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MAKING S PA C E Lifestyle-led simplicity

home style

FEB/MAR 2020 NZ/AUS $11.50 INC GST

9 421022 130048

Sophisticated ways to get sorted

Unique environments of creative thinkers

An enlightening artisan tour in Japan

THE BEAUTY OF CHOICE KITCHEN COMPANION PRODUCTS NOW AVAILABLE IN BLACK

fisherpaykel.com

CONTENTS

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74

Contents

February/March

HOMES

50 50

Higher love Join us at a spectacular new property where you can almost touch the sky.

62

Head over heels The last thing the owners of this one-time little blue cottage expected was to develop a crush.

74

As luck would have it On this renovation project, a bit of a disaster ended up being a stroke of good fortune.

86

Then again Don’t be misled by its au courant appeal — this home was revitalised with mostly pre-loved pieces.

6 homest yle

Introducing our 2020 home collection

Since 1993 thonethome.co.nz

CONTENTS

STYLE 16

Scout Attention, shoppers!

18

Bookmarks Your other favourite reads.

22

Buyer’s guide Work wares.

24

Paint trends Retro looks for littlies.

28

Form & function Beauty meets brains.

People 36

24

Artist profile Devyn Ormsby.

40

LIVING

Design profile JKW Interior Architecture & Design.

44

120

Space to create

Well & good Life’s simple pleasures.

George & Willy.

122

Garden Flora in Clay.

102

DESIGN

126

Product profile

138

Wallpaper.

104

Last word Tiffany Jeans.

Outside in Down by the riverside.

112

Design destination Japan.

ETC

Product profile Outdoor furniture.

114

Small space On wheels.

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36

10

Editor’s note

20

Subscribe

ight l e r u t Cap l heights from al

eat

FRSTHS 2/20

Undisturbed ocean views

ow s d n i w y s Co

EDITOR’S NOTE

ON THE ROAD IN OITA:

There’s something humbling about being welcomed into a creative workplace. Filled with materials and pieces in progress, workshops and studios are by nature messy and there’s rarely any point in tidying up for a visitor, so when I’m in the position of being said visitor, I feel privileged to be able to see the real work, ideas and life behind the scenes.

I found the prospect of this particularly thrilling when I was invited to interview artisans in Oita, a prefecture on Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island, located in the south-west of the country. With the help of a local expert, I put together an itinerary that would take me to see a host of local makers — some well known and others I’d scouted out myself.

When, like me, you’re a part-time potter and have observed the production of another ceramic artist’s work halfway around the world via the powers of Instagram, entering that person’s studio and having them generously share their methodology with you induces something akin to a fan-girl moment. Visiting Hiroyuki Usami of Usukiyaki was a highlight among the many highlights of my trip that saw me introduced to ancient methods of textile printing, the skills required to split bamboo, and a young couple who have taken a leap of faith and opened a backpacker hostel in an old samurai town.

The artists and craftspeople whose work we’ve shared in this issue’s Design Destination feature were chosen because their approach resonates with homestyle’s values; each has made a career for themselves that champions an entrepreneurial spirit and centres on sustainable practices. Turn to page 126 to meet them yourself.

Alice Lines, @alice.lines

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A modern silhouette Unwind, clear your mind and enjoy time immersed in a book, a drink, a conversation with friends or simply drift with the clouds across the azure sky nestled into the Flex outdoor lounge collection from Cove Outdoor.

Above - Flex 3 seater sofa in teak and caste slate fabric by Cove Outdoor RRP $4,099, Bayliss bistro rug 2.5m x 3.5m RRP $2,699

DAW S O N & C O .

For tiles you WONeT_tND_ elsewhere EDITOR Alice Lines DEPUTY EDITOR Philippa Prentice ART DIRECTOR Juliette Wanty CONTRIBUTORS Amandine Berthon Sarah Ell Wendy Fenwick Julien Fernandez Jessica Chloe Gernat Armelle Habib Duncan Innes Melanie Jenkins Claire McCall Sheenae McKenzie Nita Meyer Todd Neal Sam van Kan Simon Wilson Fin Woods Jiho Yun ADVERTISING & COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS Nicholas Burrowes General Manager nick@homestyle.co.nz +64 21 505 992 SUBSCRIPTIONS Online homestyle.co.nz Email subs@homestyle.co.nz Phone 0800 246 637 International phone +64 9 360 5700

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Showrooms and distributors throughout New Zealand; visit tiletrends.co.nz for details.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Duncan Innes COVER STYLING Alice Lines

DA N I S H D E S I G N S I N C E 19 5 2 | B O C O N C EP T.C O M AU C K L A N D | W E L L I N GTO N | C H R I STC H U R C H

STYLE

Style 16

Shop

18

Bookmarks

22

Buyer’s guide

24

Paint trends

28

Form & function

Turn to page 28 for ways to make your home both more organised and more attractive. Our ideas could be just the beginning.

homest yle 15

STYLE —— Shop

Scout

We’ve been shopping for your home.

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT Extend your ‘get more greens’ resolution from your plate to your walls with paints from Dulux’s Cultivate collection. One of four palettes in the 2020 Dulux Colour Forecast, it features nature’s best verdant shades, all of which conjure a sense of renewal ideal for this time of year, with a dash of nostalgia stirred in. The dusty leaf-green pictured here is Dulux Tauherenīkau. dulux.co.nz

SHELL BE RIGHT There, there, summer’s not over yet, and you can channel the vibe whatever the weather with this beachy velvet cushion. It’s made in several shades and sizes by New York artist and designer Tamar Mogendorff, whose enchanting stitched creations (including birds and seahorses) have been dubbed ‘soft sculptures’. tamarmogendorff.com

GO FOR A SPIN

sony.co.nz

JOLLY GOOD In a selection of their front-running designs printed onto lightweight linen, English brand Fermoie’s gathered lampshades have a posh British-heritage look that’s rather dashing with antique furniture and objects. If your aesthetic is more modern than ma’am, they make great statement pieces — we love the dotty Quartz pattern, seen here in green and pink. theivyhouse.co.nz

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Words: Philippa Prentice

Authentic old-school for the new decade, Sony’s PS-LX310 turntable rocks some serious big deck energy. Among other high-tech perks, the bluetooth vinyl record player lets you connect to any wireless speaker or headphones, and delivers a rich, balanced sound.

EARTHLY DELIGHT Again with the lamps but we can’t not bring this curious creation to your attention. Part of Sunshine Coast ceramicist Madeline King’s body of work, Earth Darlings, it’s handcrafted from clay stained with iron oxide and painted with porcelain, then lit from within by an Edison bulb. greenhouseinteriors.com.au

YOUR WORLD OF INSPIRATION

BIG LITTLE LIE-DOWNS There’s nothing too fancy about Dehei’s plain and simple bedding, which is just the way we and the Auckland label’s founder Daniela Schmidhalter like it. The organic cotton knit fabric it’s made of, however, is so unbelievably comfortable, it makes having even a wee nap kind of a big deal — and it’s now ready to shop in an expanded range of hues. dehei.co

2020 CO LLE C TIO N

THREE CHEERS Hip hip hooray! You may predominately associate historic company Thonet’s pieces with your favourite bar and eatery fit-outs, but with the launch of the Thonet Home 2020 collection curated by the Wellington founders of the brand’s New Zealand outpost, it’ll be easy to style your house with items by Thonet (including its iconic bentwood chairs, like the three pictured above), plus other esteemed names such as Artek and Emeco. thonethome.co.nz

Discover the latest designer tiles with Tile Space’s 2020 Collection.

Download your copy at TILESPACE.CO.NZ

STYLE —— Bookmarks

Top shelf

Your other favourite reads.

Move over, yoga — thanks to the patience and practice it requires, many urbanites are turning to gardening as a remedy to the rush, rush, rush. Nothing makes you feel more grounded than actually putting your hands in the dirt and, just like tree pose, helping plants to flourish isn’t as tricky as it looks. Melbourne founder of The Plant Society Jason Chongue notes that with space at a premium in our cities and homes, man-made is often prioritised over nature, but says you don’t need a backyard to own plants that bring you daily joy. Every page of his guide to growing greenery in smaller homes and offices is inspirational and informative, but it’s chapters four and five that will carry you through, with their solid advice and casualtypreventing suggestions. Jason has 400-plus thriving plants at his place, so you can take his words for it.

TOP Choose plants with textures and growth habits that relate to the design elements in your home.

RIGHT Styling aids can let plants breathe visually, while raising them up to their optimal light conditions. OPPOSITE LEFT Minimise the effect of artificial heating and cooling systems by placing plants a metre or two away from vents. OPPOSITE RIGHT Potted gardens are about balance, achieved here with a mix of short and tall plants.

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Words: Philippa Prentice. Green photography: Armelle Habib

Green by Jason Chongue (Hardie Grant, $37)

IN BRIEF The Essence — Discovering the World of Scent, Perfume & Fragrance

The Essence (Gestalten, $120) What do Hollywood, the internet and the climate crisis smell like? How does our olfactory system even work, what’s involved in the creation of perfume and where does the civet cat come in?

So many crucial questions are answered in this meticulously researched read.

Making sense of the mysterious power of fragrance, it examines science, history and culture to shed light on aromas’ visceral allure. Like the captivating whiff of an indelible moment past, it’s so absorbing, it’ll stop you in your tracks.

Dove Grey Vintage Linen

Inspired by Nature by Hans Blomquist (Ryland Peters & Small, $50) Swedish art director and interior stylist Hans began his career at Ikea but today is in hot demand globally for his wild and wonderfully rustic aesthetic that’s the antithesis of ‘catalogue’. The garden of his childhood home backed onto a forest and instilled in him the deep love of nature that’s become a signature of his work. Here, he instructs how to infuse our houses with charm using items as accessible as dried grass.

Magic Spell

The Home Upgrade (Gestalten, $65) It takes imagination to renovate and can often be easier to start anew, but the rewards of reviving lovely bones are immense. The intriguing projects in this book take us around the world to former thises and thats converted into current masterpieces. They’ll open your mind to the architectural potential that lies within almost everything.

Parquet Simon Sunlight

SUBSCRIBE

Keep reading…

Don’t stop at your New Year interior goals — get fresh inspiration delivered to your door year-round.

Subscribe and get a year of homestyle (six issues) for only $51. You’ll receive your copies hot off the press and save $18 — 26% off the cover price.

Head to homestyle.co.nz or phone 0800 246 637.

SUBSCRIPTION SPECIAL

TERMS & CONDITIONS Offer valid for new and renewing subscription orders received before March 15, 2020. Subscribe-and-save offer available only for subscriptions delivered within New Zealand. International pricing is available — see homestyle.co.nz. Please allow up to eight weeks for the delivery of your first magazine. For any subscription queries, missing issues or changes of address, call 0800 246 637.

20 homest yle

Seven Sisters, the new wallpaper collection

by MissPrint. Exclusively available from Artisan, along with thousands of other wallpaper designs.

Auckland Christchurch artisancollective.co.nz/missprint

STYLE —— Buyer’s guide

Head office

Show disorganisation who’s boss with items that bring leading design to the t nine-to-five.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT 1 Catifa Sensit Conference chairs by Arper, from $2900 each, ufl.co.nz. 2 WF-1000XM3 earphones, $450, sony.co.nz. 3 Happy bin by Vitra, $80, cittadesign.com. 4 Classic leather ruled notebook by Moleskine, $68, milligram.com. 5 Balance lamp by Milligram, $319, fatherrabbit.com. 6 Folded shelf by Muuto, $231, bauhaus.co.nz. 7 Philodendron Red Congo plant, $28, plantandpot.nz; in Oslo planter by General Eclectic, $34, sundayhomestore.co.nz. 8 Palladio shelves by Artifort, from $3500, ufl.co.nz. 9 Swirl bookends by Tom Dixon, $585, ecc.co.nz. 10 Takeaway cup, $50, kwceramics.com.au. 11 Day clock, $185, backhousenz.com. 12 Toolboxes by Trusco, $48 each, everyday-needs.com. 13 Letter rack, $30, poketo.com. 14 Multicolour Round tray, $50, tradeaid.org.nz. 15 Tokyo tote by Bellroy, $155, milligram.com. 16 Aurora reversible-cover notebook, $22, afdstore.co.nz. 17 Bento box, $49, paperplanestore.com. 18 Pouches, $40/set, kikki-k.com. 19 Lucite stapler, $40, poketo.com.

22 homest yle

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RESENE —— Paint trends

The Looks from eras past make a welcome return in these rooms for little ones — with some 2020 give and take.

comeback ST YLIN G

PH OTO G R APHY

Sam van Kan

M elanie Jenkins

kids

Paint trends —— RESENE

Fresh ’50s

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Complete with a cosy nook, this space channels a midcentury domestic mood with a nostalgic palette of pastels punctuated by bold accents.

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In children’s bedrooms, nooks such as this offer a nifty way to separate play and study zones from the sleep space.

Or you could have a desk built into a wardrobe or add a games area under an elevated bed.

Painted triangles on the floor are a fun take on the Formica surfaces that gained popularity in the 1950s.

To achieve this look, paint the entire floor in two coats of Resene Walk-on in Resene Half Spanish White and allow to dry. Use painter’s tape to create a large-squared grid on the floor, then more to make triangles in random corners of the squares.

Use Resene testpots (we chose Resene

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Nourish, Resene Aura, Resene Raindance, Resene Soulful, Resene Sunbaked and Resene Moonlight) to paint each triangle with two coats of paint. Allow to dry, then remove the tape.

Savvy shoppers will be surprised how easy to find and inexpensive vintage Kiwi school desks are. We refurbished this one by removing the legs then sanding down the timber. Prime the timber using Resene Quick Dry primer and the legs with Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer, then paint them in your chosen colours; we opted for Resene Aura for the timber and Resene Soulful for the legs. >

BACKDROP Main walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Half Duck Egg Blue; nook wall in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Soulful; nook window frame in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Atlas; desk in Resene Quick Dry primer, Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer, Resene Aura and Resene Soulful; floor in Resene Walk-on in Resene Half Spanish White, Resene Nourish, Resene Aura, Resene Raindance, Resene Soulful, Resene Sunbaked and Resene Moonlight, resene.co.nz. OPPOSITE, FROM LEFT Apartment building blocks, $229/set, dappermrbear.com. Vintage desk, $10, trademe. co.nz. Form light triangle, $169, fatherrabbit.com.

Lines Dusty Blue notebook, $16; Cahiers notebooks, $38/set of three; Super Sprinkles notebook, $24; bookmark, $26; paperplanestore.com. Classic Skyline fountain pen, $59; Hang It pegboard, $89, fatherrabbit.com. DLine kitchen twine, $10, spotlightstores.com. Epoca P ballpoint pen, $10, fatherrabbit.com. Penco scissors, $23; cards, $8 each, paperplanestore.com. Apple Of My Eye washi tape, $35/set of six, littlewhimsy.co.nz. Tip Ton chair

by Vitra, $459, cittadesign.com. Globe cushion, $195, madegood.co.nz. Silk Yoryu fabric (used as curtain), $24/m, thefabricstoreonline.com. Straw Botanical pillowcase, $89/pair; flat sheet, $125/ single, fatherrabbit.com. Quilted linen blanket, $169, cittadesign.com. ADDITIONAL ITEMS ABOVE Shell Kisses pillowcase, $89/pair, fatherrabbit.com. Disc Squab cushion, $160, madegood.co.nz.

Resene Half Duck Egg Blue

Resene Half Spanish White

Resene Soulful

Resene Sunbaked

Resene Nourish

Resene Raindance

homest yle 25

RESENE —— Paint trends

Paint trends —— RESENE

Overt ’80s

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Reference the statement hues and geometric patterns of the Memphis design movement while maximising a small space for small people.

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Think outside the box with rings suspended from the ceiling, adding gym mats underneath to protect daring little monkeys.

A built-in desk lets a bedroom evolve as children grow, graduating from colouring-in and crafts to more serious study.

Use a magnetic wall to display art or create an ever-changing mural.

We used two basecoats of Resene FX Magnetic Magic followed by two topcoats of Resene Thumbs Up to make our wall magnetic, then made magnets using magnetic sheets and

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mat boards painted with Resene Shabby Chic, Resene Poppy, Resene Submerge and Resene Despacito.

A grid on the floor can provoke all kinds of play. Paint the floor in two coats of a dark shade — we used Resene Walk-on in Resene Charcoal.

Once dry, use painter’s tape to mask a grid pattern over the top, firmly pressing down the edges of the tape.

Use a roller to paint the entire surface with two coats of pale paint — we used Resene Walk-on in Resene Poured Milk. Allow to dry, then remove the tape.

BACKDROP Left wall in Resene FX Magnetic Magic and Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Thumbs Up; remaining walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Shabby Chic; floor in Resene Walk-on in Resene Charcoal and Resene Poured Milk; desk in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Shabby Chic and Resene Submerge; bench seat in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Poppy; magnets in Resene Shabby Chic, Resene Poppy, Resene Submerge and Resene Despacito, resene.co.nz. OPPOSITE, FROM LEFT Magnetic sheets, $11/set of 10, spotlightstores.com. Crescent Black Core mat boards, $25 each, gordonharris.co.nz. Expressway track, $119/16 pieces, dappermrbear.com. Hot dog van, $35; sedan, $23; doughnut truck, $35; police car, $23; egg carton, $19, littlewhimsy.co.nz.

Gym rings, $95/pair, torpedo7.co.nz. Arnold Circus stool, $250, paperplanestore.com. Craft paper, $6/5m, spotlightstores.com. Crayons, $13, littlewhimsy.co.nz. Balance board by Wobbel, $279, dappermrbear.com. ADDITIONAL ITEM ABOVE Number cubes, $99, littlewhimsy.co.nz.

Resene Shabby Chic

Resene Poured Milk

Resene Poppy ppy

Resene Thumbs Up

Resene Submerge

Resene Charcoal

homest yle 27

STYLE —— Form & function

New year, new resolve to get it together? When your home is operating smoothly, you’ll be ready to take on the world.

ST YLIN G

PH OTO G R APHY

Juliet te Want y

Wendy Fenwick

BACKDROP (throughout) Walls in Resene Double Blanc, resene.co.nz.

Floor in Breath Natural tiles, $79.50/m2, tiles.co.nz. OPPOSITE, ON SHELF, FROM LEFT Card holder, $17, milligram.com. The Sound of Magique print by Hotel Magique, $95, fatherrabbit.com. Clock by Karlsson, $145, koop.co.nz. ON DESK, FROM LEFT Desk tiled with Magma Coral Pink tiles, $99.50/m 2, tilespace.co.nz, and painted with Resene Rustic Red, resene.co.nz.

Isosceles book stand, $145, powersurge.co.nz. Puggy’s Best High Stationer notebook by Hightide, $23, milligram.com. Grooved mug, $20, orient-nz.com. Blackwing pencils by Palomino, $6 each, crisphome.co.nz. Swirl hourglass, $39, boconcept.co.nz. Fat dining chair by Tom Dixon, $2140, ecc.co.nz.

Penco clipboard, $23, and Margin notepad by Hightide, $27, milligram. com. Robusto mechanical pencil

by Astier de Villatte, $28, tessuti. co.nz. Shelter table lamp, $849, boconcept.co.nz.

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set

Assistants: Sheenae McKenzie and Todd Neal

Al l

Incognito office If you don’t have a home office but really need to take care of business, create a dedicated study nook in another space that’s as good-looking as it is comfortable and functional. Make it a highlight not a blight on the rest of the room by investing in an elegant desk and chair, and choosing well-designed workaday essentials.

Tall order Built-in vertical shelving is a hack for orderly living that helps you start as you mean to continue. A combination of open shelves and closed cupboards allows you to display objects of desire while stashing some of the messier necessities of life close to hand. It also confines the busyness to one wall, maintaining a more minimalist overall effect than items dotted all over the room.

Form & function —— STYLE

Long game Marrying organisation and personal expression, a well-styled shelf tells a story, so keep the visual journey top of mind. This is an ever-evolving project in which patience and curiosity are key. Follow your heart to arrange and rearrange as the mood or season takes you, integrating purely decorative items with others you put to good use (jugs, vases), plants and dried foliage. Large hero finds can stand alone; use books and magazines as a stage for smaller pieces.

OPPOSITE, FROM LEFT Beige Vintage linen fabric (used as a curtain), $46/m, marthas.co.nz. Bloom floor light by Tim Rundle for Resident, $940, simonjames. co.nz. Nayoma rug, $8084, artisancollective.co.nz. Juno Curve daybed, $3399, sorenliv.com. Disc Squab cushion by Klay, $160, tessuti.co.nz. Sequence 02 table by Coco Flip, $1250, cultdesign.co.nz. Grove dish, $80, cittadesign.com. Ionic handles, $119 each, powersurge.co.nz. ON SHELVES, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Komodo shell ornament, $195, cocorepublic.co.nz. Unglazed terracotta jug, $65, babelogue.shop. Vector dish, $269, boconcept.co.nz.

Stevie vase by Marloe Marloe, $340, seagardesign.com. Naibu bowl, $22, orient-nz.com. Onishi vase by Kerryn Levy, $415, seagardesign.com. Volcano vase by Kirsten Dryburgh, $47, widdess.co.nz. Bud vase by Prowd, $69, widdess.co.nz. Ikebana vase, $95, babelogue.shop. Riihitie plant pot by Aino Aalto for Artek, $129, cittadesign.com. Books stylist’s own.

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Best dressed Make a day of visiting your favourite boutiques to get ideas for your own dressing room.

Decluttering, swapping your wardrobe door for a graceful curtain or adding crafted lighting could make an everyday experience a much more luxe one.

BACKDROP Doorway in Resene Leather, resene.co.nz. ABOVE, FROM LEFT Cherry Plum linen-wool fabric (used as a curtain), $52/m, marthas.co.nz. Alice blouse, $499; Valencia dress, $549; Cameron blouse, $429; Box T dress, $279, juliettehogan.com. Wren stool, $495, cocorepublic.co.nz. Line Duo table lamp, $860, douglasandbec.com. Burgundy Lacquer tallboy, $950, babelogue.shop. Italian stone trivet, $256, mrandmrsward.nz. Beehive candlestick

by Walk in the Park, $98, tessuti.co.nz. Wynnie sunglasses, $179, isleofeden.co.nz. Clay pitcher, $140, fourth-st.com. Comb by David Parker for Oratia Valley Workshop, $59, widdess.co.nz. Lully vase by Marloe Marloe, $280, seagardesign.com. Big C recycled plastic mirror, $450, desseinparke.com.

ADDITIONAL ITEM OPPOSITE Nouveau incense holder by Walk in the Park, $65, tessuti.co.nz.

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Form & function —— STYLE

Quick drawers Exhibit thoughtful items used for your regular rituals and tuck away those that create chaos. But out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind or make for better living, so give yourself the gift of tidy drawers in which everything is instantly accessible. Uncluttered drawers are life-affirming — consider it an act of self-care to keep them that way.

Natural Timber for Unique Interiors CONTACT THE SPECIALISTS For your complimentary timber flooring consultation and samples

THE NEW MODA COLLECTION IS IN STORE NOW www.forte.co.nz 0508 35 66 77 | info@forteflooring.co.nz Showrooms in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown

PEOPLE

People 36

Artist profile

40

Design profile

44

Space to create

The tactile quality of Devyn Ormsby’s fruity works is just part of their appeal.

Overleaf we chat to her to find out how they’re made.

homest yle 35

glas s Captivating the eye and demanding to be touched, Devyn Ormsby’s fresh and fruity objects introduce her as one to watch.

act

INTERVIE W Alice Lines PH OTO G R APHY Jiho Yun

Artist profile —— PEOPLE

Devyn Ormsby has been drawn to art all her life. Four years after graduating from Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts, she says she feels very fortunate to be able to work in a creative field — but she’s so talented we think she had it coming.

“I spent a long time in the supermarket, looking at so many bananas, pears, lemons and mandarins.”

So, Devyn, what led to your exploration of glass as a medium? I’ve been working with glass for two years now. I made my first glass mandarin in December 2018 and gave it to my boyfriend’s mum for Christmas. After that, I began working on the rest of the fruit, which I launched in June last year.

I learned the casting process through my job at Lukeke Design. We primarily make glass birds that are sold in galleries locally and internationally. Everyone who works there has their own glass projects on the side, which encouraged me to experiment with my own.

We love the concept of fruit as art object — how did this come about? Fruit holds a large significance in art history, which is where I think the appeal comes from. I’d thought for a while about what I wanted to make and kept seeing vintage glass fruit in op shops. Brightly coloured with exaggerated forms, it was charming in its own outdated kind of way; I wondered where it came from, what its purpose was and who used to own it. Eventually I set about making a cast-glass version true to the form of actual fruit.

We hear it’s gained international interest… Yes, which is still so surprising to me! I had my Instagram ‘idols’ get in touch with me, which I was starstruck by and has already made the whole venture worthwhile.

What’s your process for making each piece? After spending a long time in the supermarket thinking about what fruit would work well, looking at so many bananas, pears, lemons and mandarins, I cast the fruit in silicone rubber and made plaster moulds around that. When these silicone plaster moulds are set, >

PERSONAL INTEREST Devyn says she’s inspired by “spontaneity, being open to mistakes or failures, not taking things too seriously, reading, travelling, architecture, photography, trying new food, going for walks, having a balance of art practice and life. I’m also really interested in how things are made — the production side of making. I like the process more than the outcome.”

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PEOPLE —— Artist profile

you remove the initial piece you’re casting and replace it with wax. You can then make replicas with the wax.

To make the glass pieces, I use a lost-wax casting technique, fettling each wax model, filling holes and removing any imperfections from the cast. Next, I make another mould of plaster and silica around the wax, then steam out the wax. I’m left with a positive copy of the original wax model, which is dried and placed in the kiln, where a pot of solid glass sits above the opening of the mould. The glass melts into the mould, then slowly cools down over a couple of days. I then remove the glass-filled moulds and cut through the built-up layers to reveal the cast piece.

The next stages involve cold-working, polishing and belt-sanding each object, then signing them and cleaning them up.

What informs the hues you use? I was set on having a limited colour range and wanted to use colours you wouldn’t expect of fruit. I also wanted the colours to be both striking individually and complementary when mixed. I find some colours hold or reflect light better than others, so I chose them with this in mind too.

Where do you create? I’d been making my fruit at work in Avondale in West Auckland but I recently got a kiln and set it up in my own studio nearby.

It isn’t much at the moment; it’s a dungeon-like space beneath my friend’s furniture company, Arkade, that’s functional but also a work in progress.

I plan to get it set up nicely, though, so people want to visit and hang out.

READY, STEADY… When asked what day-to-day rituals she undertakes to get in the mood for her studio practice, Devyn says, “Most days start with a morning wake-up snuggle from my cat Fern — and my boyfriend, I guess! — and a coffee; I’m loving a long black with cream at the moment. They’re my most consistent and key morning starters.”

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Is there anything on the cards that you’re particularly excited about for 2020? I’ve applied for a residency, so fingers crossed! I’m also planning to make another glass series. It probably won’t be fruit-related and I want to try incorporating a new material. I’m not in love with glass but I find it so intriguing and am really enjoying working with it. devonmadeglass.com

Of all the projects interior designer Janice Kumar-Ward has worked on, the refit of her own studio is one of her favourites.

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Design profile —— PEOPLE

Auckland’s Janice Kumar-Ward is one hard-working lady. When she’s not pushing boundaries at the helm of JKW Interior Architecture & Design and parenting her children Stella and Ted, she’s working on her side hustle as the ‘Mrs’ of Mr & Mrs Ward, the bespoke furniture business she runs with her husband Julian and his brother Tristan.

How long have you been director at JKW Interior Architecture & Design?

I started the business 11 years ago. Back then it was called The Recipe, but we rebranded in 2015 when we bought our current building in Newton to use as our workshop/studio. It was daunting but an unmissable opportunity to renovate a modernist building and start along this new path. Today I’m surrounded by doers — a work-hard, play-hard, kind and loyal team of seven staff, all of whom have skill sets that are invaluable.

What sort of projects do you work on? We can turn our hand to anything, residential or commercial, big or small. Peer reviewing is a new feather in our cap, where we work alongside an architect, construction team, project manager and often another designer to help a client fully understand what they’re getting.

It’s exciting to collaborate with some of Auckland’s best architects, artists and tradespeople — and our clients.

What have been some of your recent highlights? I love working in the regions. Last year, we completed the restoration of a historic house in Dunedin, a grand old dame that had been turned into three flats. Turning it back into a warm home for expat Kiwis inbound from Hong Kong was an incredible challenge.

We also worked on a fourthgeneration sheep station in a remote part of Gisborne, on a house that had its ceilings lowered in the ’70s by a practical farming family. A new generation wanted it to feel like it’d >

ABOVE Janice says she’s a social person, so she enjoys working collaboratively. “I’m not afraid to give everyone my opinion and love to hear theirs too.” LEFT The elegant file drawers behind the reception desk were made for Janice

by Julian. Atop them sits a gilded Recess mirror by Simon Lewis Wards and Sam Burton.

OPPOSITE This view into the drawing studio showcases the white palette and simple textures that provide a blank canvas for the JKW team’s work. A picture ledge at the rear of the room puts suppliers’ latest and greatest on display.

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LEFT Decorating the meeting room with its bespoke table by Mr & Mrs Ward are a French floor lamp by John Stephens, Otto chair by Tim Webber, No B49 Le Corbusier chairs by Thonet and pendant lights by Flos. The trivet on the table was a gift from Italian Stone that inspired Janice and Julian to collaborate on others for their 10 Favourite Things project.

I were about to build a new house in rural West Auckland when we got the speed wobbles and started wondering what we could buy in town. That’s when I stumbled across this 1967 building that was once the headquarters of Wattyl paints. I saw straight away that it had a really high stud, natural light and carparking, and was accessible to all the motorways. We couldn’t afford it on our own, so we bought it with a like-minded couple. We cut the 300m2 floor area in half, giving us a 150m 2 studio and the other space to tenant out.

Was much of a renovation required?

We had to completely gut it. We took the interior back to the shell, removing a suspended ceiling coated in deadly asbestos to reveal the concrete-ribbed subfloor and taking out asbestos floor tiles, and restored the original steel windows and doors.

been there forever but have some modern takes that acknowledged their personality. They chose some very bold wallpaper and textiles and classic finishes that have transformed the home.

We’re currently working on a Brent Hulena-designed house in Whangapoua on the Coromandel that was in impeccable original condition. Our goal is to honour its design and give it another 30 years of life.

You also run Mr & Mrs Ward with your husband — what does that entail? Mr & Mrs Ward offers designers, architects and everyone else bespoke furniture made in New Zealand without the 42 homest yle

guesswork. We also recently embarked on our 10 Favourite Things project to mark 10 years of Mr & Mrs Ward and 10 years of marriage, working with some of our regular collaborators to create objects we love and use in our own home. The exciting, timeless pieces include art prints, candlesticks, pillowcases, marble trivets, cutting boards, a kindling axe and a fire pit.

They’re things that celebrate the relationships that build through shared creativity.

So tell us about the building your JKW studio operates from… It’s been one of my favourite projects to date. Julian and

What inspired the interior aesthetic?

A desire for flexibility and to show off what we do. I wanted a fun, light-filled space where the team felt at home and that spoke to our clients. We used diaphanous curtaining to divide off the spaces — which helped with the budget — put in a kitchen and bathroom, and designed a sample ledge so we can display our suppliers’ new samples. The snack drawer is always full, there’s a shower with towels and bodywash, and we also have a pull-down bed so Julian and I can use it as our city bolthole.

What else inspires you? Everything!

My children and husband, our clients, fashion, art, gardens. Also, my peers; I follow lots of designers on Instagram.

I love magazines and Pinterest, films in bed on a winter’s day — like old Bond films, just for the love of the interiors.

And travel, too. I went to New York for my birthday last year and it was next-level inspiration. I could live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Whitney Museum of American Art. jkw.nz

Design profile —— PEOPLE

TOP LEFT A pull-down bed by Mr & Mrs Ward is hidden behind sliding doors in a space that provides privacy and extra storage — and houses Janice’s weekday wardrobe of meeting attire and activewear. The lights overhead are from Mr Ralph, the bolster is by You’re Welcome and the printed pillows are

by Christian Lacroix. MIDDLE LEFT The bathroom expertly combines Cole & Son wallpaper, a vanity table by Mr & Mrs Ward, Winckelmans tiles and Pan tapware by Zuchetti from Robertson. BOTTOM LEFT Janice designed this shaped vanity then had it made in Silver Brown Wave marble by Italian Stone. The mirrored cabinetry and wall-to-wall drawers are another Mr & Mrs Ward creation.

Wallpaper by Thibaut surrounds it all, lit by pendant lights picked up in Bali.

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PEOPLE —— Space to create

True to form George & Willy makers George Wilkins and Will McCallum have a new-look workspace and, of course, it’s not your average office.

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From humble beginnings in their parents’ sheds, George and Willy the duo has grown into George & Willy the team, and with a renovated office and an edited-down range, their business has never felt better.

We asked them all about it.

When did you decide to pare down your offerings? George: We used to just make anything we wanted to without much thought to the commercial aspect of the products. It was a good way to be, but we ended up with quite a few items that didn’t really sell that well, so it’s been a natural process of trying new products and only keeping

Space to create —— PEOPLE GO TEAM Some of the crew from left: Fin Woods, Will, George, Phoebe Paterson and Will Hyndman. They’ve recently made an e-book that outlines DIY projects you can try at home, including a how-to for making these huts.

the ones that are extraordinary.

Will: Our focus now is on making display products for hospitality spaces, businesses and homes. In saying that, we have kept a few of our old favourites, including the firestarter and hanging drying rack. The majority of our products are sent overseas, so shipping costs are a key consideration.

Your Studio Roller paper roller really kicked it off for you guys internationally — what’s it like being a world-wide supplier of everyday tools? W: It’s fun!

It means that we get to work with a wide range of customers. We’ve sent our products to more than 80 countries.

Who are your customers these days?

W: They’re often businesses wanting to elevate their spaces through little details, from a café looking for a menu display, to a tech company seeking creative signage. We’ve had some pretty cool orders lately. Jamie Oliver bought a Studio Roller for his child’s room, and some big companies such as Airbnb, New York Times, Microsoft, Google and Nike have purchased various products for their spaces.

Yet you’re still based at the Mount.

W: We love it. It takes everyone about five minutes to get to work and everything’s so easy. George

and I both grew up here, so we have strong ties to the region.

You recently gave your workshop an overhaul — what instigated the renovation? W: Our space is a 160m2 industrial unit that used to be a boat mechanic’s workshop. We’ve been working in it for about four years and it was turning into a rabbit warren with things accumulating in every corner.

Originally, we built a mezzanine office on pallet racking and we’d work up there and use the downstairs area for our workshop, but recently we decided to start fresh. We had a garage sale to clear everything out, dismantled the > homest yle 45

PEOPLE —— Space to create

mezzanine, painted the walls and floor white, and built work huts for each of us. It’s worked wonders.

What guided the aesthetic? G: We’ve spent the past few years making products that make other spaces fun, so it was an extension of that. We wanted it to be quite a basic shell, with interesting features throughout it.

W: It needed to serve several purposes, to be an office, a photo studio, a dustfree workshop, and somewhere we could host events, including the weekly yoga classes we’ve started. We thought white would be the best colour and it’s such a nice contrast to our previous space.

How did the huts come about? G: They were a practical solution to a heating problem. Our studio has a tin roof and gets pretty cold in winter, and now we can heat each hut individually. They give us each a cosy little desk space, providing a happy medium between 46 homest yle

being in one room together and having our own space. We can focus and avoid getting distracted, while also being able to hang out.

It looks like you get a good chance to road-test your range here… W: Our workshop walls are always covered with prototypes and ideas. If we’re thinking about a new product, we can build it in the workshop and whack it up on the wall while we consider it in more depth.

We use our existing products to display our goals and shopping lists.

What’s a regular day like at G&W HQ? W: There’s lots of variety, which keeps things exciting. Usually there’s a bit of design and a few products to be made, some customer service, some product design and some photos/video to be taken. We’re currently focusing on improving our packaging to make opening it more fun for our customers.

It’s all going to be plastic free.

How do you like to start the day before cracking on with work?

W: Life at the Mount is well suited to making the most of the early mornings. Some of us run up the Mount each morning — rain, hail or shine — some of us go surfing, and sometimes we even play golf.

You can tee off at 7am and be at work by 8.30. We’re pretty lucky in that regard.

G: We’ve recently bought a coffee machine, so generally everyone arrives at work and makes a coffee before getting into it. We’ve also started hosting 6am yoga classes in the studio with our yoga instructor friend Sarah Gunson, which is always a good start to the day. It’s a pretty fit and active workplace. I have a labrador puppy called Frida who comes to work every day and takes up a bit of time — she’s pretty fun to play with! georgeandwilly.com

Space to create —— PEOPLE

ABOVE The custom-made décor is designed to be easily moved around, including Frida’s doghouse. The Park Display and Atelier Letters (above right and opposite) are George & Willy products. OPPOSITE, MIDDLE A swing behind the huts provides a place to think, let off steam and shift creative blocks. It was one of the first products the guys ever made but is now out of production, so they love that they’ve come full circle and used it in their refit.

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ENTRIES OPEN Dulux and Porter’s Paints invite architects, interior designers, specifiers, colour consultants and students of interior design or architecture to submit work that celebrates exceptional and innovative use of colour across interior and exterior commercial, public and residential spaces.

Award Categories Commercial Interior - Workplace and Retail Commercial Interior - Public and Hospitality Commercial and Multi-residential Exterior Residential Interior Single Residential Exterior Student (Years 1-6) Grand Prix - New Zealand Entrants Grand Prix - Australian Entrants

Key Dates Entries close Thursday 27 Feburary 2020 Finalists Announced Thursday 19 March 2020 Winners Announced Wednesday 6 May 2020

ENTER ONLINE NOW www.dulux.co.nz/colourawards Dulux and Colour Awards are registered trade marks of DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd.

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On page 62, meet a couple whose plans to do up and sell up flew out the window when they realised they could have it all right here.

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Join us at a spectacular new property where you can almost touch the sky.

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High on a hill in Te Arai, just south of Northland’s Mangawhai, sits a home that has views as far as the eye can see. With the tinkle of a yet-to-be-explored waterfall dancing on the breeze and plenty of room to roam, if you ask Melanie and James Sax, heaven is this place on earth.

Then owners of two Auckland cafés, they were renting in the city while building, decorating and staging homes for James’s family’s 550-acre Te Arai Farm Estate when it got under their skin. The gated development, which includes Aotearoa’s largest truffle farm, “is just amazing,” says Melanie. “We were like, ‘We need to live here! Why don’t we move up?’”

Their “northern migration” signed and sealed, the couple collaborated with friend and architectural designer Fraser Horton to deliver a robust, family-friendly dream dwelling. Constructed by 3D Builders, it has a simple, boxy geometry, the strong lines of the flat roof juxtaposing the rolling hills.

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couple and their children (Ryder, Daisy and Amos) together, while smaller kids’ bedrooms encourage outdoor play. Bifold doors unzip key areas front and back for flow-through access to lawns, outdoor dining, an infinity pool and a conversation pit that offer adaptable living whatever the weather.

“We wanted to create a place built on love and peace for our family and others to enjoy, where the children can run free and we can be uplifted by the natural beauty of the land,” says James of the home aptly built on Aroha Road. “We like the design of the ’70s, so Fraser really chased that look for us.”

Forming a visual vernacular that unites inside and out, the material and colour palette is succinct: white, wood and concrete. With views like this often comes wind, so the exterior of the south side is protected by engineered concrete blocks. Leading decisively from the arrival courtyard to the entrance and out to the first glimpse of the framed view beyond, all 197 of the 430kg >

ABOVE & OPPOSITE The pool area is all about people, says James. “We wanted to have a place to party! Barbecue on, cold bevvies, all kids in the pool and the mums relaxing in the fire pit.” The children love toasting marshmallows out here and the pool is a manageable size. Having it cantilevered out over the grass means part of it can safely remain unobstructed by a fence, and when the garden

by Rochford Landscapes has grown up around it, it’ll blend in with the environment even more. PREVIOUS PAGE From left: Wyatt stool by Coco Republic, vase by Shiho Hayashi and container by Shuhei Narita from Astute Assembly, tonal cushions by Klay (round) and Città (rectangular), and chair custom-made in Bali.

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THE PROJECT Interior designer Melanie Sax and her property developer husband James built this four-bedroom home in Te Arai for themselves and their children Ryder (7), Daisy (5) and baby Amos.

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DINING Sandblasted in-situ concrete blocks by Terrazzo & Stoneworks form the backbone of the home, continuing through from the exterior to define the living areas. The 3m stud height of the ceiling here creates a sense of lightness that’s tempered by the fullheight drapes from Lahood that surround the room. Hidden in the timber that extends past the pendant lights bought in Bali is a recessed latch that opens the wall to reveal a self-contained guest wing/ home office.

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ABOVE LEFT Calming colours team with texture to create an enhanced simplicity that complements the world outside. Pieces seen here include a bolster cushion by Sunday x You’re Welcome, a Bellevue lamp by &tradition from Dawson & Co, a rug by Nodi and a vase by Shiho Hayashi from Astute Assembly on a timber table bought in Bali.

The fireplace by Escea is set in Tundra marble from Artedomus.

ABOVE RIGHT Terrazzo & Stoneworks also created the home’s subtly marbled flooring, which is so hardy that Ryder can happily skateboard on it without Melanie and James batting an eyelid. The dining table and chairs were also custom-made in Bali.

blocks lend the house a weight that can sometimes be lacking in a new build. Siberian larch provides a textural and colour contrast.

Having lived life in the fast lane for years, when the plans for the house were in motion, the family decamped to Bali for three months to reboot. It put interior designer Melanie in the right headspace to visualise the interior and work with Bali locals to design and have custom-made virtually everything she needed to style it. “I had a clear idea for a simple, calm and clean look achieved using quality materials that are timeless and wear well,” she says.

“My thing was using texture rather than bold colour.”

The family’s urban-to-rural transition has proved equally uncomplicated. James, who works in commercial property, commutes to Auckland three days a week, carpooling with mates he meets at the end of the road at 4.40am. “We get a coffee and chuck on a podcast, and everyone’s a bit silent till we get to State Highway 1 and we’ve got a bit of

caffeine in the blood, and then it’s like, ‘Oh hi, mate!’ — it’s great camaraderie. I’m in the office by 6am, then out of there at about 3.30pm. I get the best of both worlds —the balance of lifestyle and the hustle of the city. I’m more relaxed at home and more productive at work.”

On the remaining weekdays, he beavers away in the home office/guest room — a wing with its own bathroom and kitchenette accessed through a secret panel in the wall beside the front door.

For all its enviable breathing space, the house is only a few minutes from the township and beach. Extended family members visit often, close friends with kids of similar ages live right next door, and Melanie and James are steadily recruiting others to join them in this special spot.

“Te Arai from sunrise to sunset is surreal — the vista is constantly changing,” says Melanie. “For us, life is so much easier. It’s the perfect mix of retreating, entertaining and adventure. It’s better than I could ever have imagined.” homest yle 55

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“We feel so grateful that we can live with so much beauty around us, from the scenery to the local community.”

KITCHEN The smooth-as-silk yet easy-to-maintain Corian benchtop contrasts with the grooved cabinetry by Sharp & Page and the island’s textural bagged bricks — the latter a cost-effective solution that echoes an exterior wall in the outdoor dining area beyond, where there’s also a raised vege bed and a trampoline sunk into the ground.

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ABOVE LEFT & BELOW RIGHT Melanie had several sofas made in Bali. “Everyone thought I was crazy getting a white couch for a country house with three kids, but I think you’ve just gotta go with it,” she says of this one.

“The kids know they can do whatever they want with the playroom couch, but you don’t jump on Mummy’s white couch that she’s wanted for a long time!” The bar stools were a local find from Williams Road.

ABOVE RIGHT An integrated rangehood and fridge by Fisher & Paykel create a streamlined effect in the kitchen, punctuated by a cooktop and ovens by Smeg.

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ABOVE RIGHT & BELOW LEFT The master bedroom is divided by a part wall, behind which sits an ensuite with a mirror from OneWorld Collection and a floating vanity the whole family helped Terrazzo & Stoneworks to make, heading down to Te Arai Beach to select shells to mix into the concrete. Next to the bed beautified by cushions from Penney & Bennett, stacked timber ‘pebbles’ made in Bali form a bedside table and are also used for all sorts by the kids; they like to separate them to stand on while brushing their teeth. OPPOSITE Less expensive but no less appealing than the couple’s first-choice cedar (which they opted to use only for the battens on the garage), the Siberian larch timber that features inside and out is a hard-wearing hardwood.

Outside, the couple softened the look with whitewash.

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ABOVE LEFT Being rural, it was important to have a well-functioning laundry with outdoor access that stops mud being trekked inside. A stacked washer and dryer by Whirlpool make good use of the available space. ABOVE RIGHT The couple kept the kids’ bedrooms small and simple to encourage them to play outside. Melanie doesn’t like clutter, so was set on having good storage throughout the house. An entire wall of Ryder and Daisy’s room is devoted to this with a built-in wardrobe and drawers, and Amos’s sleep space is its mirror image. These fun bunks are by Magic of Wood.

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EXTERIOR Between the gas brazier made from a planter, the oversized umbrella from Shade7 that can be swung out over the pool and the comfortable squabs by Hanox Upholstery, the family can really maximise their time out here. Daisy likes to use the pine deck as a stage on which to perform for the cows, which come right up to the house. “Saves on lawn mowing,� quips James.

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The last thing the owners of this one-time little blue cottage expected was to develop a crush.

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THE PROJECT Architect Maria Hosking and her builder husband James renovated this three-bedroom home in Auckland’s Avondale for themselves and their son George (1).

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ABOVE With towering totara and rimu on the neighbouring land on one side and a gorgeous maple on the other, outside the scene was set for greatness. Everything has grown like mad in soil that was formerly part of a market garden, including the olive and citrus trees along the front fence. OPPOSITE Cedar sliders open onto a courtyard where the garapa steps are intended to double as seating. The exterior of the home is painted Resene Double Black White. PREVIOUS PAGE The dried display above the built-in cabinet in the dining area was created by Mark Antonia for the couple’s wedding. The blue vessel below it is by Neil Castle and the bowl is by Dinosaur Designs.

One-year-old George Hosking may not be an architect like his mum or a builder like his dad, but he’s a hands-on judge of form-follows-function design. Now that he’s getting around a bit more, he can vouch for many elements in the Avondale, Auckland home he shares with his parents Maria and James: the built-in daybed in the dining area where he likes to snooze in the morning light; the low-silled window in the olds’ bedroom that means he can be busy in the garden and still keep one eye on Mum; the way the winter sun warms up the concrete floor, keeping his toes toasty while he zooms his wooden crane up and down the corridor; and the custom-made mobile kitchen unit filled with pots and pans at just the right height to make a convenient play station.

Yes, life is pretty good in the Hosking household, yet when the couple bought here five years ago, they considered it a temporary move. Maria, an associate at Strachan Group Architects, was working full-time and completing her Master’s thesis at night, so she put her complete trust in James to seek out a property they could afford, never even laying eyes on the

65m2 home before they settled by private sale. When she finally saw it, she was confronted with a cottage painted baby blue.

It’d been moved onto the site in the 1970s and there was no flow between its spaces or connection to the generous backyard.

She was unfazed. “We thought we’d just do it up and sell,” she says. “We didn’t intend to stay.”

With Maria’s eye for spatial synchronicity and James’s resources (he owns building company JR Hosking Carpenters & Co), they had what could be called the best-laid plans. They didn’t count on falling for the charms of this area close to town, in a quiet street with a backdrop of mature trees. Within a year, six groups of friends had moved into the suburb. The renovations took on new meaning.

With James and some of his team on the job, they relocated for five months while the work took place. Walls were removed to achieve a visual link from the front deck, past the kitchen and centralised dining area to the rear courtyard, and the remaining walls were lined with grooved ply to give the unremarkable bones a characterful lift. > homest yle 65

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ABOVE In the kitchen — off which a small scullery contains appliances and a coffee machine — a stainless steel shelf holds a Japanese teapot and cups the couple received as a gift, a basket by Ruth Castle, and a mortar and pestle and rice bowls from Everyday Needs. The custom-designed mobile island unit can be moved around as the occasion requires; the artwork beside it is by the couple’s friend James Tolich.

“We put negative detail top and bottom to make it more modern,” says Maria, whose design focus was also on creating that missing flow and crafting a bedroom wing. The bathroom and kitchen were kept in the same place to take advantage of the existing plumbing, and a toilet and hot water cupboard in a lean-to were transformed into a scullery off the new kitchen.

The couple invested for maximum impact while economising with their own labour and clever design choices. The kitchen is a case in point, with its richly coloured American walnut cabinet fronts and slender stainless steel top. “I drew up the design and had the timber CNC cut, then James and I put it together and glued and clamped the benchtop,” says Maria.

Because there was no space for an island, a custom-made mobile unit is a flexible stand-in. The large-format slate tiles that form its counter were another huge saving. “They were an eighth of the cost of a single slab of slate,” says Maria. The cedar slats used for the shelving were repurposed offcuts from a pergola the couple built over the front deck.

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that tucks in beneath the roofline at a right angle to the original home. It effectively doubles the footprint and wraps the courtyard garden into the architecture. A glazed corridor running its length allows a connection to the outdoors rain or shine. On summer days, American walnut sliders with a pelmet detail close over the doorways to the bedrooms so they become like a furniture cabinet within the form; in winter, glass doors maintain the outlook to the garden while passive solar gain warms up the sleep spaces.

In the extreme north-east corner of the property, a concrete ‘bookend’ creates an entertainment zone that draws the eye.

Poured in-situ, the seating is akin to a brutalist bus stop but softened with squabs that tone in with the trees. A fire bowl placed on crazy paving made of Northland stone is a catalyst for companionable times.

With Oscar the bordoodle waiting patiently nearby for love and leftovers, the scene could be straight out of a storybook.

The Hoskings have fashioned the perfect family home. George, for one, approves.

DINING Highlights in this space include Bush Forms artworks

by Maria’s mum Kieran Taylor, a stoneware pendant light by Adam Cornish from Cult and a set of stackable Bo chairs

by Philippe Starck that’ll be bulletproof during George’s toddler years.

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LIVING Maria’s parents’ old leather sofa has become a viewing platform for George.

“He likes to sit here and watch the comings and goings on the street,” she says. The modular Arcade sofa by Simon James was an investment purchase.

Above it hangs New Moon to Waxing Gibbous by Kate van der Drift from Sanderson.

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ABOVE LEFT A Studio wood burner by Peter Haythornthwaite for Warmington is all that’s needed to keep the compact original part of the home warm. A green-velvet Isabella chair by Simon James adds a shot of colour here. ABOVE RIGHT The Lundia shelves in George’s bedroom were customised with Resene Tiara and the Akari light sculpture by Noguchi was a fortunate find on eBay. BELOW With the sliding doors to the bedrooms closed and those to the courtyard open, the indoor-outdoor connection is extended.

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ABOVE LEFT Woven works by Ruth Castle and an AJ table lamp by Arne Jacobsen from Derlook contrast with neutral bed linen from Città in the master bedroom, which has a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite. ABOVE RIGHT Beyond the floating tawa stairs between the original home and the extension is the renovated main bathroom, in which a wall-hung sink was used to maximise space. Maria designed the bathrooms’ mirror units: half is a cabinet, while in the other half the mirror is recessed to form a walnut shelf.

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The couple invested for maximum impact while economising with their own labour and clever design choices.

MAIN BATHROOM Lateafternoon light floods into the ensuite, making the Appiani mosaic tiles from Artedomus glow, while the decked floor lends this space a holiday feel.

Also seen here is M&Z Sanremo tapware from Franklins and towels by Baina.

EXTERIOR Bungalow Upholstery finished the squabs in this concrete entertainment zone located near the flowering cherry trees at the extreme edge of the property. A gift from a friend, the fire bowl gets regular use all year round.

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ABOVE LEFT From the inside, the master bedroom window frames this forest pansy like an artwork. ABOVE RIGHT The couple designed this pergola (along with an almost invisible steel beam support) to provide shade for the kitchen. The Arizona lounge chairs are from Cintesi. BELOW A Japanese maple and star jasmine cleverly disguise the garage.

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On this renovation project, a bit of a disaster ended up being a stroke of good fortune.

As luck wo uld have it

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Philippa Prentice

Jes sic a Chloe G ernat

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No one wants to hear a bump in the night, and when it’s accompanied by shakes, rattles and having to roll out of bed, it’s even less of a good sign. For the owners of this home, the adrenaline-pumping action turned a straight-forward renovation into a multi-year, two-stage one — but it wasn’t entirely unlucky.

High-school sweethearts Hannah and Steve Crump bought their Forrest Hill home on Auckland’s North Shore in 2011, taking a fortuitously timed risk and stepping onto the property ladder just after graduating from university.

Built in 1989, the house boasted many hallmarks of the decade interior-style forgot, including pink carpets and a burgundy and lemon kitchen. Steve says youth, naiveté and stupidity allowed them to excitedly follow their big ideas, employing architect Mark Charleston of Buildology and builders Create Renovations to extend the footprint to allow for a statement entryway; pull down walls to create an openplan kitchen/dining/living space connected to a new deck; reconfigure the bedrooms and bathrooms; and excavate underneath the home to make way for a living room, bedroom, bathroom, office, internal-access garage and lots of storage downstairs.

When the renovation began, the couple were living on site in the house supported on poles while the ground > TOP Steve and Hannah in their dining area, where Sky planters by Boskke combine with a thriving Monstera deliciosa to form a living vignette. ABOVE The new entryway features a double-height ceiling, Venture Plank engineered oak flooring by Floorex and polished concrete from Atlas Concrete. To further maximise the light in the formerly dark home, the couple installed a Velux skylight here plus two domed lightwells — one in the upstairs hallway and one in their walk-in wardrobe. “If you don’t have to turn lights on, why would you?” says Hannah. The pair are also big fans of Dr Seuss art; these framed works are part of their growing collection.

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THE PROJECT Buyer Hannah Crump and her safety consultant husband Steven renovated this fourbedroom home in Auckland’s Forrest Hill.

KITCHEN When it came to the kitchen, the couple got by with a little help from their cabinetmaker friend Roy Lee of Finework Design, who helped them cut costs, effectively enabling them to pay for the Super White granite from PSP Stonecraft they had their hearts set on. They chose appliances

by Fisher & Paykel and installed a corner Versatap by Schwan for hot and filtered cold water.

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DINING Although shopping for homeware has become a regular pastime, Hannah and Steve are willing to hold off until they find the right piece, as they did with this Soul table by Nonn from Simon James, which they took more than a year to settle on. It’s teamed with Maki chairs by St Clements (one is pictured centre) and Aspen chairs by Città . The corner windows were part of the original home, but the couple replaced the existing configuration with two uninterrupted Nebulite panes with louvres on either side.

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was dug out beneath it. Apart from claggy clay ending up in every nook and cranny, it was all going to plan, until…

A replacement for the old retaining wall at the side of the house was an essential part of the overhaul, but it was winter, and when the rains came, the mid-construction structure went slip-slidin’ away. “We woke up one night to a big bang,” says Hannah. “The whole house was rocking.”

Evacuating at midnight to Steve’s parents’ place, they were forced to abandon ship for the rest of the renovation — and relocate their unimpressed moggies, Temperance and Solomon.

“It all became very stressful at that point, but there was a little bit of luck involved,” says Hannah, who works as a buyer for footwear brands Mi Piaci and Merchant 1948.

“It could have all collapsed and the whole house would have rolled down the hill,” explains Steve.

The mudslide was a disaster in many respects; however, the other upside was that the extra expense and time spent undoing the damage meant the project had to be broken into two phases. “At the time it was a big call to suspend the renovation, but it worked out to be a bit of a gem because we learned from the first stage and got to start again,” says safety consultant Steve, owner of Integrated Safety.

“We probably spent twice what we originally planned to, most of it going into that wall, so we ended up not finishing >

TOP Making a strong statement on the dining table is a Spin candelabra by Tom Dixon from Simon James. The granite island in the kitchen opposite is lit by a Lucca light from Light Plan. The Enzo bar stools are by Danske Møbler and the tap is by KWC. ABOVE This fiery landscape by Graeme Brinsley was spotted by the couple on a trip to Queenstown in the middle of phase one, when they weren’t in a position to buy it. They eventually headed back to find it again and make it theirs. Below it sits a sideboard from Freedom dotted with a selection of curios, including a Layers vase from Città, a matching vase and dome from Kikki.K, and heirloom figures carved from bone.

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the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms because we ran out of money,” says Hannah. “If we had continued at that point, though, we would have ended up with a very different result, so it was actually quite good!”

Beginning again with builders Built Spaces after two years’ regrouping and saving up, the couple felt emboldened to be braver with colour for a striking, personalised finish in the remaining first-floor spaces. “We made more interesting choices in the second stage,” says Hannah. “In phase one, we’d never renovated before and were scared things were going to date. Then we realised that if we like something, it doesn’t really matter, and once we’d painted downstairs ourselves, we discovered it’s not that hard to paint over something if we decide we don’t like it anymore.”

Today, there’s no drama in this house, only delight. “Every part of it is something we made a decision on together, and that’s awesome,” says Steve.

“The house very much suits our style and the way we live,” says Hannah. “We really enjoy sitting in the living area in the sun and being out on the deck in the summer, and love having friends over. We’ve always said we want to build a grand design one day, but I’d find it really hard to leave this now.”

The moral of the story? “Don’t dig under your house! Don’t dig in winter! Just the basic fundamentals,” laughs Steve.

TOP Hannah and Steve sought to make their home more comfortable and functional, and the living area ticks both boxes. It captures the sun that now streams in all day, and is great for entertaining, allowing the cook to stay connected to guests hanging out in this adjacent space. The couple designed the built-in shelving and bench seat themselves to make a feature of the wall surrounding the Samsung TV and Regency gas fireplace. A Parallel Chair by Simon James in mustard Raf Simons fabric hints at the colour to come in the bedrooms off the hallway behind it.

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MAIN BATHROOM Carrara fish-scale mosaic tiles make a statement on two walls in the main bathroom (also pictured opposite), and are complemented by matte white Silk tiles on the others and Marvel Grey Fleury tiles on the floor — all from Tile Space.

The luxurious freestanding Niagra Ellipse 1680 bath is from Plumbline, as is the Stanza Legno vanity.

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MASTER BEDROOM Resene Indian Ink beautifies the walls in the couple’s bedroom, along with a dried floral arrangement

by Mark Antonia. Diffused light filters through linen curtains from Freedom, a copper Melt light by Tom Dixon from ECC casts a warm glow overhead, and the bedside Bari spotlights are from Lighting Plus. Bedding from A&C Homestore teams with a bedspread and cushion from CittĂ , while Materialism stone candles by Tom Dixon from Simon James decorate the ledge.

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ABOVE Never mind the underfloor heating — the his-and-hers Niagra Round vessel basins, Buddy tapware (all from Plumbline) and in-ceiling rain heads by Hot Bath are the couple’s favourite things in their ensuite, making getting ready together in the mornings ultra-easy. The Tabiano vanity lights throughout the house are from Lighting Direct.

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“We wanted to create a warm, friendly feeling.

That’s how we pick our art and other pieces — they have to create happiness.”

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TOP LEFT Pink herringbone Brooklyn tiles from Jacobsen make the ensuite extra sweet. “Steve was the one who suggested we go for blush,” says Hannah. “I was like, ‘Woo! Good on ya. Yes, we should.’” TOP RIGHT This upstairs guest room features walls in Dulux Waitara Beach, industrial-style lights from Lighting Plus, bedside tables from Flux Boutique, a headboard from Freedom and a duvet cover set from Città.

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Don’t be misled by its au courant appeal — this apartment was revitalised with mostly pre-loved pieces.

Then again

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Amandine B er thon

Julien Fernandez

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LIVING Highlights in the living area include the new parquet flooring and built-in shelves. The sofa (reupholstered with old bed linen), coffee table and armchairs were all second-hand finds. The Quinconces fleamarket was a regular haunt for unique objects, and the sideboard comes from a market in Saint-Michel. On the right wall, a black canvas creates a chic backdrop for arrangements of dried flowers.

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THE PROJECT Interior designer Delly Marton was charged with renovating this three-bedroom apartment in Bordeaux, France.

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TOP RIGHT & OPPOSITE Beneath pendant lights bought in Morocco, the dining area revolves around a second-hand table and an assortment of mid-century chairs by designers including Marcel Breuer, Arne Jacobsen, Friso Kramer and Eero Saarinen. The kitchen is accessed from this space through sliding glass doors made from second-hand panels welded by a local locksmith. ABOVE Hanging on this living room wall are a Moroccan rug and an African skirt.

French interior designer Delly Marton was given carte blanche to renovate this apartment in the centre of Bordeaux, France. The white tiling and roughcast now done away with, the interior emanates an elegant and refined ambience, from the hammam down in the basement right up to the roof terrace.

Located just a few steps from Bordeaux Cathedral, the home’s calm atmosphere makes it difficult to imagine the state it was in before. “The house was habitable but had absolutely no charm to it,” says Delly (pictured opposite). “There were white tiles on the floor and plaster on the walls — it was very ordinary. We [barely kept] any of it. Even the chimneys were removed.”

To bring character back to the 1900s dwelling, Delly sought out loads of vintage and second-hand items. She roamed the region for months, not hesitating to drive hundreds of kilometres to get her hands on > homest yle 91

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an old staircase from a farm in Charente or a vintage radiator in Dordogne. In fact, 17 cast-iron radiators were located through various Leboncoin (similar to Trade Me) advertisements to replace the unattractive electric models that were previously installed in the house.

In contrast, the parquet flooring and cement tiles were bought new; the oak floorboards in the living room, laid Hungarian point-style, were found at a Belgian sawmill and many of the tiles were made to measure in Morocco. Cornices and skirting boards crafted by a carpenter were added to make the living room look more Haussmannian, while the stairwell’s plastering was removed to expose the stonework; in too bad a condition to be preserved, the stone steps were then replaced with timber.

Delly has maximised every inch of the apartment’s 220m 2 spread over five levels, from the ground up. The former cellar was transformed into a small hammam (Turkish bath) and home cinema, while on the ground floor, the study has a view through a repurposed window into a restful library. On the light-filled first floor is a kitchen that connects to an open-plan living and dining space, and the second floor > 92 homest yle

ABOVE Delly designed the kitchen around the marble island built using Ikea cabinetry teamed with custom-made wooden doors. On the wall behind it, solid oak shelves fixed on vertical supports manufactured locally store and display essential utensils, most of which are vintage. OPPOSITE The natty wall lamps over the bench are by Wo & WĂŠ and the appliances are

by Siemens.

MASTER BEDROOM The second floor’s low bedroom ceilings with charming exposed beams were raised to gain access to the attic height. On the wall here are a Berber rug and a light from the Selency fleamarket. The ornate detail of a balustrade is visible through the window.

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is home to three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and dressing room. To top it all off, a staircase leads up to a lovely terrace overlooking the city’s roofs and the cathedral spire.

Delly teamed up with architect François Moreau to create this staircase, the most difficult part of the renovation. “We had to change our plans four times before being given planning permission — the whole process took 18 months,” she says.

“Meanwhile, the house remained gutted for six months, preventing any other work from being done. It rained in the house…

I bought 30 buckets in to collect all the rainwater. It was a real nightmare!”

An 11m-tall atrium capped with a glass roof links the home’s different levels and is decorated with 1960s Rotaflex pendant lights hung at different heights to enhance their sculptural silhouettes. “In the evening, the globes diffuse a beautiful light,” says Delly.

They’re the most expensive homeware items in the house, which was renovated >

TOP Personality is brought into this bedroom via a quirky collection of old Chinese brushes hung artfully on the wall.

On either side of them are more wall lights from the Selency fleamarket. ABOVE A few steps up from this bedroom, a small bathroom filled with vintage fixtures is lit by a skylight.

A shelf built into the wall provides a little extra storage in the absence of a vanity drawer.

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on a relatively limited budget. “One has to be creative when under financial constraints,” says Delly, who bought most of the furniture second-hand.

This didn’t bother her at all. “In my opinion, it doesn’t make any sense to buy new when bargaining is good for the wallet, the style and the environment,” she says. “Goods manufactured in the ’60s and ’70s [can be better quality] than goods produced today.

We have everything to gain from buying second-hand.”

She also incorporated into her scheme some pretty objects from her travels, mainly to Marrakech and London, to further personalise the apartment. “Decoration is like fashion — the most important thing is contrast,” she says. “When wearing a short outfit, you have to compensate with something long, and it’s the same in terms of [interiors]. One mustn’t hesitate to combine sources, fabrics and styles.”

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ABOVE In this sleep space, a blue cube houses a wardrobe on one side and a bathroom on the other. The original wooden floor was painted white to lighten things up. The macramé wall hanging is by Maison Léone. TOP The blue room’s bathroom features a vintage mirror and washbasin, and tiles by Italian brand Piastrelle.

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ENSUITE Pale and zellige tiles from Morocco complement the painted wooden floors in the master bedroom’s bathroom.

The vintage bath and mirror from a charity store look just right alongside the basins affixed to a piece of furniture found in Eastern Europe and tapware Delly designed herself.

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“Decoration is like fashion — the most important thing is contrast. One must Combine sources, fabrics and styles.”

TOP This cosy corner on the ground floor features an interior window once housed in a workshop. ABOVE Made-tomeasure zelliges decorate the first-floor landing, going well with the green Tamegroute ceramics. The sculpture was crafted from found wood. LEFT The rooftop terrace is complete with a vintage camp bed used as a sofa, tables from Ikea and a pair of rustic timber chairs made in Morocco.

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DESIGN

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Product profile

104

Outside in

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Small space

This refurbished bus is a ticket to ride the waves for the young family who call it their home away from home.

Flip to page 114 for more.

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ARTISAN —— Product profile

If walls could talk An enduringly effective element in a layered interior, wallpaper that’s both backdrop and key to the scene speaks volumes ceiling to floor.

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Head in the clouds Life is but a dream when you’re surrounded by Auckland designer Emma Hayes’ painterly wallpaper. Her designs abstracted from nature include the just-released Bloom (above left, in Smoke), which features dynamic shapes that appear to billow and disperse, and Nebula (above, in Mist), a more expansive version of her popular Cloud design with a pearlescent finish. Mural-style wallpapers such as these gently set the tone in a space, yet have an undeniable influence on your mood, helping you keep calm and carry on.

Product profile —— ARTISAN

Extra texture Subtly sensational, textured wallpaper isn’t the star of the show, but it’s a vital member of the supporting cast.

This warm neutral scheme (right) features Madagascar wallpaper by Élitis, one of many the French maker creates with a chic 3D materiality, including rustic raffia and embroidered effects. Opt for it at your place to bring durable character and depth to a room.

Maximal botanical Wall flowers but definitely not wallflowers, options like these by Cole & Son have a storybook quality — there’s something to be discovered with every glance. The London-based brand has been manufacturing printed wallpaper since 1875, its everlasting appeal lying in its ability to be statement (Midsummer Bloom, below) or sweet (Sweet Pea, below right), graphic or glamorous. Any which way, it’s a timeless pleasure that richly rewards those who embrace it.

These brands and more are available at Artisan. To view the comprehensive selection, visit artisancollective.co.nz/wallpaper. homest yle 103

FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS—— Outside in

This is us The manifestation of a long-held dream, this Hamilton home fits its owners as if it were made for them.

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Alice Lines

Simon Wilson

DINING An expansive 21panel grid of fixed Metro Series windows by First Windows & Doors opens the room onto a green wall — a much more attractive prospect than the neighbours’ fence. The joinery throughout the house is powder-coated in Matt Black with colour-matched Urbo hardware.

Outside in —— FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS

A house in the country was something Zandra and Robert Dol had envisioned for their family for quite some time.

After moving from Auckland to Hamilton, they’d been steadily looking for a slice of rural land, but when the right property failed to materialise, they decided to press pause. Life as working parents raising daughters Sophia (12), Ella (10) and Mila (8) continued as usual, until a riverside site unexpectedly presented itself as the perfect match, making life that little bit easier by providing the natural environment they dreamed of just a short drive from the city.

Friends of the family had previously owned and planned to build on the property in the neighbourhood of Flagstaff, which borders the Waikato River. With architectural drawings already created by Tane Cox of Red Architecture, the hard work was taken out of figuring out what to do with the wedge-shaped section that slopes down to the water’s edge.

“When we came here and saw this beautiful outlook, the view with the river flowing by really sold us,” says >

ABOVE & RIGHT The large Metro Series pivot front door was an idea Zandra added to a Pinterest moodboard years ago, so she’s rapt that it works so well with the battened aluminum screen and floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the house.

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FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS —— Outside in

Zandra, a holistic health practitioner.

“It’s really peaceful and felt right, and the plans also met our expectations of the home we wanted to create for our family.”

Of his design, Tane says: “One of the site challenges was the narrowness, and its falling contour. It really looked like a site that you could not fit a lot on. To address this, a series of cascading floors and a central pitched pavilion formed the basis around which the house was organised. Lower, flatroofed structures surround the more vertical two-storey structure. From the outside, large glazed areas let in an abundance of light while providing a connection with small private gardens to give a broader sense of defined interior space.”

From breaking ground to moving in, the process took 12 months. Having worked in the construction industry for 25 years, Robert is well-versed in the technical side of building and chose to engage the expertise of CJW Build.

“Craig Wallace and his team are real craftsmen,” he says. “We didn’t want to micro-manage them, so we paid >

TOP Passages linking the communal and quieter areas of the home feature Metro Series picture windows that reveal the Japanese-inspired planting the couple worked on with local expert Graeme Burton of Rukuhia Homestead Landscaping. LEFT The main living area steps down to a media room, the open connection allowing conversations to continue between the two.

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LIVING “Glazed windows are important for light, but the ‘working’ parts of the house are intentionally set in deeper to ensure maximum privacy,” says architectural designer Tane.

MASTER BEDROOM Occupying their own corner of the home, the couple’s sleep space and ensuite are a private haven separate from the kids’ zones.

Outside in —— FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS

them to take care of the project management as well.”

There were still plenty of decisions for the couple to deliberate over along the way, but Zandra’s sister Vicky Sutton of Harmony Interiors was on hand to help fine-tune their ideas for a monochromatic interior palette that would be robust enough to endure the rigours of family life while bringing a sense of softness to counteract the home’s boxy architectural forms.

Tane’s central pavilion makes a strong statement at the bottom of the driveway. Entering the home, wall-to-wall glass surrounds an entry hall where shards of light filter through a battened aluminum screen that runs across the upper-floor windows, for the complementary delivery of both light and privacy.

Cleverly positioned joinery from First Windows & Doors connects interior to exterior, including a wide bank of fixed windows that gives the dining area a dramatic green backdrop, picture windows that frame Japanese-inspired planting and five stacking sliders that join the living area to the deck on >

TOP LEFT The upstairs bathroom includes a freestanding bath set flush against the wall and offers a view right across to the opposite bank of the river. TOP RIGHT Aluminium louvres are a striking option in the ensuite. RIGHT On the first-floor landing is a mezzanine space that’s become an extra hang-out zone for the kids.

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which the girls spend hours honing their football skills.

“We didn’t want mechanical air conditioning, so the big windows mean we can open everything up — and when the front door’s open too we get some nice cross-ventilation coming through,” says Robert.

Radiant heaters create a more natural warmth in winter. “It’s amazing how warm the house is, especially with this much glass,” says Robert. “The insulation of the windows is amazing.”

With the inclusion of a pool, Zandra and Robert have created an environment that celebrates the joys of staying in, which they consider the perfect partner to their busy lives.

“All our free time is spent having fun with the kids, so we wanted a really low-maintenance house,” says Robert.

“Our intention was to create a sacred space,” says Zandra. “You come down into our home and it’s like you’re in a cocoon. We’ve got the river flowing by and beautiful nature all around us.

We’ve captured our vision of living out in the open, but being right in town suits our lifestyle too.” firstwindows.co.nz

ABOVE An over-the-wall sliding door from First Windows & Doors’ APL Architectural Series provides easy access from the living area to the pool. LEFT Generous decking leads to an outdoor entertaining area, where the inclusion of a fire (not to mention a fully wired sound system) see it enjoyed day and night, year-round.

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KING LIVING —— Product profile

Out & out Two items that in all respects exemplify the future of outdoor furniture.

Indoor-outdoor flow… whether or not your spaces have it, your décor definitely can, thanks to next-generation furniture like this that lets you cohesively continue your interior aesthetic outside — no settling for subpar style. Riffing off the ever-popular Zaza sofa and Luna chair by Charles Wilson, King Living has created al fresco versions of each.

The contemporary design and modular flexibility that define Zaza let you kick back in comfort and luxury, leaning into its deep seats with their adjustable arms and back.

With its intricate net-like seat, fitted pad and lithe legs, Luna also feels as good as it looks.

Both are available in premium outdoor fabric, so you can buy once and buy well. kingliving.co.nz.

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FUTURE-PROOFED Joining the new wave of aesthetically pleasing outdoor furniture, this swish seating allows you to authentically extend your interior style to your deck or courtyard. The sofa has an internal glavanised steel frame that forms a durable base for its cushions covered with sun-, salt- and chlorine-resistant material, while the chair’s steel frame is protected with weather-ready coatings — for long-lasting good looks and good times.

Learn more at escea.com/summer-by-escea

Van

DESIGN —— Small space

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Claire M c C all

Dunc an Innes

Wish you could just pick up and head to where the waves are?

This creative family takes the bus.

go If, on your next beachside break, you happen upon a young girl set up at a table outside a big white bus who offers to braid your hair, it’s probably Summer Sterne. The seven-year-old likes to channel her entrepreneurial spirit while her parents, Renée and Matt, catch the waves.

Summer and her sister Haven (5) are privileged enough to be able to follow the surf with their mum and dad in their holiday home on wheels.

Auckland-based graphic designer Renée and architect Matt had a vision for a vehicle that would partner with their pursuit of the perfect peeler, but they didn’t want a hippy haven or retro roller — pared-back simplicity was on their radar. They also had a budget: $20,000 for a vehicle and $20,000 for renovations.

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The 1997 Toyota Coaster they settled on had enjoyed a colourful life, first as a party bus (hence its four large speakers and purple-tinted windows) and then as a 22-seat tourist transporter that delivered hikers to the Tongariro Crossing. “It had vinyl throughout the cabin, ripped velour seats and pumice dust in every crevice,” recalls Renée.

Transforming it into a Scandi-style sleeper was a major mission.

After hours and during the weekends, the pair got stuck in. The physical work, stripping it back to the bare shell and cleaning every crevice, was the easy part. Alongside it were the mental gymnastics of achieving the aesthetic they wanted while meeting legal requirements. “Engineers had to certify every steel bracket, bolt and washer,” says Matt.

The main sticking point was how to seat the kids while on the road without compromising space for the couches/ beds. “We wanted seats that could be stowed away when we were parked,” says Renée.

One afternoon, the couple “played a babysitting card” and headed off on a date to the pick-a-part scrapyard. In the last car they looked at, they struck gold: seats that would fold flat and meet code — with some coaxing. “Luckily, Matt’s good at welding,” says Renée.

He certainly got enough practise.

Here’s a wee list: curved window mullions, frameworks for the fresh and greywater tanks, a ladder and roof rack, door trims, bull bars — all custom-designed and self-fabricated.

While Matt was making magic with metal, Renée was not idle. >

Small space —— DESIGN

BELOW The timber inside the bus is finished with Woca Worktop Oil in White, part of the scheme that reflects the white sand and muted tones of the East Coast beaches the couple love. Renée made the blinds out of canvas; leather straps allow them to be rolled up and magnets clamp them to the window frames when they’re down. BOTTOM LEFT The couple chose black trim for the pale cabinetry and a folded-flat handle from Bunnings for the pantry. Their bed enjoys a view through the rear window.

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BELOW A servery hatch provides a connection between the kitchen bench and the Gasmate outdoor cooker. Matt designed and fabricated the roof rack to house two 200-watt solar panels that feed power to the bus’s batteries. The roof deck is made from sustainable South American hardwood garapa, which offers stability when unloading the surfboards and watching the waves. BOTTOM RIGHT The children sleep on bench-seat-style beds with squabs upholstered in the same canvas fabric as the blinds.

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She painstakingly stripped that purple tint from the windows, reupholstered the cabin and, once expanding foam insulation was installed beneath the roof, had the job of shaving off any bulges so the new timber cladding would lie flat.

They couldn’t wait to line the ceiling with tongue-and-groove spruce timber, which was central to their concept of a minimal-chic interior. At first, they grappled with a jigsaw of battens, trying to find the right configuration for the cleanest look. “We didn’t want any visible screws,” says Matt. “Finally, we came up with the idea of a pelmet that would reduce the visual clutter and that we could install lighting behind.”

With the flooring (interlocking vinyl planks) done, it was time for the fun stuff: putting in the ‘furniture’. Of course, the Sternes broke with convention by opting

not to have a stove (Matt prefers to cook outside) yet adding a full-sized sink.

“I didn’t want a campervan bowl,” says Renée. The black-coated stainless-steel Ikon sink (with a Caroma tap) is offset by a spruce benchtop and birch-ply cabinetry finished with Woca oil. The bus’s drawers and doors have routed handles that don’t protrude into the passageway and the windows have blinds, not curtains, which roll up for unimpeded visual access to the view.

There’s a built-in double bed at the rear of the bus and the girls sleep on benches at right angles to each other near the front. Each family member has a single drawer for clothing. To keep the interior of the bus dry, they rely on outdoor showers, and their composting toilet is odour-free and easy to operate.

Multifunctional design allows the 2m x 7m bus to feel bigger than its bones, but what’s really expanded is the family’s experience. Halcyon snapshots fill their Instagram feed (@surfbusproject): bleached days of sun and sand, a foray down a forest road, surfboards on the roof deck, iceblocks on a grassy knoll.

That the Surf Bus was completed to budget is a feat worth bleating about, but it’s so much more than an investment — it’s an asset in the true sense of the word. “The girls couldn’t wait to get away in it,” says Renée.

“We thought we’d use it one or two nights in a row but [on our last trip] that stretched out to 10. We weren’t ready to come home.”

Instead, they went where the waves and whim took them. And you can’t put a price on that. homest yle 117

Level 9, 10 Lorne St Auckland Central Auckland 1010 New Zealand

J John B Turner Library y& Laboratory 30 Jan – 22 Feb 2020

p +64 9 307 8870 e info@bowerbankninow.com bowerbankninow.com

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Living 120

Shop

122

Garden

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Last word

Editor Alice Lines has been in Japan exploring Oita and suburban Tokyo.

In two Design Destination features beginning on page 126, she shares her favourite finds, including the Ohara residence in Kitsuki (right).

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LIVING —— Shop

Well & good

Little things that make life more liveable.

OAK-Y DOKEY Take us home, Country Road, to a place where set-ups as sophisticated as this are on the menu. Pictured is one of four in the label’s Stan collection of short, tall, round and rectangular platters elegantly expressed in oak. They’re ideal for bringing height to a table setting and fantastic combined together to create a visually delicious layered display. We’re 100% on board. countryroad.co.nz

PITCH PERFECT A worthy opponent for sun and sea breezes and also quite the looker, this surf tent is a rare blend of practical and totally cool. One of several by Sydney’s Basil Bangs in lightweight UPF50+ canvas, it is adjustable to three heights on sand or grass, has a handy internal zip pocket, and comes in a retro carry bag you can sling over your shoulder. basilbangs.com

There will always be a place for beer glasses and goggles, but these quality ceramic beer mugs offer a more solid option for discerning drinkers. Potter Duncan Shearer throws them on his kick wheel in Paeroa, then finishes them in the Japanese hakeme (‘brush stroke’) style. kaolin.store

HANDOVER RIP, shrivelled-up old tubes of handcream rolling around in your bag, desk drawer, bathroom and glovebox — it’s time to go.

In their place, we can highly recommend some of Mecca’s greatest hits. The salves that line their shelves include heroes from cult brands like Go-To, Buly and Le Labo that are filled with lovely natural ingredients. meccabeauty.co.nz

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Words: Philippa Prentice

NICE MUGS

TOP THAT Sydney textile artist Lorna Murray is a proponent of slow, sustainable fashion and handmakes her Sumatra Capri hat from organic grass fibre and cotton trim.

It leads the pack for these reasons, its pleasing geometric form, natty necktie and breathable weave that also offers excellent sun protection, plus the way it folds flat for easy transportation.

T HE NA N ETT E CA MER ON SC H OOL OF IN T ERIOR DESIGN

garden-objects.com

BOW DOWN All hail Coco Republic, whose new dog beds mean everyone’s best friends can finally get some shut-eye in style. Designed in-house by Studio Mr Smith, Architect (pictured, an extension of Coco Republic’s bestselling outdoor furniture collection) and Charlie feature teak frames, brass detail and durable outdoor-grade fabric. They’ve just been launched alongside four handsome marble and brass dog bowls named Ralph. cocorepublic.co.nz

ON OUR SOAPBOX We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: what the world needs now is love, sweet love and also far fewer synthetics — hence our devotion to these beautiful bar soaps by Carly Low of Northland’s Fair & Square.

As her cardboard packaging says, she’s been raising the bar since 2008, making cold-pressed soap on her east-coast lifestyle block without the chemicals of its commercially prepared counterpart and with great names like Dirty Hippie and Lemony Snicket.

Join our Interior Design legacy Part-time course enrolling now for February 2020 ncsid.co.nz

fairandsquare.co.nz beverage partner

Image: Lara Mitchell Year Two 2019

LIVING —— Garden

Full bloom Multitalented sisters Carmel and Milly Van Der Hoeven host floral workshops in a glorious garden.

INTERVIE W Alice Lines PH OTO G R APHY Nita M eyer

When sisters Carmel and Milly Van Der Hoeven aren’t working as an artist (at George Sand Studio) and a flower farmer/stylist (at Primm Gardens) respectively, they join forces to share their passion projects with fellow plant and ceramics enthusiasts at their annual Flora in Clay workshop hosted on Milly’s rural Waikato property.

You’re both based in Pirongia — is that where you grew up? Carmel: We were raised in Te Awamutu, 10 minutes east of Pirongia. We both wanted to raise our children here because it has a great village vibe.

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Does creativity run in your family?

C: Both of our grandmothers were involved in creative pursuits, as well as our mother, aunties and quite a few of our cousins, so I’d say so, yes!

I always dreamed of being an artist but the standard comment I got at school was that nobody can make a living doing that, so with that in mind, I went on to study fashion.

I took a roundabout way to get to where I am today but I’ve always wanted to work as a creative.

Milly: We grew up in a relaxed, creative home and were given the freedom to find our own paths.

Garden —— LIVING

OPPOSITE Carmel (left) and Milly cherish their close relationship. “This is currently our only professional collaboration, but we often seek each other out to discuss all manner of things creative, business and life,” says Carmel. “Milly’s work ethic always impresses me — her gardens require a huge amount of care. I’ve tried arranging flowers in my vessels and I know it’s much harder than it looks, but she does it with such ease and confidence.” Says Milly: “I so admire Carmel for her artistic soul and the beautiful work she creates. She’s multitalented and dedicated to her passions. Her ideas and vision are constantly evolving, and I’m so proud of what she’s achieving.”

I had no idea I’d end up growing flowers — it wasn’t until I started my own family that I discovered my love of gardening.

Milly, how long did it take to establish your flower gardens? M: Four years, so not long for a garden, really. We’re still slowly establishing the rose garden, trees, hedges and mixed borders. The annual cutting beds get flipped every year, but I’m more of a perennials fan and like to collect-slash-hoard unusual plants that I can divide and grow on.

What sort of plants are you growing here? M: Most are grown for cut flowers

and foliage. We have more than 500 roses — 80 varieties in a range of colours and forms — lots of interesting dahlias and perennials, and I grow all of our spring/summer annuals from seed, things like sweet peas, scabiosa, cosmos, phlox and zinnias.

My flower-growing season generally starts in early spring with tulips, anemones and ranunculus, and ends at the first frost, usually around May. What led you to collaborate on Flora in Clay? C: I think in the beginning we were talking about vases and discussing the properties they need to have for

different arrangements, then somewhere along the line we realised we had a unique combination of skills that complemented each other and thought it would be pretty cool to give people the opportunity to pick, design and make floral arrangements from Milly’s garden in a bespoke vessel.

Carmel, how long have you been making ceramics for? C: It was my fiveyear anniversary of having my hands covered in clay in January. When making vessels for the workshops, I have a plan in mind but it often goes in a different direction when I start making; the clay > homest yle 123

LIVING —— Garden

ABOVE On arrival at Flora in Clay workshops, the first order of the day is selecting your vase. Numbers are drawn out of a hat, then there’s a flurry of exchanges until everyone’s happy with their chosen vessel. Moving out to the rose garden, Milly shares her knowledge of the varieties she’s growing, and you can snip away to your heart’s content.

Round out your pickings with floppy-headed wildflowers and foliage, then get creative styling an amazing arrangement to take home, before celebrating with a shared feast around an abundant grazing table by Tamahere’s Punnet Eatery.

sort of tells me where it’s heading.

After that, it needs to survive all the various processes, from wet to eventually becoming vitrified vessels covered in glass. I then pick out the number of pieces needed for our guests, plus extras for swapping. I choose a variety of works because you never really know which pieces people will choose. I’ve been surprised often enough now to know never to make assumptions.

Are the flowers in your paintings informed by Milly’s gardens? C: All of my realistic garden works reference 124 homest yle

Milly’s gardens. I’ve found that different gardens directly influence how I paint, which has been fascinating to experiment with. It’s a joy to have access to Milly’s diverse plants.

What do you find most rewarding about your creative practices? C: I love the process of creating — it’s addictive. I also enjoy the mediative state my mind reaches when I’m working. For hours it will drift around thoughts while I subconsciously create.

M: I love working with the seasons.

The gardens are always changing; the rhythm and connection inspires me

creatively and I feel very privileged to be able to grow and design with my own flowers.

Milly, what’s your advice for anyone wanting to start a flower garden? M: Start small and grow what you love. Growing for cut flowers definitely comes with its challenges, but if you commit to a scale that’s practical, you’ll enjoy the process far more. No matter how much space you have in your garden, you can always grow something beautiful.

Follow @primmgardens to keep an eye out for details on the next Flora in Clay workshop.

LIVING —— Design destination

H O T

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S P O T

Creativity bubbles beneath the surface in Oita, a land of opportunity for residents rejecting the trend towards big-city living — and for curious visitors too.

WO RDS & PH OTO G R APHY Alice Lines

Design destination —— LIVING

LEFT Looking across the bay to Beppu at sunrise, the steam billowing from the city’s many onsens looks industrial, but it’s actually completely natural, emanating from the hot springs they harness.

In eras past, Oita — a prefecture on the island of Kyushu in south-western Japan — was known as Toyo no kuni, meaning ‘land of abundance’. The term was coined to reflect the vast array of food on offer from the mountains and the sea, and the concept still resonates today. This area is indeed a beautiful setting in which to experience abundant delicacies, as well as hot springs and hospitality — the combination a recipe for some serious rest and relaxation.

The coastal city of Beppu alone is home to about 2000 onsens with a combined hot-spring output greater than any other area in Japan. Public steam baths, ryokans (inns) with intimate bathing facilities, mud baths, sand baths where you can be buried in heated sand… you can experience it all.

Culinary culture and bathing rituals aren’t the only thing Oita is known for, though. There’s a legacy of arts and crafts here that a new wave of artisans is adopting to carve out an alternative way of life for themselves outside of the main centres.

My host on this trip was Eiko Hashimoto, a producer at the Oita Asahi Broadcasting Corporation; I tapped into her knowledge of the region to visit makers, food producers and hospitality specialists who have found their creative calling here. We teamed up with Oita Made — an initiative developed to revitalise the creative economy by stocking independent artisans’ products in a dedicated store and supporting their distribution — to visit the studios and workplaces of some of the people they champion.

In Beppu, Cotake — the workshop and store of Mikiko Sato — is a great place in which to observe bamboo crafts in action. Mikiko specialises in fine bamboo jewellery and also sells a range of intricately woven baskets, trays, kitchenware and decorative objects. The skill involved in splitting a hollow round of bamboo into the thin strips required for weaving is really quite something to witness. > homest yle 127

LIVING —— Design destination

Toyokazu Ono runs his textile art and graphic design practice, Yotsume, from his home in Kunimimachi Imi at the northern end of the Oita Kunisaki Peninsula. Focusing on the traditional method of katazome fabric dyeing, Toyokazu hand-cuts elaborate stencils that are then adhered to fabric and hand-painted with dye, before being made into table linen, coasters, cushions, noren (room dividers) and clothing. He learned the trade from his father and grandfather before him, but his own aesthetic is decidedly contemporary, with bold, figurative prints all hand-drawn and brought to life in striking colours.

On the outskirts of Usuki, an old castle town known for its stone Buddhas, the Usukiyaki studio is abuzz with the production of fine porcelain ceramics.

The story goes that the Usukiware aesthetic was prevalent in the Edo period (1603 to 1868) but somehow abandoned. Centuries on, Hiroyuki Usami and his team are reviving this art form using historical records to inspire modern tableware.

Usukiyaki’s signature look comes together as a collection of rounded bloom-like shapes, using lotus flowers and chrysanthemums to inform pieces including tiny condiment dishes, delicate cups and grooved cake plates. Their aim is to create dishes that frame the food served on them, and the result was put into practice when I was lucky enough to enjoy lunch prepared by Hiroyuki’s wife Yuka, who runs a wholefood catering business. The meal included local specialities fried chicken, miso, preserved vegetables and thick hand-pulled noodles, all served in Usukiyaki dishes.

Hospitality is a true art form in Japan too, and staying at an authentic ryokan provides an opportunity to indulge in cultural rituals without feeling too touristy. In Beppu’s Kannawa neighbourhood, Yanagiya keeps the customs of inn hospitality alive with breakfast served in > 128 homest yle

ABOVE Bamboo baskets and vessels are delicate yet pliable and sturdy, making them beautifully expressive.

Having previously worked as a chef, Mikiko Sato of Cotake had a change of heart that led her to study at the Oita Prefectural Bamboo Craft Training Centre in Beppu. The government-run school for bamboo weaving accepts just 12 new students each year, and its graduates are held in high regard nationwide for the work they go on to make.

Design destination —— LIVING

He learned the trade from his father and grandfather before him, but his own aesthetic is decidedly contemporary.

TOP & ABOVE The

katazome dyeing process in the Yotsume workshop.

Lengths of fabric are strung up to print with stencils, then dry. LEFT Toyokazu Ono outside the house he moved into with his family four years ago, after relocating to Kunisaki from Hiroshima.

The move was incentivised by a government initiative that attracts young people to rural areas, where the main drawcard is being given a free home.

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LIVING —— Design destination

I was quietly chuffed that my efforts were deemed worthy of being displayed.

TOP RIGHT Hiroyuki Usami (second from left) and his team outside the Usukiyaki studio. Working alongside them, Yakushiki Kazuo of Elan Workshop (second from right) produces earthenware items that provide a rustic contrast to their porcelain ones. ABOVE & RIGHT Usukiyaki’s botanical-esque pieces are made from slabs of clay shaped over handcarved moulds.

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Design destination —— LIVING

ABOVE Kannawa — one of eight neighbourhoods in Beppu hosting all things hot springs — is a wonderful spot to explore on foot. Take a stroll along the cobbled streets to discover all the ways in which locals use steam in everyday life. The accommodation on offer is predominantly ryokans, and the one I stayed at, Yanagiya, has been sensitively renovated to celebrate the welcoming mood this style of stay is known for.

bamboo baskets that open to reveal steamed savoury morsels, an outdoor cooking area where you can prepare your own meals over steam vents, and an on-site onsen. Ryokan owners take pride in hosting their guests, and at Yanagiya, owner Eiko Hashimoto was kind enough to take me on a morning walk to show me sights otherwise hidden among the winding cobbled streets.

Okamotoya is another charming ryokan. On the hillside in Beppu, it has a view across to Beppu Myoban Bridge arching over the bay. Sliding shoji screens separated my room from the corridor, and inside the tatami flooring was sparsely decorated with little more than a chabudai dining table and a futon that’s whipped out before bed.

That night, I enjoyed a multi-course kaiseki dinner of famed Oita wagyu, a series of dishes carefully prepared with a focus on ingredients harvested from the surrounding area and ocean, and Beppu’s signature pudding, steamed crème caramel. After dinner, my gracious host Nobuko Iwase showed me how to create an ikebana floral arrangement, and I was quietly chuffed that my efforts were deemed worthy of being displayed in the corridor.

Having been treated to all sorts of local delicacies during my stay in Oita, I ended the week on a fun note with an okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) at Bari Bari. Falling into the category of ‘B-grade gourmet’, which is a thing in Japan, this mom-andpop eatery epitomises the craft of comfort food and colloquial chat at an appealing price.

Sated, I returned to my hotel to repack my carry-on filled with carefully wrapped packages in preparation for an early-morning transit to Fukuoka Airport. The ceramics, bamboo wares and textiles I collected from the artisans’ studios I visited will forever be a reminder of the abundant culture Oita has to share.

Alice journeyed to Oita with Japanese travel experts jtboi.co.nz. > homest yle 131

LIVING —— Design destination

OTHER HIDDEN GEMS IN OITA Otto e Sette, Beppu: The on-site restaurant at the aforementioned ryokan Yanagiya offers a unique twist on Italian cuisine using all local ingredients.

Hasshin Zushi, Beppu: The type of food experience I’ve had on my bucket list since watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Simple yet exquisite nigiri.

Jigoku Mushi Kobo, Beppu: Grab a ticket from the vending machine, pick up your ready-tosteam ingredients and prepare your own meal in one of the outdoor ovens.

Spica, Beppu: A unique design store/gallery where a husbandand-wife duo curate a thoughtful edit of objects, art and fashion.

Sanshoro, Yufuin: A must for its lunchbox meals so delightfully presented, they’re a feast for the eyes as well.

Sansou Murata, Yufuin: The best of East and West combine at this high-end ryokan. The interior is super-cool, so even if you’re not staying the night, it’s well worth visiting for a drink in the bar.

Tamanoyu, Yufuin: This ryokan once provided lodging for zen Buddhist monks, and now you can enjoy the serenity in rooms dotted around a woodland garden.

Mount Yufu, Yufuin: Follow the lead of local hikers and make the four-hour ascent to the peak.

Suzunari Coffee, Usuki: If you’re after a real coffee fix, this café roasts their own beans and serves up a good brew.

Kitsuki Castle Town: Check out the old samurai houses, particularly Ohara residence right beside the Suya no Saka cobblestoned slope.

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ABOVE Two more creative entrepreneurs I encountered on my trip were the owners of Taketa Hostel Cue, Sakura (left) and Takao Horiba, who’ve also bucked the trend of urban migration to establish a more relaxed life for themselves in Oita. They took possession of a rundown building and renovated it using reclaimed materials and vintage finds to create an understated backpacker hostel. The upstairs sleeping quarters accommodate 15 people in double, twin and bunk rooms, and the couple have a wealth of travel tips to share with their guests.

Explore Japan Taking you to buzzing big cities and serene rural sanctuaries, JTB provides unique experiences throughout Japan and can create a personalised itinerary just for you.

09 303 2887 jtboi.co.nz

ABOVE At Beppu’s Okamotoya ryokan, you can don a yukata (robe) and head for the outdoor hot spring to steam under the stars. The communal bathing areas are separated by gender, and you’re all naked, all the time, but once you relinquish your modesty and embrace the concept of being in the buff, the whole experience is truly relaxing. RIGHT The tranquil village of Yufuin is filled with galleries, craft shops, cafés and rustic ryokans. Japanese locals are known for their appreciation of mountains and there’s a building restriction here that ensures Mount Yufu’s twin peaks can be easily seen from any vantage point.

Off the beaten track in Oita On the picturesque island of Kyushu, Oita prefecture offers not only rest, relaxation and heavenly hot springs, but an incredible culture to soak up too. discover-oita.com

LIVING —— Design destination

C R A W L With just 36 hours to spend in Tokyo, editor Alice Lines took it slow.

Tokyo is one of those cities where no matter how long you stay, you’re only ever going to scratch the surface. It’d been five years since I last visited, and this time, rather than hit up the central haunts, with the help of travel providers JTB I prepared an itinerary that took in lesser-known sights in Setagaya and Meguro. It’s an area in which you can get a sense of the laid- back suburban lifestyle just a short train ride from the inner-city action.

I stayed in Futako Tamagawa, a neighbourhood built along the Tama River that’s commonly rated one of the city’s best places to live thanks to its green spaces and modern shopping.

Hipster mums cruise the streets on their mamachari bikes with kids strapped in front and back, while chic commuters bustle in and out of the station, totes and bumbags slung effortlessly across their tan trench coats.

There’s a thriving third-wave coffee scene in Tokyo, but brunch culture is yet to hit, so a hotel breakfast makes for a convenient start to the day. The buffet at Futakotamagawa Excel Tokyu Hotel offers a wide range of European options, but I’m a fan of eating like a local, so I opted for the traditional Japanese breakfast, which included half a dozen delicious morsels such as miso soup, tamagoyaki (a rolled omelette), shabu shabu (fresh vegetables dipped

in a steaming pot of broth) and pickled daikon. This feast had me fuelled up for a full day of exploring.

With not much else open before 11am in Japan, I made the most of the morning with a visit to a Buddhist shrine. Gotokuji Temple features a lovely pagoda and main hall in a delightful garden setting, but what I was really there for were the waving cats. Legend has it that this temple is the birthplace of the world-famous maneki-neko (beckoning cat) good-luck charm, so I said a prayer for prosperity and left with a glow of good vibes.

Heading back to Futako Tamagawa, I was keen to get to the authentic heart of matters. On the short walk from the train station through the Rise shopping centre, my attention

was diverted by Japanese labels Muji and Uniqlo, and the international brands including Céline, Bottega Veneta and APC across the road at upscale department store Takashimaya.

But Takashimaya also proved a handy connection to my destination, a shotengai shopping street lined with stores and hole-in-the-wall eateries — a slice of real suburban life.

One tiny spot after another offered intriguing goods and services: a flower shop with potted plants spilling onto the curb; a soba stand with a queue for lunch and only four seats inside at the counter; a candy store serving samples of traditional wagashi sweets; newcomer Let It Be Coffee selling espresso, paper-drip and V60-brewed coffee. Another true gem in this area

ABOVE A classic shotengai, home to small independent stores and eateries serving comfort food. OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT A stone’s throw from the main shopping spot, Futakotamagawa Park is landscaped around a tranquil pond and teahouse. TOP RIGHT Maneki-neko at Gotokuji Temple. BOTTOM LEFT Kohoro gallery hosts the work of local artisans with a special interest in ceramics. BOTTOM RIGHT Commuters’ bikes are stored outside the train stations. To keep my trip simple, I stuck to sights on the Tokyu line.

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Photography: Alice Lines

S U B U R B A N

Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu

is Kohoro, a gallery showcasing handcrafted wares from around the country that celebrate a return to a simpler way of life.

In a quiet residential street in nearby Toritsu Daigaku, a visit to Yakumo Saryo provided a mindful break from the retail world. Its tea-tasting experience is a treat for all the senses, and I appreciated being fully present thanks to the no-photos policy.

As twilight approached, I paid a flying visit to D&Department, which is stocked with all manner of homeware with a distinctly Japanese sensibility.

Later, it was on to the neighbourhood of Jiyugaoka, a hit among Tokyoites that you won’t find on the tourist maps.

Here, the evening was well spent at an izakaya (pub) enjoying yakitori straight off the grill washed down with an Asahi beer —a delicious end to a whirlwind, wish-list-fulfilling day. jtboi.co.nz

Offering modern guest rooms overlooking the Tama River, Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu is located just five minutes’ walk from the nearest train station, and central Shibuya is an easy 10-minute ride away; there’s also a door-to-door limousine bus from Haneda and Narita airports. This convenient spot in which to base yourself gives you easy access to a whole host of sights in the Setagaya area and is a great choice for travellers interested in both Japan’s traditional customs and contemporary life.

ADDITIONAL SPOTS TO SEEK OUT IN THE AREA Todoroki Valley: A peaceful park in which you can walk through bamboo groves and discover secret shrines.

Kosoan: Tucked away in Jiyugaoka, this traditional teahouse is set in a beautiful garden.

Tsutaya Electrics: This bookstore is an institution. Stop by to browse the shelves — the magazine selection is phenomenal.

Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu 1-14-1 Tamagawa Setagaya Ku, Tokyo, Japan www.tokyuhotelsjapan.com

CATALOG

VAN BRANDENBURG —— Design

DULUX —— Colour design service

ARTISAN —— Interiors

Architecture Van Brandenburg uses organic forms to capture nature’s extraordinary aesthetic and functionality. Their new range of handcrafted homeware will add beauty and a sophisticated touch of the outdoors to your home. Teacups to tables, coasters to vases, you’ll find it all in their online store.

With Dulux’s colour design service, a skilled interior designer can help you select the right hues for your home for as little as $125 per hour — plus the summer special sees you save $75 on your first hour of residential colour advice. Conditions apply; to book and for more information, visit the website or call the number below.

Woven in India from hand-spun jute dyed with vegetable dye to reveals the fibre’s beautiful natural inconsistencies, Artisan’s Jute rugs are elegant and timeless. Pictured here is Charcoal ($1930/2.5m x 3m) — in stock now.

contact@avb.co.nz vanbrandenburg.co.nz/object

0800 800 424 dulux.co.nz

artisancollective.co.nz

THONET —— Furniture & homeware

PLUMBLINE —— Bathrooms

BOCONCEPT —— Interior design

Thonet Home is an edited capsule collection handpicked from Thonet New Zealand’s commercial and hospitality-worthy furniture brands with a new focus on residential spaces.

It includes Thonet bentwood models, Emeco recycled polypropylene and reclaimed waste timber chairs and stools, Artek homeware, locally custom-made luxury sofas and solid timber dining tables, and Scandinavian classics shipped direct from Norway.

Avenir’s range of bathroom accessories and heated towel ladders places them at the forefront of the fine bathroomware industry. Throw your towel over their perfectly proportioned Grab 90 heated towel rail (pictured) and it’ll soon be warm and dry.

With a unique and carefully designed installation system, this beautiful cylindrical design comes in multiple finishes and with a 10-year warranty.

BoConcept are experts at making design, furniture and colour come together in your home. If you need someone to bounce ideas off, their interior decorators are on hand to help you complete any scheme — single rooms, small apartments, big houses or corporate spaces. Book a free consultation with one of BoConcept’s interior decorators today.

thonethome.co.nz

plumbline.co.nz

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info@boconcept.co.nz boconcept.co.nz

CATALOG

ESCEA —— Heating

ROCKET —— Coffee machines

ART ASSOCIATES —— Artwork

Escea’s latest release, the DS Series of gas fireplaces, gives you less of everything to offer more than ever before. Less unnecessary detail places a greater focus on the flames; less wasted heat means a higher efficiency rating; and less depth results in a sleek look with a small footprint. The DS series is available in both single- and double-sided designs.

Whatever your kitchen décor, Rocket Espresso’s domestic machines add a chic finishing touch with their top-quality pairing of design and function that makes mornings that much more enjoyable. Head to the Rocket Espresso store at 208 Ponsonby Road, Auckland to view the complete range.

With a vast selection of original contemporary artwork from established and emerging artists based locally and around the globe, Art Associates offers paintings, works on paper, sculpture and photography for sale or lease.

They’ll work with you, your interior designer or your architect to find the perfect piece for your home or business.

escea.com/ds-series

09 974 4860 rocket@atomiccoffee.co.nz

info@artassociates.co.nz artassociates.co.nz

THE IVY HOUSE —— Rugs

OAKLEYS —— Bathrooms

HOMESTYLE —— Content creation

Armadillo & Co rugs are designed with longevity in mind and handcrafted from the highest-quality natural fibres, making them healthier for you and the environment.

With a contemporary aesthetic that honours traditional rug-making techniques, they bring a calming beauty to your home. Visit The Ivy House’s Parnell showroom to discover the pure artistry.

Oakleys is now open in Cromwell. Call in to 12 Hughes Crescent to see the sleek new showroom with displays that’ll help spark your imagination and simplify your decision-making. Oakleys’ product partners are among the best in the world.

From German precision and breathtaking Italian design, to locally made products of supreme quality, they have one of the finest and largest ranges in New Zealand. Design, supply, problemsolving — the team’s here to help at every turn.

At homestyle, we’re specialists in working with brands to create innovative, integrated, bespoke home and lifestyle content. From initial concept to polished finish, our clients benefit from our in-depth understanding of these categories and our expert design, styling and editorial advice. Gain exposure across multiple channels, including print and online. Contact us to learn how to further the reach of your next campaign.

hello@theivyhouse.co.nz theivyhouse.co.nz

oakleysplumbing.co.nz

09 300 7544 nick@homestyle.co.nz

If you’d like your business to be featured in the homestyle Catalog, please email us at advertising@homestyle.co.nz. homest yle 137

LIVING —— Thoughts on…

Last word

SCENTS & SENSIBILITY Tiffany’s holistic creative process celebrates slow design. Her parfums and pieces are years in the making and go much deeper than the surface. Pictured above are items from her Clay Relic range and the reimagination of an ancient muse for her latest campaign.

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“Scent has always been an integral part of my life, from spending time as a young girl with my great-gran, who practised rongoā [traditional Māori medicine] in the bush, to now working with raw materials from around the globe to create a particular feeling. So many of my memories are sparked by scent. The smell of tupakihi and kūmarahou plants reminds me of my great-gran, and I associate the perfume Poison with my mum in the ’80s.

Whānau, history, memories, books, friends… inspiration comes from everywhere. For me, ideas don’t seem to arrive at a scheduled date or in a particular place. I have no idea when they’ll come, and only about 1% of them actually eventuate into anything!

For my new Clay Relic range, I focused on different periods of ancient Egypt.

I did a lot of research and made contact with people all over the world while developing them and the new 415AD and Irtiu Nefertiti parfums. My muses were Hypatia and Nefertiti, incredible women who’ve inspired me since I learned about them in my formative years.

I like to challenge the collaborators I work with, so together we can create something that extends our craft. For this project, I needed to work with someone who fully understood the concept — and Auckland potter Kirsten Dryburgh was perfect. She makes each clay vessel on a wheel, glazes them, then fires them in a kiln multiple times to achieve their unique finishes. The forms and fragrances created in this range embody the Curionoir ethos, capturing a time in history while holding a place in the present and future.” curionoir.com; @curionoir

Photography: saucemag.co.nz (portrait), Ophelia Mikkelson (studio and campaign), Ardit Hoxha (clay relics)

With Tiffany Jeans, the Auckland founder of fine fragrance, candle and object brand Curionoir.

The Home Collection Solid structures paired with gentle folded formations.

Hand finished brass fittings & accessories for the home.

Available exclusively online at powersurge.co.nz