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As one might imagine of someone who's been in the furniture business for almost 20 years, Debbie Cavit has seen interior fashions change a lot.
"When we started out we were very much about the French Provincial look - that was popular 18 years ago," Cavit explains. "But when fashion started to change toward more contemporary furniture I didn't want to go to the heavy, modern Italian glass and chrome." So instead, Cavit & Co, a business which has decorated everything from private homes to luxury tropical resorts to the New Zealand High Commission in Delhi, remained faithful to its original style, only with a slightly more modern feel. It's for the same reason that Debbie is now bringing in the likes of Ralph Lauren furnishings.
Still, there are some things that will never change, even in this avid decorator's own home. "I have always loved good design and good quality. And I look at it like building a good wardrobe. You get your quality basics and then you add your fashion accents. That's how to build both a good wardrobe and a beautiful home."
MY 10 FAVOURITE THINGS
1. The Chrysler Building in New York. While out walking, taking in the atmosphere of New York, it is always wonderful to turn a corner and see the Chrysler Building lit up for the evening. It is reminiscent of a more glamorous era.
2. Sundays in Paris at Sacre Coeur [church] to listen to the choir of approximately 50 nuns who sing like angels. And then eating crepes and going out to Clignancourt to rummage through the antiques.
3. The Boat Shed on Waiheke Island. Apart from it being one of my favourite restaurants in the country, I love the ambience that's been created. The simple style of a beach house or bach is so comfortable and so relaxing, it's where I can come and recharge. The one catch is you can only dine there if you are an in-house guest, but this should definitely not be regarded as a drawback.
4. Kim Lantern by Bill Sofield for Baker Furniture. Fantastic on a mantle or library shelf with its beautiful organic, but luxe form.
5. Frette sheets. There's no other experience like sleeping in these. Soothing, relaxing and luxurious.6Ralph Lauren Modern Metropolis sofa. A sofa of classic proportions reminiscent of the 1930s with a buttoned seat cushion and great side tables. The whole Modern Metropolis collection is very masculine and yet creates an environment which is appealing to both men and women. It is the elegance and strength of this setting that makes a woman feel the man who owns this room knows how to take care of a lady.
7. Verona vase from Lalique. This is a wide-rimmed vase which can also double as a bowl. It's the deeply cut glass and the play of clear and frosted engraving techniques that give a 3D effect.
8. Silver Robert Kuo vase. It's made out of hand-beaten repousse copper with silver leaf. This is a beautifully elegant piece with its soft upward twist. All of the designs by the Los Angeles-based designer are inspired by nature, with excellent proportion and balance.
9. The Laura Kirar Vienna Arm Chair. This is one of the signature pieces of Laura's collection for Baker Furniture and has been influenced by turn-of-the-century Viennese and Beidermeier style. It has a beautiful hand-crafted detail with round medallions either side of an open square.
10. Antique silver. I always love the shine of silver in any interior and have recently purchased some original Art Deco silver tea services - one from England and the other made in France in the 1920s.