Design: Thanks Mum

LeeAnn Yare of Collected. Photo / Larnie Nicholson

Classy gifts will make your mother’s day says Ben Crawford.

Mother's Day is next Sunday and if you're anything like me, you'll leave buying dear ol' mum her well-deserved gift until the last minute. But never fear, you still have a week up your sleeve to find that small present of appreciation for the most selfless person in your life, even if, like me, you have to post it to the bottom of New Zealand.

Beware, though. The clock is ticking with little time to dilly-dally. So, with that in mind and struggling for ideas of my own, I caught up with interior stylist and mother of two, LeeAnn Yare, to fossick through her Mt Eden homeware store and seek some gift inspiration for mum.

I'm not sure how Yare manages to fit everything into her day. On top of being a mum and spending loads of time with her two boys, she is an international airline pilot, runs her popular design store Collected, contributes to interiors magazines around the globe, was a judge on Mitre 10 Dream Home last year and also published the best-selling book New Zealand Interior Style. Volume Two is due out later this year.

Yare opened Collected two years ago when she was approached to set up as a foundation store within the soon-to-be-completed Bloc in Mt Eden, a building jam-packed with design-focused brands.

Naturally, Yare jumped at the chance to open alongside brands she had always admired to help create her concept for Collected - a stylist's treasure trove filled with all her favourite things.

And what a treasure trove it is. An emporium of interior goodies and inspiration overflowing with everything you'd ever need to turn your house into a home. Yare has a goal of only selling items she would buy for herself, regardless if they're $2 or $2000.
You can expect to find masses of colour and Yare's trademark eclectic style throughout the store.

Although Yare acknowledges eclectic is an overused term, she is a huge fan of pairing vintage with modern, pattern with pattern, colour with neutrals and designer with high street to curate fun and fresh ideas for customers to enjoy in their own homes.

So what about that gift inspiration for mum, you ask? Here are Yare's nine favourite gift ideas from the shelves of Collected. Why only nine, you ask? Well, if I published the 10th, I'd spoil the surprise for my Mum, wouldn't I?

Gift ideas for Mum:

Image 1 of 9: Copper Clock. $89. We all know mums have to be uber-organised and this copper-framed clock is a stylish way to keep the time with just the right amount of bling.

• Collected - Level 2, Bloc, 20 Normanby Rd, Mt Eden or online at collected.co.nz.

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