Shuffling off heels, putting the jug on, changing into a basically-unravelled cotton t-shirt… We all have our rituals to ease our bodies and brains into the harmony of home.
Most young adults begin a song and dance with the rental market as soon as they leave home. A rhythm as enjoyable as a dental exam. From vomit-grey brick-walled rooms in Grey Lynn to a physically crumbling Eden Terrace villa, it’s surprising that these places still arouse fondness in my memories. The physical house frames may have been shaky, but the security that a feeling of ‘home’ offers in your heart is one of the most important parts for daily life.
Having dear friends as flatmates will certainly help with that. Stu, my angel flatmate, asks me, “How was your day?” without fail, in perfect clockwork the moment I arrive from work. His genuine interest, however never ticks away. Physical items, of course also add to this feeling, but for a Libra like me, it’s never been furniture that stays long but instead the items on my clothing rack. Pieces like my Alexa Chung leopard coat that I picked up for £60 in London years ago. It may have been worn twice in humid ol’ Tāmaki Makaurau, but it’s followed me into everchanging bedrooms through the years.
Home is also at its most magical with loved ones around. A candlelit party can be just as fulfilling as scrolling on individual phones in silence on the couch with a best friend. To invite others into your sacred space is perhaps one of the best and simplest ways to express love.
Making room in our homes for dear friends has its own set of rituals. The special set of wine glasses, the fancy (and overpriced) honey to serve on a baked cheese for dinner party guests, the coffee table book that shows your taste is good-but-not-pretentious… It’s simply essential.
And luckily for you, four special pals of Cool Pretty Cool are extending an invitation into their idyllic homes. Styled in new season fashion alongside their own beloved pieces, they reveal to us their go-to albums for winding down, dream dinner guests and more… Get comfy below and let them serve you a Negroni Sbagliato while we’re at it.
Leshego
How do you hope your space makes others feel?
I hope my space makes others feel warm and relaxed. I’d love for my people to know they can turn up to lay their head and catch some Z’s at mine anytime.
When does your home feel at its most magical?
Sunsets are magical at home, they never cease to amaze me, and I see them every day!
Favourite album to listen to when winding down?
At the moment, Raven is my wind down, turn up, meditate, work out, wash the dishes.. everything album.
How do you think your family home has shaped the way you’ve decorated your own space?
My family has more of an eye for making spaces beautiful than I do. Anything that’s beautiful comes from them. My Mum, in particular has an eye for interior décor. Having lived in South Africa most of her life, there is a particular emphasis on warm tones, African patterns and prints.
You’ve won the dinner guest lottery. Who would be your top 3 guests, dead or alive?
My parents, they don’t live in New Zealand, and I miss them immensely.
What would you cook for them?
…Cooking is definitely not my strongest of skill sets, I’m great at following instructions (i.e. cookbook), but I definitely know my limits. So hypothetically, if I could make these meals, it would be:
Wok greens
Vegetarian udon noodle
Teriyaki tofu
Line from a book on your shelf that’s changed your life?
“The future isn’t written in the stars. There are no guarantees. So claim your adulthood. Be intentional. Get to work. Pick your family. Do the maths. Make your own certainty. Don’t be defined by what you didn’t know or didn’t do. You are deciding your life right now.” - The Defining Decade by Meg Jay.
Drink of choice to serve visitors...
Morning: an espresso from our wildly expensive express espresso machine
Night: Negroni.. Sbagliato.. WITH PROSECCO IN IT!!
Tell us about the most invaluable item in your home and how you came to acquire it...
For the most part, I’m not really attached to items in my home. I have a very transient relationship with “things”. The most invaluable thing in my home are the people I share it with.
Was there a specific moment when your space finally felt like home?
Our first housewarming, it was so lovely to have the people we love in our new home.
Last movie that made you cry?
Coco... Honestly, what an incredible movie.
If you were hosting a potluck, what dessert would your friends be expecting you to whip up?
The Caker’s Banana Cinnamon Crumble Cake.
A recipe that you’ve passed on to countless people...
Personally, I wouldn’t take any recipe ideas from me!
Ollie Gooch
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
At the moment, I live in Kingsland, a sick suburb in Auckland. Funnily enough, my first ever home as a kid and my kindergarten are only 2 minutes away! So, at the moment, this house is most definitely where I would call home.
How do you hope your space makes others feel?
I really love my space being just my space, so I suppose I would hope it gives others a sense of privacy and an escape. Because that’s what is really important to me when it comes to my room.
When does your home feel at its most magical?
Whenever I am home alone and cooking dinner.
Favourite album to listen to when winding down?
Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth and Sam Fender's Seventeen Going Under live album have been on repeat at the flat as of late!
How do you think your family home has shaped the way you’ve decorated your own?
I completely believe my Dad is tone blind, so my mother was always the one who decorated the house, and she has a very eclectic style when decorating, with stuff all over the walls, mismatched chairs and couches and plants all over the place. I think that style most definitely has trickled down to me when it came to decorating my room and the flat.
What item of clothing can you throw on after a long time at home and immediately feel your shoulders drop?
Probably my loose-fit Dickies work shorts. They are a few sizes too big and tend to annoy me, but something about them makes me feel relaxed.
Best place in your house to listen to a podcast?
I spend most of my time at the kitchen table, so definitely there.
What’s the coffee-table book that you always open up for guests visiting?
We’ve just moved in recently and have also only just acquired a coffee table, so the extent of proper coffee table books is very minimal; guests really don’t have that much of a choice. There is a copy of The Four Agreements (by Don Miguel Ruiz) on there at the moment, though, which is a book I would recommend to anyone.
Drink of choice to serve visitors...
Coffee in the morning… obviously, lol. And at night, my flatmates and I have started to enjoy the taste of the cheapest wine we can possibly find, so most likely that.
Tell us about the most invaluable item in your home and how you came to acquire it…
Recently my Dad and I went through some old family photos, and I managed to steal one of us as a young family when I was four years old. It’s currently, by far, the most invaluable item I own. It's very irreplaceable to me.
Was there a specific moment when your space finally felt like home?
Not really, no, it's just slowly becoming a place where I can relax and enjoy myself over time. I don’t think there is a set moment that I really realised it had turned into home.
Top tips for hosting a successful dinner party?
Just don’t host one.
Tell us about the best dinner party you’ve ever thrown…
Haven't hosted one yet, and hopefully it will be many years before I do.
Describe your dream Sunday afternoon at home.
Waking up after a sleep-in and having a big fry-up in the kitchen with friends, family, and music is all I could ever ask for out of a Sunday afternoon.
Cait
Where do you live now, and where do you consider home?
I live in Mount Roskill with four flatmates. I’ve lived in seven different flats over the years, and this is the first that feels like home.
How do you hope your space makes others feel?
Warm, comfortable, and curious. My favourite spaces are full of storied objects.
When does your home feel at its most magical?
There is a moment, a little before sunset when my room fills with golden light and tiny rainbows. I love to be up here at that time, alone with my thoughts (and my cat).
Favourite album to listen to when winding down?
The Fellowship of the Ring score by Howard Shore, or Rumours.
How do you think your family home has shaped the way you’ve decorated your own space?
My room reminds me of my grandparents' house when I was a child. They had that very seventies penchant for brown, a lot of textured textiles, handmade cushion covers and photographs everywhere. Nothing was fancy, but everything was beautiful. I miss them. I didn’t appreciate the time we spent in that house, and I regret it very much.
You’ve won the dinner guest lottery. Who would be your top 3 guests, dead or alive?
My Grandmother, Betty; my friend, Elizabeth; and Princess Diana.
What would you cook for them?
I wouldn’t want to subject them to my cooking, but my Grandma was a fussy eater. I’d take Eliza and Di to Ockhee and make Nanny that weird, crumbly pizza from The Edmond’s Cookbook.
Line from a book on your shelf that’s changed your life?
I’m not very good at remembering lines from books. I can only remember how I felt when I read them. The book that changed my life more than any other is Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. I found this line, which captures its lonely, moonlit feeling:
‘Just when one can't take anymore, one sees the moonlight. Beauty that seems to infuse itself into the heart: I know about that.’
Book buying is such a personal process; what does yours entail?
I worked in a bookstore for eight years and a library too. I swear I’m a little psychic now about what I need to read and when. I’ll get a nagging gut feeling about a book and track it down through the libraries or AbeBooks, or a book will call to me from the shelf of a bookstore, and it will be perfect in some spooky, preternatural way. If I’ve been snubbing your book recommendations, this is why.
Book that you would loan to a friend needing inspiration…
I almost never loan books because I hate borrowing them—I feel rushed to read them and give them back, and it messes with my breadcrumb trail. A book I’ve gifted many times is Kitchen. It’s about finding your way amidst grief and hopelessness. It’s tender and subtle, never corny. Like Moonlight in a book.
Last movie that made you cry?
Not a movie, but I always cry watching Old Enough on Netflix.
If you were hosting a potluck, what dessert would your friends be expecting you to whip up?
They would be expecting a Sara Lee passionfruit cheesecake, but I’d stun them with the lemon cake below. My friend Amanda first made this for me. It’s Margot Henderson via Carter Were. Like a giant, self-saucing pudding, but it’s all made in one bowl.
A recipe that you’ve passed on to countless people…
Carter’s Lemon Pudding
Portia Prince
Where do you live now and where do you consider home?
I live in Grey Lynn right now but consider London my home as most of my adult life there.
How do you hope your space makes others feel?
I want to create a space that people feel comfortable in and that reflects our life and cultural influences.
When does your home feel at its most magical?
This space feels the most magical when there’s people here in the evenings with music we love or on a cold night with our thick curtains closed with candles.
Favourite album to listen to when winding down?
Sault-11. It's a non-skipper and a beautiful listen.
How do you think your family home has shaped the way you’ve decorated your own?
My mother loved trinkets from places she had been, there’s lots of sentimental value in the walls of my family home. I have definitely carried that into my home. I love things from places I've travelled to. Great memories without pictures.
What item of clothing can you throw on after a long day at work, and immediately your shoulders drop?
My Desmond & Dempsey PJS—they’re so comfortable but have the most beautiful panthers all over them. Comfy and chic.
Best place in your house to listen to a podcast?
I love listening to a podcast in the living room on my sofa when I'm working on the laptop. It has to be playing through my headphones though not out loud. Don’t ask me why … HA.
What is the coffee-table book that you always open up for guests visiting?
It’s Our Own Selves by Nadine Ijewere. She’s a fantastic Black photographer, and her images inspire some of my own work.
Drink of choice to serve visitors...
Definitely coffee in the AM. I'll make a fresh plunger for friends and then chai in the evenings; I prefer both with no milk.
Tell us about the most invaluable item in your home and how you came to acquire it…
My sofa, 100%. It took me so long to decide on the one I wanted, but it paid off. We talk about how much we love it every time we get cosy on it.
Was there a specific moment when your space finally felt like home?
Yes, probably just before my Mum’s visit from the UK, we had decided to make it feel really welcome and changed some things before she arrived to feel homely.
Top tips for hosting a successful dinner party?
Create a playlist beforehand so you’re not changing the music all night. Plus, make sure everyone has a drink when they arrive, so if you’re not quite ready, at least they can relax and chat with guests.
Tell us about the best dinner party you’ve ever thrown…
My birthday party this year. We made a really simple dinner, vegetarian and warming for a cooler evening with cake to finish.
Describe your dream Sunday afternoon at home.
A day of baking in the kitchen after we have been to the farmers market with our favourite music playing.
Features Editor: Yawynne Yem Photos: Lou Corry Fashion: Annabel Dickson
Leshego is represented by Things In Common
Ollie & Portia are represented by 62 Management
Cait is represented by Super
Shot on location in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa
