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Settling into her Eastbourne house, Your Home and Garden DIY queen Nikki Kettle shares her mantra for a stress-free festive season.

Your gifted bouquet can last longer than you think, with these handy tips.

You may want to take notes from these very merry interiors.

With just a bit of wallpaper, you can upgrade a lampshade and personalise it to your space.

This side table has a wonderful home-crafted look to it like it has been cobbled together from odds and ends found lying around the garage. It’s precisely this Frankenstein feel that gives it such charm If you love the character and uniqueness that comes with handmade furniture, this DIY project is perfect for you. This […]

Using Resene wallpapers or murals as a framed print is a fantastic way to add drama Transforming a space into a personalised oasis often requires a touch of creativity and resourcefulness. In this project, we are taking wallpaper and reimagining it as a stunning framed print, adding a unique flair to any room. With just […]

Create your own oasis by colouring up an outdoor area with a punchy mural Add some fun and a sense of playfulness to your outdoor area by painting a colourful mural. All you need now is a cooling cocktail to sit back and appreciate your artistry. You will need: Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer Resene […]

Brush up your painting skills and brighten your wash days There’s no two ways about it, doing laundry is a chore so why not inject a sense of fun into it with a quick refresh? I painted a striped ceiling, used blackboard paint to make a blackboard, stencilled a word onto the wall, then added […]

This party starter is built for home entertaining

Encourage your kids to get outside and enjoy the spring sunshine by putting together a playground favourite. To build your own swing, you will need: 290mm x 45mm timber seat, pre-cut to 700mm long by timber merchant 6mm drill bit 18mm drill bit Drill 18mm sisal rope, cut into 2 x 5m lengths 2 hammock […]

Your definitive guide on how to style a bedside table like a pro Photographer: Derek Swalwell. Despite good intentions, a bedside table can all too easily become a dumping ground for life’s little bits and pieces. With clutter comes stress or, even worse, resignation. It’s time to make your bedside table something worth waking up […]

From hanging a painting to assembling a shelf, a well-equipped tool kit is essential for all home DIYers Whether you like it or not, none of us can escape DIY. Maybe that cute chair you ordered online arrives in flatpack form, or perhaps a living room bookshelf has a lean; whatever the situation, there will […]

Venetian plaster finishes are on-trend at the moment, so why not recreate this look at home and cover that unsightly rangehood at the same time? Hiding a dated rangehood is a cheaper option than replacing a perfectly functioning unit that may be ruining the look of your kitchen. Rangehood covers are also having a moment. […]

Colourful and contemporary, a Perspex vase or container is a cool craft project You will need Paper or cardboard Marker Ruler Protractor or circle to trace around Jigsaw Clamp (optional) Sandpaper Super glue or a hot glue gun Painter’s tape 3mm Perspex sheets, in colour of choice Clear roofing silicone (if you want to waterproof […]

Whether it’s a playhouse, she shed or teenager’s sleepout, a stencil-painted floor will elevate it from meh to wow You will need For the stencilled floor • Pine sheet cut to fit the floor, if yours doesn’t have one • Pencil and paper to practise stencil patterns • Plastic sheet to make the stencil. I […]

Creating an office out of a small room by utilising built-in furniture, floating shelves and a tidy charging station makes space-saving sense The word custom always sounds expensive to me, but it doesn’t have to be. Maximising a small space with built-in or custom furniture is a no-brainer. It could be a desk, floating shelves […]

Show your potted plants off in a self-decorated container using our DIY expert’s step-by-step guide You will need • Brushes • Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer for glazed pots or Resene Aquapel & Terracotta Sealer for terracotta pots • Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path paint or Resene Sandtex Mediterrranean effect coating • Resene Quick Dry […]

Get on a roll and make your powder room pop with personality using our DIY expert’s step-by-step guide You will need: Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner • Sandpaper – I used 80 grit Bucket Ladder Layout brush Paper smoother Paste brush Plumb bob Scissors Size Knife Sponge Trim guide Wallpaper paste, if using unpasted paper Wallpaper […]

Transform your TV into a work of art by building a frame for it You will need • 40mm x 20mm pine cut into 4 x 1.2m lengths • Picture framing timber cut into 4 x 1.2m lengths • 3mm drill bit • Timber screws • Drill • Tape measure • Small shelf brackets • […]

Make your own wall art from leftover MDF. Nikki Kettle’s abstract piece was inspired by her local environment You will need • MDF off-cuts. I used what was left from the headboard I’d made more than a year ago • Primer, I used Resene Quick Dry undercoat • Marker pencil • Jigsaw or coping saw […]

Set a spooky scene for trick-or-treaters this Halloween with these bats and pillar candle holders You will need: 45cm thick dowel rods Tape measure Hand saw, skill saw or drop saw to cut dowel rods Drill Drill bits – 3mm to start holes and a large one to match the candle size Hot-glue gun Hot-glue […]

Building framed bunk beds and finishing with curtains elevates the bach classic. Kids also love them at home You will need: • 90mm x 45mm H1.2 framing timber (I used 30 lineal metres) • 1 pack nails or screws • Skillsaw • Chisel • 6 x joist hangers (optional) • 5 x 12mm MDF sheets, […]

Short on space? Why not make a slatted headboard and incorporate shelves that can be moved into position as a side table between the slats You will need: • Measuring tape • Pencil • 30mm x 30mm timber for the slats. I used dressed pine • 40mm x 19mm timber for the uprights • 250mm […]

Give plain old walls a touch of stately manor with panelled walls. Our DIY expert Nikki Kettle shows you how You will need • Washi tape or painting tape • Pencil • Measuring tape • Level • Timber (size and design of your choice) I used 30mm x12mm clear pine in the hallway and 60mm […]

Our DIY expert Nikki Kettle rustles up some display shelving You will need • Measuring tape • Timber. I’ve used 90mm x 10mm pine for my shelf base and the same for the back upstand. I bought this off the rack at 1200mm long. Then, 40mm x 10mm for my upstand at the front • […]

Our DIY expert Nikki Kettle shows us three clever ways to make your own DIY bedside table How to make your DIY side table What you will need: • Bedside table • Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer • Paint brush • Roller • Dowel 8mm • Handsaw • Caulking gun • Construction glue • Ruler […]

A white bathroom with dated vinyl and a small showerbox simply didn’t cut it for colour-loving Nikki Kettle, who’s transformed the ensuite into an engaging new space     Nikki Kettle doesn’t mind a challenge. The builder, and DIY expert for Your Home and Garden, has already painted and then repainted a giant mural in […]

Ditch the plastic and enjoy the thrill of the Christmas countdown with a DIY advent calendar that’s choc-filled with festive activities

A beautiful bed look isn’t complete without a statement bedhead to back it up. Nikkie Kettle demonstrates how to make your own DIY headboard Before you start, measure the width of your bed to help you determine what size the base of your headboard needs to be. If you want the headboard to overhang the bedframe, […]

Create a simple crate storage shelf using plywood and a smattering of paint You’ll need: • 1 sheet of 2400mm x 1200mm plywood (at least 17mm thick) • Measuring tape • Pencil • Skill saw • Wood glue • Screws • Drill • 3 wooden crates • Paint brush • Resene Dusky Pink, Resene Sea […]

Walls looking a bit bare? Take a leaf out of Nikki Kettle’s colourful book and paint a show-stopping mural Out with the old The wall in Nikki’s living room has been an ever-evolving project, originally with just the one palm tree painted in the corner. She was inspired by the retro patterns she found on […]

With a couple of kids under two, this hard-working tradie has transformed her home one colourful room at a time. After a massive villa renovation in Island Bay in 2018, builders Nikki Kettle and Tom Taylor were determined to find a home that didn’t need any work done. “We said to each other, we can’t […]

Let technology take the strain out of everyday living – it’ll even boil your kettle for you if you programme it   What is a Smart Home? Your guide to living smart ‘Smart Homes’ – a technology once reserved for the tech-savvy and gadget-obsessed – is now much more accessible to the mainstream market. Even […]