With ANZ, Homes to Love is exploring the ways we live now, under the theme of ‘personalisation’ – and how this trend allows us to live and build today
It can take a lot of research and time to create a home that looks exactly how you want it. We’ve created five rules for personalising your home to get you started. It’s the choice in curtains, furniture, flooring and finishing that will make your home different from the rest. Whether your style is romantic, industrial or something in between, we’ve found some inspiring examples to get you thinking.
If you’re thinking about building, buying or renovating use the ANZ home loan calculator to work out how you can achieve it. Visit anz.co.nz/homeloans for more information.

Contemporary Beach Everything in this home is designed for ease of living – the focus here is on the beach outside! The lack of clutter offers easy-clean simplicity, while the tumble of cushions stop the room from appearing over-styled and untouchable – and the range of patterns delivers a casual and easy feel which balances the contemporary defined lines created by the squared-off sofa and shelving. Create your own contemporary beach look Let function guide your design choices with simple furniture and fittings selected to create easy beach living. Image provided by Warwick (http://www.warwick.co.nz/shop/Upholstery.html)

Organic Growing plants, views that bring the outdoors in, and natural surfaces are the order of the day in this organic home – unfinished cane and timber finishes are reflected in the woven basket, and textured rug, creating a restful and inviting space. Create your own organic look Natural woven finishes, undyed fabrics, and a profusion of indoor plants (or a view out to a green garden) will create a space to lose yourself in for hours at a time. Image provided by Cavit & Co (http://cavitco.com/)

Romantic A cosy upholstered chair creates an inviting personal space in this quiet and peaceful room. This gently romantic theme is extended through sheer fabrics in repeated pastel shades, and furniture selected for its soft curves. Create your own romantic look Sheer draperies, an armchair selected just for you, and pale furniture with round, inviting curves. Image supplied by Textilia (http://www.textilia.co.nz/default.asp)

Simple Chic Simple chic is delivered here through furniture selected for its slim, clean lines and timeless quality, tonal shading across every element from flooring, to paints and fabrics, and stand-out lighting design. Create your own simply chic look Select a pale, tonal colourway to sharply emphasise one beautiful piece of design (here, the floor lamp becomes the focus of the room through its colour and form.) Image supplied by Textilia (http://www.textilia.co.nz/default.asp)

Warm Modern The warm modern atmosphere here is delivered here through a few carefully selected large-scale artworks and furniture pieces, gold tones echoed across different artworks and reflected in the timber shelving, and in the modern stone shade used in the chair, table, and hide rug. The pop of colour offered by the cushion, rug and flowers immediately invite a guest to make themselves at home here. Create your own warm modern look Decorate your home with fewer, larger items and introduce flowers and soft furnishings to create inviting pops of colour. Image provided by Cavit & Co (http://cavitco.com/)