Nodi Notebook

Lustrous in texture, rich in colour and soft underfoot, our Bamboo Silk rugs never fail to bring a sense of timeless elegance and unique energy to contemporary and traditional interiors. A few reasons why we love Bamboo Silk:

An alteration and addition to an existing 1900’s Victorian semi-detached terrace, Alexander House is expressive and impressive, combining both the Alexander & Co studio and the couple's family home. At its core, Tess and Jeremy wanted to teach their children what architecture could be, showing them how things were made.

For centuries, wool has been regarded as one of the top material choices in rugs due to its robust, hardwearing nature and enduring characteristics.Since the inception of Nodi, we have been drawn to wool fibres for its ability to offer unparalleled comfort underfoot. Luxuriously handcrafted from New Zealand and Himalayan wool, each woollen rug possesses a level of luxury that is helmed by the artistry used to create them.

For over a decade, District has been a space where visions come to life. Where the best exclusive, international brands are found. Where clients experience exceptional service and focus always.   District aspires to help others make beautiful worlds through our astute understanding of interior spaces- by creating our own district of designer possibilities and solutions.

Nodi Founder Olivia Moon was recently featured on an Organised Life where she shared how Nodi began, how she stays organised, her support network as a business owner and mother, plus lots more. First things first, how did it all begin & what was that light bulb moment when you decided to start Nodi Rugs? I started studying at Massey in Wellington and left after 18 months to live in Milan to be an Aupair and explore Europe. After doing this for a year I decided to study again and enrolled at IED (Institute of European Design) studying textiles and Fashion design in Milan.   I have always been drawn to tactile things - things that felt unique and interesting to the touch. For me, I often found fabrics were too flat and always found myself drawn to rugs for their textural weave. Ironically I failed weaving at university - it takes a very meticulous, patient person to be a good weaver - let's say I'm better with the big picture. It was through this (failed) experience that gave me a great appreciation for weaving by hand and just how much love and works goes into it.   Then I spent six months living in India where I spent time in factories learning, observing and marvelling at the craftsmanship of our weavers to set up the business. I had a strong conviction that it was not rugs that I was going to make, but handmade, natural rugs that I would create. My admiration for the hand craft gets deeper the more rugs we make. Your jaw would drop if you saw the amount of work that goes into this craft.   When I think back - I was given a rug by my first boss as a Christmas gift, and then another from my parents when I moved into my first flat, I had been subconsciously collecting rugs for a while before I started Nodi.   To read the full feature, head to An Organised Life [please link here: https://www.anorganisedlife.com/blogs/blog/workspace-tour-olivia-moon-from-nodi-rugs] Images by Holly Burgess.

Managing a busy schedule as Founder and Director of An Organised Life, Beck Wadworth enjoys rare moments of downtime at her Auckland home, a space where she both lives and works. Seeking a natural place of connection, we helped Beck choose the perfect rug to transform her living room.  Do you have any rituals inside your home that set up or finish your day off? I always start my day with a coffee, either in bed or on the deck in the sun. As soon as I finish my coffee I go through my to-do list and prioritise my workload. I love to end my day with a calming tea on the couch with a book or my favourite playlist. What were you looking for when choosing a rug for you home? My home is my little sanctuary, a place I can relax and feel comfortable. When choosing a rug to finish off the living room I had style and function in mind. I wanted it to feel soft underfoot and welcoming, but I also wanted the rug to add warmth and texture without dominating the space. The Pebble Weave Rug in Husk ticked all the boxes for me. It feels like a cloud! What do you do to disconnect from the day when you get home? I always go for a sunset walk to switch off from work and step into personal life. Once I get home I enjoy taking my time cooking dinner - I find it therapeutic. Most treasured object in your home? Some paintings by my Aunty. Favourite room in your home and why? I love the open plan lounge and dining room. I'm the ultimate minimalist, but these rooms, but these rooms have warmth through textures that create a welcoming space to both relax and entertain.

We recently had the pleasure of connecting with a woman we admire very much, Yasmine Ganley from Anyonegirl, we learnt a little about how she connects with her young family at home, her diverse career and favoured objects in her home.  INTERVIEW: You have a young family - do you have any daily rituals or special things you do to connect with each other? Well, in the middle of our second lockdown we seem to be seeing a lot of each other! Looking back on the last few months, juggling a six-month-old baby and an energetic three-year-old, is a blur of tiny limbs on my lap, but a few moments still punctuate our day: we always have a little dance party after breakfast, usually led by Emily - hands still sticky with honey - come spin me round Mummy! Then we do what we need to to get out the door and go for a walk in the sun, even if the air is still cool. Fresh air is essential. We like to light candles at dinnertime, it sets a nice focus around the table and seems to slow us all down a bit before bedtime.  Yasmine's lounge room featuring Nodi Noughts Weave in Charcoal I’ve always admired how bold and brave you were with sharing your raw and honest images with your daughter for Mother Muse Mag - what was the drive behind this?  Thank you! Greta had an idea to film a mother walking with her child in water — water being the first sensation we experience in the womb — and so we did it. The images weren't created for anything specifically, we just wanted to mark the moment, and connect as mother and daughter skin to skin in the sun and the sea. As for the nudity, I didn't really think about it, I guess I was overwhelmed with pride in what my body had just achieved, what it could create, and how it managed to keep working and moving. A miraculous machine - all mothers should be proud of what their bodies can endure, and I guess I wanted to celebrate that, even at the expense of my own.  You’re a woman of many talents with writing, curating, photography and creating unique narratives with your story telling - why did you start Anyone Girl?Thank you! Anyonegirl.com started ten years ago as a digital space to all of my freelance work, like a portfolio. I would fill in the gaps with musings, things and people I liked. Eventually that sort of curation took over, and now it serves as a platform for creatives who want to explore ideas, devoid of any commercial aspect. I feel most proud of the community that exists around anyonegirl. It seems that everyone involved is supportive of everyone else, and I'm glad to provide a safe space for this to happen. The WAIST publication, stemmed from anyonegirl.com, was realized for a few reasons: I was beginning to feel frustrated and bored of the kind of messages female magazines were pitching to their audiences. It felt stale and lazy, and just full of negativity. I wanted to give something to women that made them feel good about themselves, to feel empowered, but also safe to feel vulnerable, and to know that there were other women out there feeling the same. I wanted to open conversations up about intuition and instinct in a way that was visually appealing and thoughtful. I work with designer Natasha Mead who does a beautiful job of creating a visual language for the journal. We're currently working on the fifth issue. It’s absolutely beautiful, my most favourite one yet.Most important object in your home and why? Maybe our bookshelf, it houses our record collection, which gets a good workout on the weekends, and all of our collected books and zines. Emily and I are working our way through Georgia O'Keeffe and her Houses book, which shows images of the painter's homes & studios, and the paintings she made there. It's really fun to hear what questions and comments Emily has about her work. Her favourite is Ladder to the Moon.  Favourite time of day at home and why? Around 11am when the sun spills over the wall and the dining table. We have all seemed to have settled into our rhythm by that point in the day. I like to brew my second cup of tea at this time too.  A peaceful moment in Yasmine's kitchen, with the sun hitting our textured samples used to help select the right rug for her home.

From recipe creation, to styling and photography, the talented and creative Unna Burch from The Forest Cantina can do it all! To add to the list of Unna's creative capabilities, she is now master home renovator. Inspired by a Bali retreat, this week we step inside Unna's newly renovated Master Bedroom.  The blog, Forest Cantina, where did it all begin? I guess you could say it started at childhood. That love for cooking and photography came from my grandparents and I spent a lot of time with them growing up. They were both such creative people with hobbies such as cane weaving, Gran made incredible handmade wool rugs (they used to own a wool shop) and they spent a lot of time gardening creating these beautiful and whimsical outdoor spaces. They were always doing something productive, something fun. My Grandad was a keen photographer - he took all of our childhood photos on his Leica and hand-processed these himself in his home darkroom. And Gran is the most naturally gifted cook I have ever met. I spent a huge chunk of my childhood on a stool next to her in her kitchen. I only had 10 years of my life with her before she passed away, but that decade is so strongly etched into who I am. My Grandad, however, lived until he was 92 and loved film photography his whole life. Who knew that all these years later, all the things that I remember so fondly of them have become the things that have turned into a career for me. When I became pregnant with Leo, I started cooking more as I wasn’t working full time. I began sharing my food photos on Facebook, and friends told me to get a blog so I could share recipes. I launched The Forest Cantina on 1st January 2014, and the rest they say, is history. What was the process in finding the right size rug for your room? The most challenging thing was finding the size we needed for our space - the size really was the determining factor. We needed a rug large enough to generously frame the bed so that we had warmth and that underfoot feel.  I searched online for months for second hand, but the size was never quite right. I had been a long time fan of Nodi, so you were my first choice of new options. When I saw that the dimensions of your rugs were a perfect size, and there were custom options too, I had to get in touch! The fact that you not only sent samples but were also able to send rugs on appro, that made the decision process so much easier. We love the look and feel of the jute rug in our room, and what makes it more special is the ethos behind the production of it. Any tips for those starting the renovation process or those wanting too? It will always cost more than you think it does and there will always be unexpected payments. Always. The more organised and the more specific you are, the easier it is on the tradies and your budget. Renovations take detailed planning and research - I spend months just sourcing the items for each of the rooms. I found that creating Pinterest boards for each room we renovate, and sub organised those into categories such as storage options, bedding etc helped a lot too. Source as much as you can secondhand (ie windows, doors etc right down to decor items too), recycle and re-use where you can and spend money on quality items that will last a lifetime.  I find it easier to have a theme or a colour story, and stick to that when buying.  What are the textures in your bedroom? How did you want your bedroom to feel? We wanted that hotel-vibe to the room, where it felt luxurious and special, but like home at the same time, and I’m always inspired by Bali-style villas and that retreat feeling they give. We wanted to create a space that we looked forward to beginning and ending our day in. The wood, jute, brass/steel, linen, glass and plants give the room a warm and inviting feel.  What should we be cooking this season? If there had to be one I would say at the moment, it’s this ‘Slow-cooked spicy coconut beef curry’. Asian food is my most favourite of all time, and this curry takes little effort for such good results. There is no curry paste, although it tastes like you’ve done something magical from scratch. It uses dry spices that most can find in their pantry and can be adapted to be vegetarian - you can replace the beef with your favourite legumes or bulk it out with more vegetables like kumara or cauliflower. It slow cooks all day and fills the house with the most incredible aromas. Simple, a ton of flavours, feeds a crowd, little effort - I love that.

As the days (and nights) get cooler, we find ourselves migrating towards softer, warmer layers indoors. This week we explore why wool is our fibre of choice this winter.  Natural and renewable Every year sheep produce a new fleece, making wool a renewable resource. We marvel at the perfect life cycle of Mother Nature - fleece keep sheep warm in winter, for it to be shorn in summer and used to keep humans warm the following winter. Perfect symbiosis. Biodegradable When old or excess wool is disposed of, it naturally decomposes in soil in a matter of years, slowly releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth. Durable and long lasting A single fibre can be bent 20,000 times without breaking and still have the power to recover and return to its natural shape, this reduces the need to replace woollen items and ensures a long life. Your Nodi woollen rug is made to last. Easy care Woollen fibres have a natural protective layer which helps prevents stains from being absorbed, they also pick up less dust as they are static resistant.  The make-up of wool fibre helps to block dirt and absorption of liquids. Due to the natural waxy coating, the dirt particles sit on top which means they are much easier to remove. We do still recommend microseal to make your rug that much more resistant against spills, everyday debris and offer a longer life span for your rug.  Next to skin softness  We use the best quality, hand spun wool and as a result the textures are incredibly soft. Treat yourself to wool and natural comfort this winter.