A calm and coastal retreat
My favourite space As a place to unwind, it’d be hard to beat this serene Riverton bedroom with views of the sea.
Coastal colours work their magic in Sarah and Craig Broderick’s Riverton home, with sweeping views out to sea.
The couple purchased the home five years ago. ‘‘It was in a brilliant location and had great bones,’’ says Sarah. The building flows over three storeys; the living area has huge sliding doors looking over the beach and the master bedroom and en suite are on the top floor.
‘‘As soon as we walked in, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted to do,’’ says Sarah.
Although the existing layout worked well, the 70s-style overhead china cabinet that stretched the length of the kitchen bench had to go. It obscured the cook’s sea view and was promptly knocked out. Another no-brainer was extending the deck facing the beach.
They used a local builder, but Sarah and Craig were happy to provide the muscle early on. ‘‘We found we were very good at the ripping out part,’’ says Sarah.
They both agreed that the place seemed tailor-made for a relaxed, coastal look, so there were few disagreements during the renovations.
Or, as Craig says: ‘‘I put ideas forward but they are not always accepted.’’ ‘‘I refine them,’’ Sarah says with a laugh, ‘‘and 90 per cent of the time we are on the same wave length.’’
Heavy-looking black painted wooden ceiling beams and dark window frames were repainted white, with Resene ‘Thorndon Cream’ on the walls.
Dark-toned wooden furniture that suited their former home, a 100-year-old cottage in Merivale, Christchurch, has been given a new lease of life with a lighter stain, in keeping with the coastal feel.
The sunny and soothing guest bedroom, which has uninterrupted views of the sea and all-day sun, channels the same coastal vibe.
What was your vision for this space?
A retreat for visitors with a calm, relaxed feel.
Were there any challenges involved in decorating this room?
Displaying the 100-year-old oars, which we found in an antiques shop in Nelson. First, we thought we’d hang them on spliced rope, but that didn’t work, so we took them to a framer, who said it was quite a mission to frame them. Finding the perfect shade of white not too cream and not too grey involved many, many test pots.
What are the key features of this room?
The neutral-hued bedding was chosen to fit the coastal feel of the room; the New Jersey cushion came from Artwood; the walls are painted in Resene ‘Thorndon Cream’. The central light shade came from Hishon Lighting in Invercargill. The watercolour painting is of nearby Oreti Beach and is by Invercargill artist Michael Scheel. It was hanging in our local cafe for ages before we finally decided to hang it.
Have you incorporated any recycled materials in this space?
The over-sized mirror was salvaged during the renovation; it was originally part of the built-in china cabinet. My mother suggested we should save it, much to Craig and my father’s dismay, as they then had to try and get it out in one piece.
What’s your favourite feature of this room?
The use of tongue-and-groove, which fits with the coastal feel of our home. We replaced the grotty old 70s sliders in this room with tongue-and-groove and also used it behind the bed and on the window seat.
Rescue burnt begonias
Tuberous begonias have a lot of flower power, blooming on and on throughout summer and bringing colour to shady corners.
They prefer a well-drained spot out of the wind that’s shaded during the hottest part of the day. Now that the sun is lower in the sky, check that your plants that were in shade all summer aren’t being burnt.
When the flowers have finished, leave the foliage in place and keep watering as needed. Food made by photosynthesis in the leaves now will build up the tuber for next season.
Over the next month or so, the stems and leaves will start to die back and can be removed. Stop watering potted begonias about mid-april. Store pots on their sides or where they won’t get waterlogged.
If you need the pots for something else, or you live in a frosty spot, take the tubers out of the pots, leave them to dry for a couple of days, then store. Wrap them in newspaper to stop them touching and put in a paper bag, or put them in a cardboard box with dry potting mix or sphagnum moss to stop them rolling around. Store in a cool place. Begonias grown in the ground can be left in warm areas. Otherwise lift the tubers before the first frost and store as above. In late August put the tubers (concave side up) in a bright spot out of direct sunlight to sprout. Barely cover the sprouted tubers with fresh potting mix and begin the cycle all over again.
Trap fruit flies
If, like me, you’ve got bowls of ripening fruit and tomatoes on the kitchen bench, you’ve probably got a cloud of fruit flies as well. Drosophila melanogaster are common in gardens, worm farms, rubbish bins and drains – any damp place where rotting plant material or fermenting liquid has gathered.
Drosophila have been used for genetic research for more than 50 years because they breed rapidly. Not only do they share 75 per cent of the genes that cause disease in humans but their large chromosomes have barcode-like stripes so changes to the genetic code can be easily identified under a microscope.
In the garden they can be used as an indicator for potential problems. Drosophila have a keen sense of smell for the rotting fruit where they breed and the fungi that the larvae feed on. If you see them swarming around your tomatoes or fruit trees, take a closer look. Chances are there’ll be bird-pecked or over-ripe fruit, a fungal disease or a drain blocked with rotting leaves. Don’t worry about fruit flies in the compost bin or the worm farm. They are just getting on with their recycling job. (Avoid a faceful of tiny flies when you lift the lid by burying fresh scraps under older material.)
In the kitchen, keep things under control by cleaning up the fruit bowl and vege bin. Also watch for spills around your bokashi bin or compost bucket, unrinsed bottles in the recycling bin and pet food bowls. Make a trap for blowflies but bait it with fruit juice, wine or a piece of fruit or a spoonful of jam in a little water. Add a drop of detergent to lower the surface tension. The flies are lured in but can’t get out and eventually drown.
Keep planting
The soil is still warm, even though the days are getting shorter, so keep planting. Beetroot, carrots, coriander, leeks, spring onions, lettuce, radishes, spinach and silverbeet can be grown from seed but transplant broccoli, cabbages and cauli seedlings. It’s worth making an extra effort when planting seedlings into dry soil. Stand the punnet in a weak solution of fertiliser or worm wee until no air bubbles appear. Fill the planting hole with water and allow to drain.
Firm the soil around the roots of the seedlings and water again. Mulch well. Water deeply so that the roots grow downwards from the start, safe from hot weather and drying winds. – Barbara Smith