THIS WEEK

Having spent the past 18 months living in a rented apartment in which I’m forbidden to put anything up on the newly minted walls, I’ve developed a hankering for all things wall-related. Paint in subtle shades of sage green, wallpaper, art, framed photographs, woven wall hangings, those vintage macrame owls... I’d love a calendar and maybe even a clock. I can dream. Renting, when you’ve previously been a home-owner, is an interesting experience – especially if you love interiors as I do. It’s like pressing pause on your usual acquisitive mindset. Mostly, I think this kind of breather is healthy, it hones your

taste and clarifies not just what you like but what you don’t like. I won’t go too deeply into what I don’t like because it might be what you have in your house and there is no right and wrong, only taste. (Well, OK, one thing: if you own over-sized building blocks that explain what you’re supposed to be doing in a room – EAT, DINE, LOVE – in my view it’s time for a garage sale. But, you know, that’s just my view, and I have underwear on the floor and blue toothpaste smeared far too widely around the bathroom vanity.)

What I do love is people ignoring trends (or imagining they ignore them, which is the same feeling) and surrounding themselves with what they love, as wallpaper aficionado Rebekah Joy does in today’s issue . Rebekah’s ‘‘I love everything’’ attitude is refreshing in the interiors scene, where people can sometimes get a little sniffy. Turn to page 10 for some inspiration from Rebekah – and, as is the case every week, you can see more of Rebekah’s home on stuff.co.nz.