Opposites really do attract
Room of the week Ross and Jacqui Crowe prove that two different styles can work together.
She likes battered and worn things with a sense of history. He goes for solid construction and practicality. He’s at home on the back of a tractor, and she is a petite city girl with a serious chandelier collection. Ross and Jacqui Crowe are proof that opposites attract. Not only that, but opposites can create a harmonious and beautiful home that reflects them both.
What they have created at Te Horo, on the Kapiti Coast, over the past five years is exactly that.
Their renovated Cape Dutchstyle house has the feel of a relaxed yet glamorous country lodge, surrounded by 16 hectares of farmland and half a hectare of garden.
The open-plan living area, which opens to a west-facing terrace overlooking the garden, is a perfect example of the couple’s yin and yang style.
There’s a huge fireplace – nearly 2m high and 3m long – big enough to take serious logs, and high enough for 6ft-something Ross to lean against.
They had to put extra piles down to handle the weight of the fireplace, but the result was well worth the effort. When the jarrah mantle arrived, Jacqui was horrified to see it was highly polished (‘‘like a grand piano’’) and sent it back to be roughened up.
Look up and a delicate antique glass chandelier hangs from the cathedral ceiling, one of four 19th century French crystal and reproduction that hang along the length of the room.
There are squishy couches in aged leather and an antique oak dining table bearing marks and grooves from many a meal.
The finishing touch is a kilimtopped coffee table in front of the fire, which is the perfect spot to rest your feet on at the end of a long day, says Jacqui.
What drew you to this house?
I could see the potential. I loved the high ceilings and the solid plastered walls and rough sarking on the ceilings. Ross couldn’t help noticing how crooked the boards were. You could say I had a romantic view and Ross had a practical view.
How would you describe your decorating style?
We wanted the house to look as if it had been here for a long time, and to reflect us both. We meet in the middle. Ross is quite rugged, so the house couldn’t be too feminine. He’s got to be able to put his feet up on the coffee table and the grandchildren need to be able to play. The living room is not meant to be perfect but understated and comfortable – and somewhere where our visitors can hopefully feel relaxed and comfortable, too.
How did you choose the furniture in this room?
The first sofas we had were lovely and covered in a fabulous fabric, but uncomfortable and I was forever fluffing up the feather sofa cushions. Totally impractical for us – far too high maintenance! After living with them for a few years, we decided it just wasn’t us. We got the aged, comfortable sofas and recovered the coffee table in its original kilim. The 19th-century oak refectory dining table and leather chairs came from an estate sale. The antique sideboard is Tibetan and hand-painted in red, gold and black. It’s all cracked – I love that, but Ross, who was a joiner, hates the crooked doors!
Do you have a favourite feature of this room?
I love the ceilings and trusses, and the sparkle and age of the chandeliers. The addition of the large open fire Ross’ favourite thing, it has given the room a wonderful look and feel. On a winter’s night with the fire flicking away it’s got such a romantic rustic country lodge feel, which is exactly what we wanted to achieve.
Prune apple trees now
Now is the perfect time for pruning apples – there is none better. The leaves will all be long gone – or at least they should be – and everything’s quiet on the growth front in the orchard. No sap is moving and we are well out from blossoming. When things are so quiet growth-wise, pruning is at its most effective. If you keep a close eye on the moon as well and steer clear of when it’s full (the next full moon is on August 18), you will avoid causing too much sap flow. I’ve had the experience of pruning a kiwifruit vine on the full moon and wouldn’t do that again in a hurry. Such was the flow of water that erupted from the cut stem – and continued to flow for quite some time – I feared I might flood the place! Apple trees require a yearly prune if they are to produce copious amounts of fruit. Prune to keep them at a level you can easily reach and they also benefit greatly from being kept open and free from any tangled growth. In terms of how much to cut, reducing the length of the previous season’s growth is usually enough, if done regularly. Simply make a clean cut above a bud that faces outward from the centre of the tree.
There’s no need to use pruning paste on those thin tips, however if you need to remove a larger branch, perhaps one that requires the use of a saw, then pasting the cut is necessary to prevent entry of disease causing fungi and woolly
Keep off your garden soil
Find ways to garden that don’t involve walking on your precious soil. For reasons unknown, keen gardeners, usually males, like to get their spring garden started in the dead of winter, for reasons unknown but trudging about on a wet garden is counter-productive and destroys good soil structure. It also makes cleaning boots a trial, so put down walkways of some kind. Boards laid across beds are usually sufficient to allow egress without ruining the tilth. It’s best of course, to stay off soggy soils altogether, be patient and wait until conditions are right, but it’s almost impossible to stop an earlysower, determined to be the first to display ready-to-eat potatoes, peas and tomatoes, while his neighbours are still planting theirs!
Start seeds off early indoors
It’s early, but worth chancing your arm and giving it a go. If seedlings peak too soon or become leggy in the wait for temperatures outside to match their needs, you can start another round. Watching seedlings emerge is a pleasure and one that should be shared with any children. A love of gardening starts very early, in my experience, and you could be the initiator of such a love, simply by having a windowsill covered in pottles of baby seedling courgette or sweet pepper plants.
Lift last season’s cuttings
There are always leftovers in my propagation beds; usually red or blackcurrants that for some reason I’ve not gotten around to moving. After nearly a year, they’re well supplied with roots and need a permanent home to grow in. Now’s the ideal time to shift such plants, as they’re in a dormant state and won’t suffer shocks of any kind while they’re inactive. I try not to take much soil with them, giving them a good shake after lifting, so that there is plenty left for the next round of cuttings, which will be pushed into that loosened soil as soon as it’s vacated. It’s the simplest method of multiplying your stock and one that costs absolutely nothing.
Robert Guyton