Q&A

Best seat in the house: The window seat. I hadn’t really appreciated what a great thing window seats are. It gets the last of the afternoon sun, so it’s a great place to sit and read. (Jane)

Biggest renovation drama: When a swarm of bees installed themselves inside the wall of our living room. There was this extraordinary noise and we looked out and saw a big black cloud. A local beekeeper managed to gently extract them and got enough bees for a hive. (Jane) Favourite kitchen appliance: My Chef’s Choice Hybrid 220 electric knife sharpener from House of Knives in Mt Eden. It’s like having a brand new knife. (Grant)

Best place for coffee: Barrow Boys Coffee Company started by Miles Toto. We probably go there every day it’s open and it has a really cool vibe. On numerous occasions Miles has dropped off smoked kingfish and fresh marlin to us. (Jane)

We’ve been growing: My two favourite herbs, Vietnamese mint and Thai basil. I pulled out most of our vegetable garden because of the drought. (Grant)

You can see my sculptures: At the new Marshall Gallery in O¯ rewa, which combines art and interiors, and at ggallaghercreative.com. (Grant)

Jane Ussher and Grant Gallagher