White is right

If you've been to Auckland fashion store Superette, you'll already have a good idea of what co-owner Rickie Dee's home looks like. The Herne Bay home she shares with partner Onny Kaulima and their 18-month-old son Rocco, is a showcase for mixing styles and using quirky touches against a white backdrop - just like her Ponsonby and Newmarket shops.

The similarities extend even to the master bedroom, where she has her extensive wardrobe displayed on multiple wheelie racks.

"I like to have my clothes out on the racks rather than tucked away in a cupboard somewhere, as it makes getting dressed in the morning a whole lot easier," Dee says. "The clothes are rapidly taking over our bedroom but luckily it is quite large, so I have plenty of space."

Dee says she loves the white backdrop in her home because it's timeless.

"Everything looks good in white and it is a colour that most things go with." But that's where the uniformity ends in a home that is filled with fleamarket finds and unusual objects.

"We don't have one style running throughout our home. I like mixing old with new, contemporary with classic," she says.

"I'm not one for the 'just went out and purchased everything for my home' look. It's too easy and I find it ends up looking quite clinical, like a catalogue. I have carried this belief through to the fit-out of the stores. It's a real mix of old and new, and it keeps things interesting."

One of the quirky pieces in her home is the plaster of paris deer head that hangs above the couch in the living room.

"I am a fan of taxidermy, but not sure about it in the home, so this is the next best thing," she says.

Also prominently displayed in the lounge are two white ceramic candlesticks from Orson & Blake in Sydney. Dee also likes buying second-hand or vintage furniture and objects, then giving them a facelift and a new purpose.

"My most recent purchase was a metal chest from a garage sale, which I gave a mint-coloured wash. It is now the perfect toybox for Rocco."

Another favourite object is a large white mirror from Republic.

"It is as tall as the ceiling and extremely heavy, but the sale price was worth the mission of bringing it home," she says. "It will definitely travel with us from house to house, and really does make a room."

STYLE TIPS

Flower power
Fresh flowers are uplifting, and Rickie Dee prefers white. "They are so pretty and feminine," she says. "Whether it's roses, tuberose, peonies or lilies, I have a soft spot for all of them."

Safe keeping
Finding it hard to sell things or throw them away, she has a lock-up where she stores pieces that she might need again one day. "As you can imagine, the lock-up is a jungle of items."

Market forces
When she's overseas, Dee likes to hit the local markets. "Last time I left Bondi markets, I flew home with two wooden deck chairs covered in brightly striped vintage fabric. I also bought a stack of vintage fabrics, some of which I used to make the cushions that sit on my couch today."

Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden magazine. See the latest issue for the full story on this home and other ideas for your place.