WELCOME to
THE COSY NOTES
I’m Dominey, based on the Matakana Coast in New Zealand, sharing spaces with soul, boutique stays, coastal living, and behind-the-scenes notes from my creative home and design projects. This space is about slowing down, noticing the details, and creating a life that feels joyful.
Textural Layering for a Warm and Cosy Home
We have officially entered winter in New Zealand. The days and nights are cooler and rainier, and in some parts of the country, it's beginning to snow.
Our Hallway Glow Up
If you’ve been following my stories on Instagram, you probably would’ve seen bits and pieces of our hallway glow up. Hallways, corridors, and passageways are often afterthoughts in the design process unless they affect function or are eyesores.
Curated. Not Cluttered.
One minute, I was pondering how to install a gallery wall in my living room, and the next, I had spent six consecutive Saturdays scouring my favourite thrift stores for hours, to come home with a bootful of beautifully framed seascape paintings by anonymous (but very talented) artists and heavy vintage ceramic vases, jugs, and woven baskets in various shapes and sizes.
New Zealand Homeware Brands Worth Obsessing Over and Inviting Into Your Home
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only cottoned onto New Zealand homeware brands in the last year or so. When I think ‘homewares,’ my mind automatically drifts to Adairs, Fenton & Fenton, Coco Republic (all three are Australian brands), or West Elm and Pottery Barn (both US brands). I’ve likely had blinkers on all this time because, from what I’ve discovered, stylish, quality homeware brands are thriving in New Zealand and have been for generations.