a room that needs to be designed for longevity, practicality and visual impact – but also one that every family member will spend time in. When working out the design direction you want to take amid the current looks, there is no better place to find inspiration than in a physical showroom.

Harrison Bloy is a privately owned New Zealand bathroom (and kitchen/laundry plumbing) supplier that, while well-established throughout the South Island, has recently chosen to open its first North Island showroom in Tauranga. The decision to move to Matakokiri Drive in Tauriko, says co-owner Callum Harrison, was largely driven by the desire to be closer to family up here. However, he and business partner Ben Bloy had also identified the exponential growth in the Lakes area, with huge potential growth to come in Tauriko.

Harrison Bloy considers it important to offer a wide spectrum of brands and products not just in terms of style, but also price points. In addition to the other familiar quality brands available in New Zealand, it also supplies Watersino, a well-known worldwide brand unique in New Zealand to Harrison Bloy. Callum is passionate about the service they can provide at Harrison Bloy: “We have top of the line, but we like to think that we’re experts in bathroom fittings and it’s not just another bathroom shop − it’s actually advice, design and top-quality gear on display.” The interactive nature of the showroom is something the company is proud of: “There’s a working toilet (with a heated seat!) over there, working gas fires here.” The pièce de résistance, though, is the “wet area”, where customers can pick from multiple shower heads to try out for themselves. Equally, the stylish bathroom pods have been designed to give a visual concept of different looks – placing key components in individual settings. Another clever feature is the way in which tapware, rather than being fixed on display, can be moved around and placed with different basins – the basins themselves can also be interchanged. These are all hugely helpful parts of the process when trying to work out the best combination for personal taste.

The showroom itself is large, thoughtfully designed and allows customers to organically move among the products on display. The range is extensive, and starts at a lower price point, moving up to higher-end, more bespoke pieces. Here customers will find a selection they hitherto may have expected to travel further afield to access. With a hugely experienced team to filter what is showcased, the customer is saved from a product overload – and can be confident what is here is a selection of high quality, on trend pieces, that will help make the ultimate bathroom.

Zucchetti is a well-established Italian premium tapware brand stocked by Harrison Bloy in all its showrooms. Robertson Bathware general manager of architecture and design, Dean Davis (New Zealand supplier of Zucchetti), reflects on the direction Harrison Bloy has taken, commenting, “It’s a credit to Harrison Bloy to want to take retail to the next level. It’s really refreshing in both its design and to the market.” Zucchetti is a family-owned and run business that was established nearly a century ago; now led by the third generation, Zucchetti prides itself on the way it has evolved, and indeed anticipation leads the direction of market trends.

Zucchetti has always invested heavily in the design aspect of its products alongside exceptional performance. While the overall aesthetic of a bathroom (or kitchen) will be dictated by multiple factors, increasingly interior designers are looking to the “work horse” pieces, such as the fittings, to make a statement. Zucchetti has set itself apart from other brands in this arena. With a focus on being an architectural led brand, Zucchetti employs a team of international designers whose award-winning ranges reflect the calibre of their skill. As Dean says, “One of the point of differences that Zucchetti offers is that they employ international and innovative designers to create each collection.” Zucchetti is also proud of the symbiotic relationship with the designers themselves; the Medameda range was created by a father-and-son design duo, Alberto and Francesco Meda.

With the overall aesthetic of a bathroom both elevated and unified by the fittings, it’s no surprise that there are distinct trends within tapware. Currently, Dean says, there is an increase of the gooseneck spouts, and softer, rounder shapes are more popular. Driven by the European trends, the curvier shape doesn’t date so quickly. There is a clear leaning towards Stainless Steel, which is considered both durable and eco- sustainable; tie this in with the lack of lead in its production and it will continue to be a market leader. Dean feels another area of strength for Zucchetti is its breadth of options – most designs come in six or seven colourways and, importantly, provide matching accessories such as toilet paper holders, basin wastes, shower hooks and so on.

While design is key, functionality is vital – clients expect longevity from these types of pieces. Zucchetti stands by a good warranty along with other practical aspects such as good efficiency on water flow. Continually seeking exciting developments, this can be seen in ranges such as the new Isy22 – a progressive mixer with infrared options, in which the water flows from cold to hot. This means that should a child, for example, turn on the tap, they won’t be scalded by extreme heat.

Implicit to its ethos is a drive to be ahead of the curve, and Zucchetti prides itself on an innovative attitude towards the link between design and purpose. It believes its products not only offer exceptional performance, but also elevate and unify the overall aesthetic of any space within which they are placed.

Harrisonbloy.co.nz