Wonder walls

It's fair to say one of the most daring things you can add to a room is wallpaper. By this, we're not talking a feature wall. That's just having a bob each way, whereas wallpapering all four walls takes guts. So, why not go all out with a graphic print. This genius optical illusion Charm wallpaper (above), $247 per roll from Aspiring Walls, means once you're done, the room is all but finished  – no need to hang art if you don't feel like it.

There's no shame in having fake flowers in the house these days, given their very convincing impersonation of the real thing. Magnolia flower and branch $15 each, from Flux Boutique; Tilly@home oversize bottle, $150, from Farmers (above).

Heaven scent

Inviting guests into a room that smells as good as it looks is particularly important over winter when it’s not as easy to open windows for a good airing. Candles are firm favourites, as is a room spray. But, if you want something other than Netflix to do on those long winter nights, why not make your own home fragrance? Take a glass bottle, fill it with vodka and add fresh rosemary sprigs and a squirt of lemon essential oil and, voila, Eau de My Own Room Spray. Otherwise try Studio Hall Designs Washed Cotton Room & Sheet Spray (below), $55, from Father Rabbit.

Firestarter

Sitting fireside is one of winter’s biggest comforts, so make it aesthetically pleasing.

Decofire industrial log holder, $99, from Bunnings.
Jumbuck brazier, $59, from Bunnings.
Durban fire pit, $229, from Early Settler.
CC Interiors lantern, $170, from Smith & Caughey's

Family tree

The Norrie name has been associated with fine New Zealand colonial furniture since Robert Norrie made furniture for Sir George Grey in 1852. Now, Norrie's Christchurch-based great-great-grandson, Andrew Davies, has gone back to the family roots. Trading as Treology, he is crafting wooden furniture that will become heirlooms in the future. These pieces are the last word in buying best, buying once. Treology.co.nz

Treology Haast matai armoire, POA.
Treology Umber walnut rocker, $3995

Warm fuzzies

Smooth as a foal's nose, velvet is a wondrous fabric, somehow managing to be both as comforting as a pet pony and as imposing and luxurious as a dowager's library. Incorporate it into your interiors with a throw, or cushions or, really commit, by hanging some full-length curtains. This Noble quilt (below), $329.90, at Wallace Cotton.

All light now

What else says mid-century like a table lamp? Get your Mad Men vibe on with this Verve Design Abbey lamp (below), $40, from Bunnings.

Flowers forever

Dried flowers are on the comeback trail. Not dusty old bunches of statice, but generous gatherings of hydrangeas, roses and love lies bleeding, plus  branches of leaves, such as eucalyptus. Hang them upside down from the ceiling or a shelf for a charming look that lasts longer than a bunch of cut flowers. To air dry, strip excess foliage, leaving at least six inches of stem. As soon as the branches are cut, get them out of sunlight, then hang in a dark, dry area for at least two weeks. Spray with hairspray to protect, then suspend in oversized bunches.