Bringing a little luxury to New Zealand

I had lived in Melbourne and Sydney before moving to Christchurch, New Zealand. Most people I spoke to before and after the move thought I was completely mad for moving to a city recently devastated by earthquake, however, for me and my family it was an easy decision - Christchurch is my husband's home town and watching the earthquakes from a distance was heart breaking. We packed up everything we owned, sold our cars, bundled the little ones onto a plane - and here we are.

One of the things I noticed after moving was that many of the things I took for granted in the buzzing metropolis of Sydney were simply not available here.Yes Christchurch has one Westfield, but it is nothing like the Westfield at Bondi in Sydney with Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton and Chanel - and there is no equivalent to Paddington's Oxford Street filled with designer and quirky boutiques or Melbourne's Chapel Street. Christchurch is definitely more laid back!

So, I reconciled with myself, fashion shopping can be done on trips abroad (and there's always Net-a-Porter) but what about those home and everyday living consumables that I was used to having at my fingertips? My home is my sanctuary, the place where regardless of what's happening outside or how busy life gets, I can create a sense of bliss and calm. Back in Australia, I liked to have luxury candles burning to fill my home with gorgeous fragrances and to create an ambiance to suit my mood. There is nothing like slipping into a deep bath with soothing bath oils or salts by candle light to enjoy a glass of champagne...that is my idea of absolute heaven.

Whilst we unpacked our container and settled into a house - I got used to (am getting used to) the experience of aftershocks, and the boys started school. Life got moving again. However, as much as I searched, I couldn't find the candles I wanted for my home, or the luxury bath and body products I was used to. The places in Australia stocking what I wanted don't ship to New Zealand, I looked online in the US and investigated using a 3rd party shipping company to purchase there, however, it was all a hassle and I could sense disaster. So I came up with a better solution.

Luckily for me, my clever husband is a computer whiz and was able to create a website or me (www.evolutionweb.co.nz) so I could start my own online store and bring some of those luxury products I was missing to New Zealand.We looked at the option of a physical retail store, however, for obvious reasons, it was not the right time or place to start this type of venture in Christchurch. Plus, the benefit of retailing online means that no matter where in this fabulous country you live, you can have access too.

Maison Luxury Home and Lifestyle was born! The website is progressing, we are adding our stock and still confirming suppliers to ensure we have only the most luxe high end products available. Everything listed on Maison Luxury Home and Lifestyle reflects the minimum quality and level of luxury that I expect to have in my home and I am delighted to be sharing these beautiful things with the rest of New Zealand.

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz for luxury candles, home fragrances, bath and body products, natural baby care and stunning homewares - all coming soon!

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

0800 001 479

PO Box 27095,

Christchurch NZ 8640