We sat down with Shayden Whipps, who along with his wife Georgia, have been sharing their own reno tales on their rad blog Mooch Style. Shayden lets us know what his best treasure find has been, how he'd show off the city to his friends in 24 hours and where he gets away from it all.
What excites you about Christchurch? The next generation! Our children will grow up in a city that has had years of solid strategic thinking in its redevelopment and is tailored for their success. The opportunity that it provides for adventure, academic study and culture is endless.
Anything coming that you’re particularly looking forward to? I’m really excited for Te Pae/Christchurch Convention Centre. The opportunity and business that the facility will bring to the city is very exciting. We own a home on the fringe of the CBD so we get very excited for developments like these.
Where’s your go-to for bargain hunting for things for the home? Christchurch has little pockets everywhere for homewares. I like to shop second-hand for all hard furnishings like sideboards and cabinets so stores like Habitat for Humanity are great for this. I’m a big fan of Hello Dear interiors also – they often have pop-up stores so we are filling our home up with their homewares fast!
What’s been your best treasure find? Two mid-century chairs that I found on TradeMe for $90 – it was a huge win! They are such a nice classic style and go with everything. We recovered them and always get comments on them.
What brand would you love to work with? We are pretty fortunate to be partnered up with the likes of Ryobi and Resene already but recently we were loading up our car that we treat like a work ute and spotted a Suzuki Jimny drive past and we both said that it’s totally a bit of us – fun and practical – and is perfect for our lifestyle so at the moment – hey Suzuki!
If you had $5k to spend in one store, where would you go? Right now we would go anywhere that sells bathrooms because it’s next on our list – we are big fans of Mico and Kalessi! Or House of Travel, because we haven’t been on a honeymoon yet, haha.
What’s your favourite thing to do in the city during winter? I love winter. I’m from Southland so the Canterbury winters are beautiful and crisp compared with our wet winters so it will be dressing up nice and warm and taking the pooch for a walk at Bottle Lake Forest and heading to somewhere like Blue Smoke for their winter roasts – oh man, I’m excited for them!
You’ve got friends coming from out of town. Where do you go and what would you do to show off the city in: two hours, a half-day and 24 hours? This happens a lot with my whanau coming to stay. Two hours – we drive to the parking building in town and meander around The Crossing quickly, with a coffee at Arbo so they can be fascinated by The Tree, and then driving back they can see all the developments in town. Half a day – we start at the farmers market at Riccarton Bush, Lime into town and stop off at Miro for brunch, then head down The Promenade and check out the happenings in town and meet my wife and dog at Hagley Park for a walk. Full day – we might start in Lyttelton for brunch followed by a walk at Rapaki or Harry Ell, home for lunch and a breather. Then it’s shopping at The Crossing (my family love it) and finishing up somewhere chilled out like Smash Palace, or if it’s somewhere nice then Earl.
Who is your favourite Cantabrian (living or dead)? I look for the local unsung heroes because they are the ones that build the communities and the backbone of the city. This is easily my friend Nick Lovett. He’s passionate about city culture and planning and what goes into making a great city thrive. Nick can give anyone a tour of our city and tell you everything about it – past, present and future. It’s people like him that make Christchurch what it is today.
Where do you go to ... Wine and dine with friends: Dux Central, Smash Palace or Barberra – all have different qualities and I would go there with different friends. Take a date: Earl – incredible food, service and fitout. Morning coffee: Miro – we are there most weekends. See the sunrise: I see it often from any of the local mountains when running in the summer with my friend. Blow off some steam: The giant glasshouse at the Botanic Gardens – as soon as you’re in there you realise how beautiful life is. Shop up a storm: The Crossing – all the shops you need are right there. Get away from it all: My mum’s spa pool that looks over the city in Westmorland – so good!