SOCIAL LIVES Reconnection by design
AUG/SEP 2022 AU $14.95 INC GST NZ $12.95 INC GST
9 421022 130048
Creatives who’ve found their calling
The joy of colour in all its forms
Interior aesthetics you can cosy up to
JASPER CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN STYLE Come home to luxury. Experience a statement of uncompromising comfort designed for ưH[LEOH OLYLQJ
AUSTRALIA AUCKLAND KUALA LUMPUR LONDON SINGAPORE SHANGHAI VANCOUVER I kingliving.com
COMPLETE FABRIC CARE There are so many clothing and fabric options available today, so it can be difficult to know how each should be treated for the best results. Different fibres wear for different reasons, so to truly care for fabrics, you have to understand them first. With insights gained over decades of appliance design, Fisher & Paykel have engineered laundry appliances that deliver remarkable fabric care and are designed to be part of a holistic laundry system. From precious woollens and delicates to everyday household items, we have pre-set cycles for different fabrics, removing the guesswork out of washing and drying. Prioritise life over laundry with our new Steam Care washers and dryers designed to bring exceptional levels of fabric care and convenience to daily laundry. The dedicated Steam Care cycles deodorise, dewrinkle and refresh garments that don’t need a full wash cycle, reducing wear on your favourite clothes.
fisherpaykel.com
CONTENTS
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90
Contents
August/September
HOMES
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More than words Reading the room results in a home that tells a special story in its owners’ unique language.
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Meant to be The development of this dwelling has been quite an evolution, but everything ended up exactly as it should.
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For goodness’ sake What’s a wellness-focused interior designer when she’s at home? A pro who turned her house into a health-promoting oasis.
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Miro Throw, designed in New Zealand. cittadesign.com • @citta
CONTENTS
40
STYLE 16
Scout Covetable stuff and things.
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Colour palette Welcome cabin cosiness.
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Bookmark A new favourite read.
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Store profile BLOC.
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Paint trends But make it fashion.
People 40
Maker profile Christopher Duncan.
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Designer profile Mahsa Willis.
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Artist profile Debbie Harris.
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Tradie profile Kellie Hinton.
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DESIGN 106
Outside in Magic moments.
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Case study Rural idyll.
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ETC
Product profile Braver bathrooms, everyone.
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Extract From Wild.
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Editor’s note Subscribe
Bring your space to life
FRSTSEPT22
Matt Black finish to frame the view
Floor to ceiling windows and doors for seamless indoor outdoor flow
See more from this home firstwindows.co.nz/moments-like-this
Picture windows allow optimum natural light
EDITOR’S NOTE
While producing this issue, I’ve been… … EMBRACING HYGGE, from my home office to beside the fire. I enjoy moving atmospheric accessories around the house with me, and this portable Caret lamp by &Tradition is on my wish-list to go perfectly with the New Zealand-made Cabin blanket I bought from Città, and the JH Lounge tracksuit by Juliette Hogan that I wear 90% of the week.
Crisp mornings and cosy evenings are marking my days at home.
Alice Lines, @alice.lines
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… LOOKING FORWARD to listening to Marlon Williams’ new album My Boy when it drops in September.
Portrait: Simon Wilson. Alice wears: Ron blouse and Calla culottes, juliettehogan.com
As a bit of a winter tradition, my family and I have reconfigured our living space to turn inwards and invite connection as we hunker down over the cooler months. During the recent Matariki holiday weekend, we had friends to stay, which offered me an opportunity to reflect on how the new furniture arrangement and, indeed, our entire house is working for us. So far, my family and I have learned that our new home functions well when we want to spend time together, and there’s also plenty of room for us all to have our own space. We’ve been enjoying hanging out around the dining table at night as much as having the option to leave the mess of a meal behind and retreat into the lounge, and I’ve been relishing gradually settling into these rhythms without feeling any urgency to make major aesthetic updates. Spaces that help us connect with people, places and individual preferences emerged as a theme as we put together this issue too. As well as exploring the power of colour, form and special finds to support this — not to mention meeting creatives who’re deeply connected to their craft — we visited properties by architects, interior designers and a gardener to discover how they did it. If you’re not planning a build, renovation or landscape overhaul, you can make connections in smaller yet still satisfying ways. I made my own the other day through the simple act of changing a lightbulb that had been casting a stark white light across our living room. With this easy update, the ambiance of the space changed and our desire to spend time together in it increased. For you, as with me, something as easy as this or rearranging your furniture might facilitate better connections — with your family, your friends, your outlook or yourself.
… PLANNING a new look for my kitchen — the tiled splashback in particular. I’m being drawn to the earthy hues of Japanese tile brand Inax, available locally through materialspace.co.nz, but while that decision’s pending, these Bistrot butter spreaders by Sabre Paris from studiobestwishes.com are making a sweet addition to the kitchen counter come afternoon tea time.
: $ 5 0 8 3 7 2 1 $7 8 5 $ / bremworth.co.nz
WEBSTAR MAGA ZINE MEDIA AWARDS
SUPREME MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
EDITOR Alice Lines DEPUTY EDITOR Philippa Prentice ART DIRECTOR Adrienne Pitts CONTRIBUTORS Clare Buchanan Frances Carter Lula Cucchiara Sarah Ell Adam Gibson Melanie Jenkins Sam Hartnett Emma Kanuik Noel Kingsbury Larnie Nicolson Catherine Steel Claire Takacs Sam van Kan Michelle Weir Simon Wilson 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
PRINTER SCG DISTRIBUTOR Are Direct ISSN 1177-0015
homestyle is a member of the MPA, and circulation is independently audited under the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Contact us for our latest circulation and readership information. homestyle is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either whole or in part, without written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise. All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labelled ‘not for publication’. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material. Paint colours may alter in the printing process.
PUBLISHER The Pluto Group Ltd Physical 326 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland 1021 Postal PO Box 911577, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142 Phone +64 9 300 7544 Email info@homestyle.co.nz
Subscribe to homestyle and save on page 134.
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Sam Hartnett
Embrace the elements in our coveted coats and cosy knits. Thoughtfully designed. Consciously created. Christchurch | Wanaka | Wellington | untouchedworld.com
HOME OF SOFAS
Everything you need to relax in style Create a space you love coming home to this winter and design your world with Freedom.
Style 16
Scout
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Colour palette
27
Bookmark
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Store profile
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Paint trends
Like the look of this? Flip to page 32, where there’s a take on paint that puts a sartorial slant on dressing up your walls and whatnot.
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STYLE —— Shop
Scout We’ve been shopping for your home.
GO GET ‘EM Design fairs are being brought back to life globally in 2022, including Scandinavia’s 3 Days of Design, bits of which are being brought locally to you. On display this year was Copenhagen brand New Works, and seen in this scene from their Sartorial Living exhibition, inspired in part by tailored menswear, are some of their pieces designed alongside Stockholm studio Lotta Agaton Interiors, several of which are now available at:
Words: Philippa Prentice
slowstore.co.nz
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INTO THE FOLD Hanging out to find the perfect extra layer for your bed or to cosy up in on the couch — one that looks good, feels good and does local makers good? Sisters Kate Cullwick and Prue Watson of Foxtrot Home flax-linen bedding fame have welcomed a selection of premium wool blankets to their range. In queen, king and super-king sizes, they’re made from 100% New Zealand lambswool (most of it sourced from Kate’s farm in Te Matau a Māui/Hawke’s Bay) that’s spun, dyed and manufactured on home turf too. These beauties will last you a lifetime, then biodegrade at the end of theirs. foxtrothome.co.nz
MIX BLESSINGS The latest vessels by Monmouth Glass Studio come in colours and shapes that are fun to mix and match, and we also like how they motivate us to mix it up, making alcohol-free drinks feel special by serving them in fancy goblets, or downplaying a top drop in some tumblers. The cups, carafes and vases are all hand-blown in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, and can be purchased individually or in combo sets.
Waipoua Forest
Strokes of Eden
monmouth.glass
PLANT-BASED As consciously crafted as always from recycled metals and ethically sourced stones, but this time with a botanical theme, the new collection from local jewellery label Jasmin Sparrow, Fiora (launching in August), has a circular intention that hints at plants’ cyclic journey and conveys the concept of infinity. Each exquisite piece is intended to become an heirloom for generations to come; we could happily wear these namesake Fiora earrings featuring citrine and smoky quartz gems forever. >
Maroon Boucle Wool
Design your style with our unique range of textiles and our custom making services.
jasminsparrow.com
Available nationwide. Free samples via our website.
www.marthas.co.nz
STYLE —— Shop
MAKE IT RAIN Splash some cash on a quality waterproof jacket and you’ll never mind the weather again. Back with a new run of covetable options is Okewa, whose coats’ complete sealed-seam protection is explained by the fact they’re designed in Pōneke/ Wellington, while their chic styles are quite simply down to founders Nevada and Nick Leckie knowing wassup. All their long-wearing iterations for women and men are responsibly made, making your decision to nab one a bit of a no-brainer. okewarainwear.com
HOT SEAT For your dining table, here, there or anywhere, the Sacha chair by Philippe Malouin for Resident has a geometric folded backrest, giving it a playful visual appeal that belies the ultimate sensible resting angle it provides for your back. Launched last month at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan, it’s upholstered in Kvadrat’s Hallingdal 65 fabric, a classic wool-blend textile devised in 1965 by iconic Danish designer Nanna Ditzel and renowned for its durability and colour palette. Choose a bright or neutral hue depending on your bent. resident.co.nz
NUMBERS GAME With four doors and three compartments, each with two shelves, this Artifeld buffet adds up for anyone seeking a sophisticated freestanding storage solution. In ash veneer with a pleasing putty-coloured finish, it’s generous enough to house larger platters and all sorts of other entertaining supplies, so by our calculations it’d be great for a dining space. > ornament.co.nz
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Natural Habitat Experience the familiar comfort of a bed made with classic gingham checks. In a darker palette of black and natural, discover beautiful bedding that feels like home in every season.
Rosedale • Takapuna • Ponsonby • Newmarket Cambridge • Napier • Wellington • Christchurch wallacecotton.com
STYLE —— Shop
WHIT-WOO-WOO
JUST BEETL
Did mindfulness meditation just become a more attractive, less wind-chimey proposition? Tāmaki Makaurau’s Charlotte Ritchie and Ursula Griffen of Remind are aiming for that with their web platform that strips back the practice to suit the modern meditator via relatable courses and workshops. Also helping to make mindfulness a current vibe is their locally hand-sewn meditation cushion filled with fragrant lavender, rose and hemp.
Introducing new skincare by Kirsty Stanbridge, a doctor and herbalist who developed Beetl when her child began to experience the same skin issues she had as a kid. Made in New Zealand from just the good stuff and no nasties, the first product to be released in the nourishing, protective range for sensitive souls, eczema sufferers and all skin types is this gentle Baby Cream.
remind.nz
beetl.co.nz
GLORY BE Heavens above, aren’t these Halo vases produced at Powersurge’s West Auckland workshop divine? A highly refined design hand-forged from solid brass, they make a strong, simple statement unadorned or with a single sculptural stem tilted just so, or you could offset their clean lines with unruly sprays of foraged flowers. powersurge.com
PERSONAL TOUCHES Having begun their enterprise in 1997 in a garage on Motueka’s main street, the family behind Woodwrights are practically old hands in the furniture biz, but they might be new to you. Well versed in supplying direct to designers, they’ve started offering contemporary collections for every room in your house as well, allowing you to buy items as they are or customise them using a recently expanded material library. Among the handmade creations personally delivered to your door are this Chord side table and Muse bed base from the Winter 2022 range. woodwrights.co.nz
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AUCKLAND | WELLINGTON | CHRISTCHURCH
B O C O N C E P T.C O M
STYLE —— Colour palette
Mountain hi Say hello to cabin-style styling that could make every day feel like a grounding yet adventurous getaway.
‘Mountain eclectic’. The term used by Sacramento studio Colossus Mfg to describe their renovation of this Lake Tahoe residence greets you with an immediate appeal that very much conjures the kind of snow-dusted daydreams we find ourselves having at this time of year. The interior scheme balances rustic, classic and contemporary via saturated colours, statement patterns and natural materials. Every room is painted a different hue, so they all have unique identities, yet work together thanks to a cohesive palette backed by on-theme details that avoid clichés. There are no antlers to see there or here, but some of these local finds might fit:
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Photography: Stephanie Russo
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Resene Forty Six
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Resene Pioneer Red
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OPPOSITE, FROM LEFT 1. Short Wool sheepskin rug, $139, wilsondorset.com. 2. Odin chair, $1375, resident. co.nz. 3. Watering can by Fabien Cappello, $315, garden-objects.com. 4. Twill cushion covers, $100 each, cittadesign.com. ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT 5. Open 60 Strand pendant light by Muuto, $1499, bauhaus.co.nz. 6. Marengo boots, $699, deadlyponies.com. 7. Hot water bottle cover, $79, paperplanestore. com. 8. Peg hooks, $69, fatherrabbit.com. 9. Jacket by Le Laboureur, $330, garden-objects.com. 10. Rustic Teak side table, $575, corcovado.co.nz. 11. Nevis throw, $279, weavehome.co.nz. 12. Nunatak candle holder by Nedre Fossn, $595, goodform.co.nz. 13. Side to Side table by QLiv, from $8460, ecc.co.nz. 14. Vas print by Kristina Siljefors for The Poster Club, from $99, paperplanestore.com. 15. Coffee scoop by Wood & Chisel, $60, crushes.co.nz. 16. Buddy mid curved spout basin mixer by Progetto, $749, plumbline.co.nz.
Resene Indian Ink Colours from Resene The Range fashion colours collection, available at Resene ColorShops and selected resellers.
resene.co.nz/colorshops 0800 RESENE (737 363)
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APOLLO
Industrial Modernism
Auckland Showroom 23 Davis Crescent, Newmarket | 09 526 0136 Wellington Showroom 1 Antilles Place, Grenada Village | 04 568 9898 Available from all leading bathroom retailers. Visit plumbline.co.nz/wheretobuy
Apo pollo ll Wa llo W ll Hun u g Basi ass n O ve Oli e Gre Green en n
Bookmark —— STYLE
On the shelf
A read that might change the way you see things. THIS PAGE Studies show circles contribute to a happier home, and such geometry has a significant role in this Victorian townhouse updated by the UK’s Office S&M. The door pictured is a portal to a powder room.
House of Joy, edited by Robert Klanten, Elli Stühler and Rosie Flanagan (Gestalten, $95) In its introduction, this buoyant book — a timely antidote to dreary winter weather and pandemic pessimism — posits that “several ingredients can make a more joyful interior: patterns and prints in place of blank surfaces, curves and arches instead of straight lines, furniture in all sorts of whimsical shapes. And colour — lots of it.” Its pages are plastered with all that in
every way, shape and form, illustrating how you can lift your spirits in the comfort of your own home. Helpful hints are interspersed with profiles of out-there interiors from all over the world, each conveying a highly personal brand of happiness. Maybe looks informed by the Memphis Group or New London Fabulous movements float your boat; maybe they cause barely a ripple of interest. It’s up to you, but you’ll find enough ideas in this tome to sink a ship. Amongst all the exuberance, you’ll also see that you don’t have to choose >
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between going big or going home to the same old same old. Bring a smile to your dial more discreetly, informed by subtle treatments like interior designer Juan Moreno Lopéz-Calull’s place in Barcelona, where the walls are white but the mouldings are multicoloured; or LA’s 120-year-old Cummings Estate, which shows how to integrate existing woodwork with contemporary quirk. Just one thing: don’t read this jubilant book with a cuppa in your hands. You’ll want to keep them free to clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.
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Words: Philippa Prentice. Photography: (previous page) French & Tye; (this page, clockwise from top left) Nicole Morrison, Max Burkhalter and Yannis Drakoulidis; and (opposite, from left) Andrew Meredith and Jim Stephenson
LEFT Villa San Francisco by Studio Mortazavi is a residency for artists, by artists, with an objective to make them feel immersed and inspired. BELOW Like her fashion label known for its bold prints, designer Ellen Van Dusen's New York brownstone devised by her and Van Dusen Architects is packed with peppy tones and perky patterns. BOTTOM The lower level of this Athens apartment by Point Supreme and KN Group is intentionally marine-like.
Bookmark —— STYLE
RIGHT The sentiment tiled into the stairs off the kitchen in this renovated Edwardian home speaks to British studio CAN’s desire to utilise as much waste material as possible. The colourful kitchen cabinets are made from recycled bottle tops and chopping boards. BELOW Part of a succinct palette including black, white and pale pink, the green walls in this London home by Gundry & Ducker playfully disguise storage, while the straight-edged flooring pattern contrasts with the curves of the ceiling, window and spiral stairs.
“Once you see colour as an essential part of the design of a space, you start to realise how powerful it can be. You can make spaces larger, you can make spaces smaller, you can even change the weather.”
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BLOC —— Store profile
That’s hot Warm the cockles of your heart with colour in the form of chilly-season pick-me-ups from a cool destination concept store. Flying colours Colour can be a major (and majorly underrated) mood booster, and to successfully integrate more of its uplifting goodness into your home and wardrobe this winter, we advise opting for rich, warm-fuzzy additions guided by nature. Mossy greens, timber browns, ocean blues, berry hues and (for a peppier pop) floral shade-of-themoment lilac all combine effortlessly with neutrals and have the power to inspire optimism with just a glance.
Board meeting Consider this page a blueprint for a mood board you could put together to help home in on your ideal refreshed interior palette. Once you’ve collected a selection of images, swatches, wants and needs to draw from, narrow them down to four or five shades that will form a harmonious scheme and make your purchasing decisions that much easier.
Nice touch Comfort is key at this time of year, so you’ll also want to turn your attention to tactility. Treat yourself to all things soft, cosy, plush and poufy, ceramics that feel good in your hands, throws you want to snuggle under… all with the goal of making yourself feel good and encouraging you to slooow dooown. When combining your new hues, match textures for continuity, like all linen cushions on the sofa or all cotton linens on your bed.
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Barossa print, $859, fatherrabbit.com. Kingston dining table, from $2659; Princeton chair, from $599, boconcept.com. Thistle duvet cover, from $199; Mulberry pillowcases, $60/pair; Ivy pillowcase, $80/pair, and fitted sheet, from $209, cittadesign.com. Jumpsuit, $409, essethelabel.co.nz. Otto sofa, $5300, achomestore.co.nz. Knitty Gritty jumper, $330, hej-hej.co. All available at BLOC in Mt Eden, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, bloc.co.nz.
WEAR IT’S AT
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Décor meets dressing via invogue schemes animated by Resene The Range fashion colours, which offer inspiration for both your walls and your wardrobe.
ST YLIN G
PH OTO G R APHY
Sam van Kan
M elanie Jenkins
Paint trends —— RESENE
THE LOOK These Resene paints translate the carefree feel of bright separates into sleep and living spaces that team greens with elegant, grounding neutrals we’ve offset with pops of pink — you could use Resene Drop Dead Gorgeous.
Resene Solitaire
Resene Rolling Hills
Resene Drop Dead Gorgeous
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Aloe Vera
ABOVE: BACKDROP, FROM LEFT Floor in Resene Walk-On in Resene Half Sea Fog, panel in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Solitaire, panel in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Aloe Vera, wall in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Rolling Hills, resene.co.nz/colorshops. ITEMS, FROM LEFT Spiral Taper candle, $15, naaytu.com. Mount Jade print by Jaron Su for The Poster Club, from $99, paperplanestore.com. Graphic vase by ByOn, $70, slowstore.co.nz. Flower, POA, kensal.nz. S2 stool, $320, cittadesign.com. Ripple champagne glass by Ferm Living, $99/pair, paperplanestore.com. CLOTHING, FROM TOP Di dress, $739; Owen blazer, $699; JHL Crew T-shirt, $199; Celine pants, $529; Eternal tunic, $569, juliettehogan.com (all available from August 2022). OPPOSITE: BACKDROP, FROM LEFT Nook walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Rolling Hills, right wall in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Solitaire, floor in Resene Walk-on in Resene Half Sea Fog, resene.co.nz/colorshops. ITEMS, FROM LEFT Resort bedspread, from $440, cittadesign.com. Bolster cushion, $255, klay.co.nz. Bon tray by Ferm Living, $130, slowstore.co.nz. Diner coffee cup, $30, taus.co.nz. Pendant 45 pendant light, $310, cittadesign.com. Bud & Leaf 200 artwork by Gretchen Albrecht, $28,000, gretchenalbrecht.com, tworooms.co.nz.
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THE LOOK Warming, reassuring, welcoming sugar and spice shades bring au courant cosiness to these inviting scenes — and your get-ups. Such colours lend themselves well to rooms that celebrate natural materials, tactile textiles, handmade shapes and a level of comfort kept sophisticated through the use of just a few items judiciously arranged.
ABOVE: CLOTHING, FROM TOP Zellie top, $280; Valentin pants, $400; Pepper shirt, $300, marle.co.nz (all available from August 2022). BACKDROP Wall and tabletop in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Meringue, bricks in (from left) Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Yogi, Resene Low Sheen in Resene Allspice, Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Outlaw and Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Epitome, resene.co.nz/colorshops. ITEMS, FROM LEFT Pond trivet by Ferm Living, $155/set of three, paperplanestore.com. Michelangelo candle, $80, naaytu.com. Mug by Mystery Creek Ceramics, $55, paperplanestore.com. Candle extinguisher by Ferm Living, $65; Vanity ring dish by Marloe Marloe, $190/set, slowstore.co.nz. OPPOSITE: BACKDROP Upper wall and shelf in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Meringue, edging in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Black, lower wall in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Epitome, floor in Resene Lumbersider in Resene Allspice, resene.co.nz/colorshops. ITEMS, FROM LEFT Tatamu coffee table, $2790, cittadesign.com. Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art book edited by Nigel Borell, $65, aucklandartgallery.com. Shino bowl by Elena Renker, $159, paperplanestore.com. Vanity ring dish by Marloe Marloe, $190/ set, slowstore.co.nz. Square cup, $70, monmouthglassstudio.com. Tasseled Wool rug, from $3495, nodirugs.com. Landing sofa, POA, woodwrights.co.nz. Azalea cushion by Penney & Bennett, $99; cup by Mystery Creek Ceramics, $36, paperplanestore.com. Twiggie vase by Marloe Marloe, $522, slowstore.co.nz. Michelangelo candle, $80, naaytu.com. Study After Hidden Shadow artwork by Gretchen Albrecht, $28,000, gretchenalbrecht.com, tworooms.co.nz. Foliage stylist’s own.
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Paint trends —— RESENE
Resene Black
Resene Allspice
Resene Yogi
STYLIST’S TIP Paint is great for highlighting architectural details. Working with painter’s tape (available at Resene ColorShops) to keep our lines clean, we coated our wall with lighter Resene Meringue at the top and heavier Resene Epitome at the bottom, separated by a bold stroke of Resene Black to accent the edge of the ledge.
Resene Epitome
Resene Outlaw
Resene Meringue
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Resene Black Doris
Resene Upside
THE LOOK Just like wearing clothing with natty design details or a bold pattern, taking a considered risk with paint can really pay off. These pastel tones are a daily pleasure in a dining space that expertly combines dark and light while dishing up intriguing forms alongside practical functions.
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Resene Dream Big
Paint trends —— RESENE
Resene Petal
Resene Transcend
Resene Creme De La Creme
ABOVE: BACKDROP, FROM LEFT Wall in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Petal, plinths in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Creme De La Creme, Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Black Doris and Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Dream Big, resene.co.nz/colorshops. ITEMS, FROM LEFT Tulip tumbler, $75, naaytu.com. Frutti playing cards by Moglea, $49/pack; carafe stopper for the Vice Versa carafe by Fazeek, $179, paperplanestore.com. Spiral Taper candle, $15, naaytu.com. Goblet, $95, monmouthglassstudio.co.nz. Wave tumbler by Fazeek, $99/set of two, paperplanestore.com. Carafe, $260, monmouthglassstudio.co.nz. OPPOSITE: CLOTHING, FROM TOP Drifting blouse, $440; Summer Breeze jacket, $650; Jasmine skirt, $320; Perfect T-shirt, $225, twentysevennames.co.nz (all available from August 2022). BACKDROP Left wall in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Petal, skirting stripe and right wall in Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Transcend, floor in Resene Walk-on in Resene Black Doris, resene.co.nz/colorshops. ITEMS, FROM LEFT Bamboo Silk Blend rug, from $5995, nodirugs.com. Enfants artwork by Selina Foote, $3500, @slfoote, tworooms.co.nz. Lulu stools by Special Studio, $319 each, paperplanestore.com. Pedestal table, $4595, homestyle-editions.co.nz. Tumbler, $70, monmouthglassstudio.co.nz. Vice Versa carafe by Fazeek, $179, paperplanestore.com. Michelangelo candle, $80, naaytu.com. Low Dome pendant light, $1400; Square cup, $70, monmouthglassstudio.com.
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KANSAS DINING TABLE, FIFTIES CHAIR - DAWSON DESIGN STUDIO
www.dawsonandco.nz
People 40
Maker profile
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Designer profile
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Artist profile
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Tradie profile
Below a Hotaru pendant light by Barber & Osgerby from Simon James, fashion designer Mahsa Willis admires garments from her latest collection on a walnut timber rack by Grant Bailey. Find out what else is new with Mahsa (the lady and the label) on page 46.
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WO RDS Philippa Prentice
PH OTO G R APHY Adrienne Pit ts
ON BALANCE
FOR WEAVER AND TEXTILE ARTIST CHRISTOPHER DUNCAN, LIFE AND ART INTERTWINE, SO WE TOUCHED ON THE LOT.
PEOPLE —— Maker profile
A childhood in a creative, resourceful family, study in fashion design and a stint in high-end streetwear behind him, mostly self-taught and entirely brilliant weaver Christopher Duncan made his start in his current craft a decade ago. He began using gifted looms and materials, his sister helping to support this transition by buying him his first loom off Trade Me. He’s currently making on another Trade Me find, a loom built from Pacific kauri, bought from a woman in her 90s, who also graciously offered him her related books, magazines and all the yarn he could carry. So Christopher, how would you describe the style of weaving you’ve developed? The word ‘minimalist’ comes to mind, but I don’t think that’s quite it. When you weave, you build the cloth from the bones up, so in that sense, it’s sculpture, but there are superficial elements, like a painting. If the work is intended to be worn, I also have to consider comfort and how aspects may appear on the body, so I try to find a balance between these tensions. I read a lot of books about eastern philosophy and find Zen painting represents the type of balance I aspire to. I like to look at art made by people — past and present — who don’t make work with capitalism in mind. You take bespoke commissions and produce pieces designed both to be worn and for display — what are your thoughts on clothing as art? I think that anything can be art if it’s done with the right intentions. Clothing is an extension of our bodies — for me, it reflects my mood and takes on the role I need in the moment. You work in a shared studio in inner-city Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland — what’s great about this space? It’s cavernous and semisubterranean. I like its industrial nature and how it’s in the city but
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THIS PAGE Christopher’s clothing is genderless and guided by zero-waste principles. “It’s not so much that these are deliberate intentions but perhaps reflections of how I like to be,” he says. “When you weave the cloth yourself, you tend not to want to waste it, so cutting defined shapes for fitted garments is a little counterintuitive. My garments are informed by the cloth. The shawl is clothing in its simplest form, and it also seems to be the most dynamic way to perceive the cloth — its folds, its versatility.”
“My creative mind is always on. I don’t feel the need to turn away from it or switch it off. My life and my practice are inseparable.”
feels like a world of its own. I share it with a friend who has lots of great antique furniture; it’s a sanctuary of interesting objects. Do you have a morning routine that gets you in the right headspace to create? I live in the central city, so my commute is brief. Most mornings [before work], I drink green tea and do some yoga. My diligence with my yoga practice has been mainly thanks to the last lockdown and my wonderful teacher, Mei-Cheng Wei. It really helps with my focus and mental wellbeing. Because I weave in solitude, my thoughts are stark, whether they’re positive or negative. I spend hours alone in my brain, so mental conditioning and resilience have become really important to me. What’s an average workday like for you? I have fantasies of being an early bird, but I’m just not, so I usually get to the studio around midday. If I’m focused, I can easily do a solid five or six hours of weaving. Weaving is really physical, so I need both my brain and body to be on side, and I also have to be intuitively awake. >
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THIS PAGE Christopher — who considers the opportunity to be a working maker “a great gift” — has been mulling over some smaller rug/tapestry works for a while, so he’d like to bring them to life over winter. Whatever he’s creating, he favours using unexpected yarns, which he gathers “from all over the place — wool from Aotearoa, linen and jute for warping from India, some antique Japanese silks and cottons. I tend to be drawn to the natural colour variants of yarn, and also black, blues, a small amount of deep madder red and occasionally metallics.”
“I make this work work though patience, a lot of faith in the practice, and love and support from the people around me.”
What are the ideal conditions for you to work in? Silence and sound — lately a lot of jazz, experimental, classical and electronic music. Heavy lyrics can disrupt wherever I’m at, so I tend to avoid that. Sometimes, though, if my task is monotonous, a podcast or an audiobook is great.
THIS PAGE When asked how long his items take to make, Christopher says, “A long time. Every piece is different, but my process seems to take even longer. I work very intuitively — not a lot of planning is in place. I have to set up the warp first, so that’s a third of the process, then when I begin the actual weaving, I usually have a feeling I want to convey, and a few details in mind. It comes down to finding a balance between the elements I choose to work with. Nothing should overpower the rest — small shifts in the structure of the cloth are as important as a motif or a stripe.”
A collection of flat-weave rugs is currently being exhibited at Tāmaki Makaurau gallery Objectspace in your show More Than Castles — what’s that about? Having received funding from Creative New Zealand to put time into researching and developing this side of my practice, I worked on the collection of six for a year. I’d been fiddling with rug ideas for a while, but never had the time to really delve into it. During my research, I was able to see some fantastic flat-weave pieces. I think that the space the project afforded me let me really see how my work has formed a relationship with my life and the practice of weaving in general. Where else can we see your stuff this year? In Aotearoa, Joe [Yen] at TÜR [which they began together in 2014 as a solution to needing an affordable studio space and has evolved into an exhibition/gallery space] always has a few recent works for people to see. Your creations are also exhibited in Japan, Belgium and the US — how does it feel to know they’re being contemplated so far and wide? It’s very humbling and quite mysterious to think that people in far-flung places find something in the work I make. I think textiles should bring comfort to people — that would be nice — but mainly I wonder if they see what I see in the work or whether it moves them in ways I can never understand. christopherduncan.co
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IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING
FASHION’S MAHSA WILLIS IS QUIETLY EXCITED ABOUT HER STUDIO AND THE NEW COLLECTION SHE’S CREATED IN IT.
INTERVIE W Alice Lines
PH OTO G R APHY Lula Cucchiara
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Designer profile —— PEOPLE
ABOVE Pottery by Elena Renker. RIGHT Garments from Mood 5 — New Bohemia. OPPOSITE Mid-century pieces from Mr Bigglesworthy feature throughout the villa, like this sideboard. On it are 1947 artworks by Cosmo de Salvo that belonged to Mahsa’s grandma and above it is a photo from Mahsa’s Mood 4 campaign, shot by her friend Derek Henderson. On the left wall are a pair of woven dishes by Ruth Castle from Everyday Needs.
Founder of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland label Mahsa, Mahsa Willis, has spent the past two years working with her team in a single room in a Grey Lynn villa, but not long ago they took over the whole house, joyfully spreading themselves out. Drenched in beautiful light and with a perfectly imperfect wabi-sabi appeal, every room has been assigned a different purpose, and Mahsa and co are in the process of devising an aesthetic for each space. We asked her to tell us more. So Mahsa, what’s the day-to-day like here? It’s our central hub, where we work independently and together. The online team is usually here looking after orders and shipping; we host sales meetings and showings, both in person and remotely; we all
sit down for team lunches and chat about the latest books and films and current events; customers come in for click-and-collect pick-ups and a catchup. Post-Covid, it feels profoundly good to all come together again. Your studio feels a bit like home — how have you made it such a welcoming work environment? It’s very important to me that we can walk in and immediately feel held, inspired and creative. We all love being here, and we love meeting people here too. We’re curating the spaces ourselves, and have lots of inspiration around us. We’ve found that doing things slowly and waiting for the right piece works for us, whether that’s a desk, a chair, a light or art, and >
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PEOPLE —— Designer profile
things get shuttled between my Titirangi home studio and the workroom too. Like nature, we all need regular change and transformation. What speaks to you when you’re selecting décor items? For me, it’s instinctive and visceral. It’s hard to define… I don’t like conformity or being overly prescriptive. I favour organic forms juxtaposed with modernism and enjoy buying in-season blooms and adding this layer of surprise to a space, along with plants by my friend Jasmine Edgar of Sill Life. Is that similar to your approach to designing a fashion collection? I approach that instinctively too — I like to feel my way through it. I also like playing with light, texture and tone. Feeling is everything,
and good feelings create a good mood. Being in an old villa, our workplace has a real sense of nostalgia to it and I think this relates to my work — ‘old mixed with new’ is a theme I often play with. You’ve recently released Mahsa’s latest ‘mood’, New Bohemia — what can you tell us about this collection? My fifth mood — in seven years — is a nod to the free-spirited nature of the ’70s, the dawning of new ideas, freedom, a shifting collective philosophy and questioning of the status quo. With everything that’s going on in the world right now, it feels like the right time to question the way we’re living, and to embrace philosophy, good intentions and kindness. Fashion is swimming in this pool of change and consciousness — we’re responding to this mood.
LEFT A Mahsa HQ mood board. BELOW Mahsa and showroom director Sarah Kee (left). Infused with optimism after a long season of retreat and dressing for comfort, New Bohemia heralds the start of a new era, moving us onwards and upwards. “Freedom is a state of mind, one that asks us to make a shift in thinking, as well as a shift in dressing,” says Mahsa. “We feel excited by the prospect of allowing ourselves to run with our feelings again, seeking beauty, pleasure and adventure.”
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“We’re holding house parties again, sharing food, dancing into the night. All these things give me hope.”
LEFT Mahsa sits beside New Moon to New Moon by photographer Kate van der Drift from Sanderson gallery. The ceramics on the table include pieces by Elena Renker (the two in the middle) and Margi Nuttall (the vase on the right), and the Akari lamp is by Isamu Noguchi from Public Record. When asked what else is making her feel hopeful these days, Mahsa says, “Meeting kind people, people following their dreams, flow state, collaboration and love.”
We’ve crafted some new prints and developed a fresh new palette — our signature paisley on a chocolate base. All of our fabrics are recycled deadstock or organic cottons; we’re very conscious of moving our label in a sustainable direction, and we’re doing this one step at a time. Quiet is the new loud. Who were your muses for this range? Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Angela Walker, Joan Didion — thinkers and creatives. Why did the timing feel right to release a new mood now? It’s never right, it just is. Fashion has a precarious cycle and we slow down our calendar as much as we can, but ‘newness’ is a market expectation and we’re responding to this is our own way. Mood 5, New Bohemia, follows on from Mood 4, Enduring Nature, which launched two years ago.
Reconnection is also a theme for this collection — what’s your favourite way to entertain friends and family at home? Possibly due to my communal upbringing, I like a relaxed atmosphere in an inviting home, with low light, eclectic playlists and lots of corners to sit and chat in. I like to serve simple food — a yummy array of plant-based goodness and raw dessert treats, with cold champagne and non-alcoholic substitutes. Many of us feel almost as if we’ve forgotten how to get dressed up to go out — how can clothes help us re-engage with life? Yes, I agree, we’re unfurling for sure. I think we start with comfort and ease, and then comes exploration. Colour is an amazing moodenhancer — we have some bright sky blue, lilac and pink in this mood. Also, our paisley is fun! mahsa.co.nz
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WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
DEBBIE HARRIS’S CERAMIC CREATIONS ARE FABULOUSLY FANTASTICAL YET GROUNDED IN REALITY. INTERVIE W
PH OTO G R APHY
Alice Lines
L arnie Nicolson
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PEOPLE —— Artist profile
Originally from the Manawatū, object-based installation artist Debbie Harris started out at art school with the intention of becoming a teacher. She really didn’t plan to be an artist, so it was completely by chance that she became enamoured with making — and having previously gravitated towards painting, it was even more accidental that she fell into ceramics. Now she’s living in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland with her Master of Visual Arts from AUT done and dusted, and her hands covered in clay. So, Debbie, what do you enjoy most about working with clay? Everything. Every time I finish a work, there’s another form or texture that I want to try next. Sometimes it’s overwhelming trying to figure out how to make everything I want to in the studio time I have. The objects you create have an otherworldly feel — what inspires them? My sculptures are influenced by forms found in the garden. I have a specific interest in flowers and floral textures; I look at the micro of thorns and petals, veins in leaves, stems, buds, stamens, pollen, floral colour combinations and all the uniqueness that plants possess. In a broader sense, I also look at flower gardens for scale; they can contain such a mix of plants, and in that way, I think they are a world of their own, so it makes sense that my work might also hold that quality. Colour is a strong feature of your work as well — what draws you to this palette? I’ve had a clear colour bias ever since I was a kid. It’s weird, actually — I’m not sure where it comes from but I have a distinct feeling when colours and colour combinations feel right to me. I find myself drawn to pink and purple hues, blues and certain undertones. I’ve become known for the colour lilac, which is why I titled my Master’s exhibition Planting Lilac. I’ve embraced that association — I think it’s really sweet. Can you tell us a bit about your process? I hand-build all my ceramic works, using a rough and adapted coiling technique. Essentially, I layer up rough coils of clay on top of each other by squeezing out each coil between my fingers to create the protruding textures on the surface of my forms. I’m pretty brutal with my clay and I think that translates to the texture of my work. I have to build large works over a series of days in the studio, so that each layer of clay has the chance to harden and dry a little bit before I can add more. It requires a bit of patience, which I’m constantly trying to push. >
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THESE & PREVIOUS PAGES Debbie doesn’t have a strict routine when she’s in the studio. “I try to write myself a list when I first get to my workbench, to help declutter my mind before I get into making. Then I’ll often listen to music or put a podcast on. I do have strict boundaries around my studio days, though. I’ve learned that if I don’t treat my work with the same accountability as working for someone else, I just don’t get enough done — and then I’m only letting myself down. I have to prioritise myself during those days, otherwise it’s too easy to end up wasting time, or doing life admin or office admin and missing out on that quality studio time.”
“Clay is limitless in the possibilities it presents. There’s so much that I want to learn and test.”
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“Engaging in art has made me a much better and more understanding person. I have a deep appreciation for artists and anyone who’s brave enough to create.”
THESE PAGES “I make for myself first,” says Debbie. “If I didn’t, I think I’d lose myself. I really feel like making is within me — it’s the only thing that makes me feel like I’m 100% in the right place when I’m doing it. Having the space to think through creative processes helps me to process life, my thoughts, my fears, my behaviours and the way I engage with the world. There’s so much about this moment in time in the world that frustrates and upsets me, and making with my hands somehow allows me to work through all of that. It’s so important for my head and my heart.”
Which part of the making process do you find the most satisfying, and what’s the most frustrating? The most satisfying thing is when a work comes together in both form and colour. When I can get both of those aspects to combine in a way I feel happy with, it’s magic. The most frustrating thing is having to work within the limitations of the size of the kiln I have access to. If I could have a kiln the size of a house, I think I’d try to build a sculpture that size!
ceramic artists to share a studio together. When I finished studying, I moved into my studio space alongside four other ceramic artists. Over the past couple of years, our space has slowly grown from five ceramic artists to 10 interdisciplinary artists, and we’ve started a ceramics school teaching small, relaxed hand-building classes for anyone who wants to come along. I’m so proud of what we’ve worked so hard to build.
What are you working on at the moment — any plans for a show? I’m working on a large body of work for a show next year. I’m giving myself a bit of space and time because I’d love it to be filled with work in a range of different sizes — big, small, huge, teeny-tiny — which requires some time to build. Ceramic processes are time-consuming and I don’t want to rush it.
What’s the most rewarding part of teaching? Providing people with a safe and unintimidating space in which to create. Students often comment that my classes are an important part of their week or that they feel relaxed afterwards. I make all my students cups of tea and bring snacks and chocolate because I genuinely care and want them to have a great experience.
Funnily enough, given your original career plan, alongside your creative practice, you also teach. Tell us about Mud Studios… Two years ago, in the middle of a lab at AUT, I got a call from an unknown number. Becky Richards and I had been chatting over Instagram and she’d called me at the beginning of her endeavour to establish a collective of contemporary
When you’re not making in the studio, how do you like to spend your downtime? You’ll find me visiting galleries to look at other artists’ work, op-shopping, seeing live music and eating Doe doughnuts. After the lockdowns, it’s just nice to get out. A screen is no replacement for experiencing things in person. debbiejoanneharris.com
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IN HER FLOW
KELLIE HINTON ISN’T YOUR BOG-STANDARD TRADIE BY NAME OR BY NATURE.
INTERVIE W Emma Kaniuk
PH OTO G R APHY Frances C ar ter
Tradie profile —— PEOPLE
She was the first woman ever to pass Unitec’s New Zealand Certificates in plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying, and until recently Kellie Hinton was the only lady tradie working at her current level in these occupations. She came to her profession through her father, and today they work together in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland on residential, commercial and industrial properties. Kellie’s expertise can also be hired through Tradespeople, Aotearoa’s national directory of woman and gender-diverse tradies, but let’s get to know her a bit first. So Kellie, why do you do what you? It’s simple — I love it. Every day there’s something new and challenging to do — I never know what the next phone call will bring. I get to use my brain and hands, I get to spend time outdoors, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing a job well done. Being able to help someone and remove just a
little bit of stress from their lives makes every job worth it. Why did you choose to work in this industry? As kids, my sister Rebecca and I often spent time at my father Lance’s office, helping my mother Theodora out and annoying the fellas in the lunchroom with difficult questions while learning all about the trade. Dad didn’t want either of his girls to become plumbers, so Rebecca went into vet nursing and I went into travel and tourism. Then 9/11 happened, and I changed careers to accounts — for a company that ended up going into receivership and liquidation on the monthly pay day. Dad said, “Come out on the road with me and earn some money for a couple of weeks until you can find something better.” Famous last words… You’ve had to overcome some health challenges to get where you are today… When I was 26, I >
OPPOSITE Kellie lives in Swanson, surrounded by nature. “My partner Martin Seitner and I call the foothills of the Waitākere Ranges home,” she says. “We live in an ’80s prefab classroom that my parents and I relocated and rebuilt into a house, near my extended family on the 10-acre property we share. We’re 1km from the main road, so as soon as I go through the gate, a weight falls off my shoulders as the city falls away and I enjoy the silence and patchy cell-phone reception. We’re surrounded by native bush and have a natural-formed pond at the front of our home, along with a stream that leads to a waterfall. Every morning when I wake up and open the curtains, I remember how lucky I am. It allows me to breathe, reset and do my job efficiently.”
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PEOPLE —— Tradie profile
THIS PAGE Kellie and her father/colleague Lance Hinton. OPPOSITE When asked about her most treasured objects at home or work, Kellie says, “This is going to sound strange, but Dad bought me a small pair of Rothenberg adjustable grips and they’re too small for the guys, so they leave them alone, but they fit my hand perfectly. They’re just the cutest little things — my precious!“
had encephalitis, and six months later, I contracted viral meningitis. The specialist told my mother to bring me home because I wouldn’t be able to speak or control the left side of my body — challenge accepted! On my first day at Unitec, I overheard someone in the lunch room laughing about how I’d never make it — challenge accepted! To the guys in my class who joked about how I’d never finish the course — challenge accepted! To the men I’ve encountered during my career who’ve ignored me and spoken to my boss instead, even though he didn’t do the job, and the counter staff at supply shops who don’t believe I am who I say I am — challenge accepted! I had a choice to listen to people like this or pick myself up and succeed, so I revelled in the looks on their faces when I met and exceeded
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their low expectations, passing my course with higher marks than my counterparts, both at Unitec and on the board exams. Now I have a wide support crew who challenge any fool who dares to disbelieve in me. What’s a common task people call a plumber for that they could probably handle themselves? I think the most important thing to know about your home is where the main water isolation turn-off point is. There’s nothing worse than hunting around in the garden for it at 3am because a pipe’s burst; these things never happen at a decent hour. Knowing where this valve is can save you having to pay an expensive bill for an overnight call-out, because you can just turn it off yourself, then call a plumber in the morning and pay a normal rate.
“The best part of my job is working with my father, because it’s given me the chance to get to know him so well.”
Day to day, knowing how to clean out your shower waste is really useful. Showers block up easily if people have long hair, and pulling off the cap and removing the hair could save yours from clogging, your shower liners from funny-coloured mould, your nostrils from bad smells, and your toes from having a bath instead of a shower, while making your life so much easier. What plumbing-related jobs should we never try at home? Everything else. I know there are a lot of people out there who think they know what they’re doing and, yes, the repair might work, but you might also be messing with the health of your family due to things you never thought about. You can change a tap washer, sure, but if you don’t know how to do it
correctly, ask a professional. That’s why we train for so many years — to learn how to protect you, and in most cases, it works out cheaper in the long run. I watched so many videos during my training as a plumber and what can happen when things aren’t done correctly scares the bejeebies out of me. What’s your secret to staying optimistic, whatever life throws at you? Stop and take a breath. It’s so easy to lose days racing from one place to another; they all start to blend into one, yet if you stop for a second and take a mental picture of where you are and what you’re doing, it makes everything more fun. And if you don’t want to do that, take up roller derby! advanced-plumbing-drainage.business.site; tradespeople.co
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Your Heritage Hero Boasting an extended height, large flame viewing window, smouldering logs and ember fuel bed, the DF990 is the perfect retrofit for grand old fireplaces.
Learn more at escea.com/DF-series
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More than words
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Meant to be
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For goodness’ sake
A tale about a house and a love story to boot. Join us in Ōtautahi/Christchurch on page 76 to be entertained by a blended family’s journey with a marvellous modular home.
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M O RE THAN WORDS Reading the room results in a home that tells a special story in its owners’ unique language.
WO RDS
PH OTO G R APHY
Clare Buchanan
Sam Har tnet t
HOMES
THE PROJECT Architecture and interior design studio Bureaux renovated this fourbedroom home in Auckland’s St Heliers for a couple and their two children.
W THESE & PREVIOUS PAGES The coffee table in the media room is a bespoke Bureaux design. An adze was used to painstakingly carve texture into its wooden legs, a craft detail repeated throughout the home. Other standout pieces include a corner sofa by Maker & Son, a Bamboo Silk Blend rug by Nodi, a Metronome floor lamp by Apparatus, sourced through ECC, and a pair of Times Lounge chairs by Poltrona Frau from Studio Italia. Pictured opposite on the wall is an artwork by Max Gimblett.
hen architect and director of Bureaux Jessica Walker first laid eyes on this modern, cedar-clad home in the seaside east Auckland suburb of St Heliers, she was not only excited to work with its owners for a second time, but also to seize the opportunity to do what she and her team do best: provide a full service from the inside out. Bureaux had already completed a holiday home for the couple and their two children, and now the pair wanted to downsize their Tāmaki Makaurau base. With its beautiful light, enviable view and leafy garden, this 2012 townhouse originally designed by Cook Sargisson Pirie Architects was selected as an ideal alternative to an apartment. Stepping up to alter a relatively new dwelling designed by someone else is the architectural equivalent of stepping into someone else’s shoes. How do you make them fit? “You need to find yourself within the project,” says Jessica. “Our approach was to treat the home like a canvas, excluding the exterior and reimagining the lining of the house.” Find themselves they did. Although they left the floorplan largely unchanged, the team (including architect Ella LilleyGasteiger and interior designer Madeline Caldwell) brought the interior back to its bones before meticulously rebuilding it >
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HOMES
— but it’s what they did before that that sets their practice and this project apart. As an integrated architecture and interior design studio, Bureaux often create bespoke furniture and fittings for projects. Rather than applying interior details as a secondary phase to the architecture, they see it as one vision. Because of this, the team began by working backwards, from the inside out, carefully deciphering how spaces might be occupied and teasing out all the details to accompany their clients’ rituals of living. “We find it difficult to think about a room without considering how that room might be occupied,” says Jessica. “Behaviour informs how a space is designed, then the architecture is sculpted around it.” The entrance to this home sets the stage for what’s to come by introducing a concise material palette that draws you in. “The idea was to catch people between two horizontal planes,” says Jessica. This was achieved through the generous use throughout the home of oak timber on the ceiling and the floor (not to mention some of the walls). Many of the conventional doorways have been exchanged for openings edged with strong blade walls that more loosely divide the spaces. Along with intricate negative detailing on both the >
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LEFT One purposeful movement of this cavity slider (designed around Jessica’s favourite door pull — the Peek sliding door pull from the Tom Kundig collection for 12th Avenue Iron) essentially removes a wall, opening and closing the media room as required. OPPOSITE “We put together a family of motifs, then had fun reworking them in different spaces,” says Jessica. The decision to use oversized oak boards was one of the first they made and drove the overall palette. Here, the timber helps to make the relatively small living space feel warm and inviting. The Olle dining table and Kekke chairs are by Piet Boon, while in front of the granite fireplace is another coffee table designed by Bureaux.
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“I love folding in timeless design classics with more contemporary pieces, so you can’t pick the year of the project.”
ceiling and the walls, this offers what Jessica describes as a “tectonic” reading of the spaces. A textured plaster finish on the walls honours the clients’ wish for dedicated surfaces on which to display their diverse art collection. Adzed timber is used throughout the home, and it’s in the kitchen that it really sings. Every facet of the fumed maple cabinetry was hand-carved by DBJ Furniture. “Rather than rolling their eyes, they really relish the challenge of doing something they’ve never done before,” says Jessica. Also in solid maple, the matching island is sculptural in appearance yet deftly practical, concealing utilities including a dishwasher. A similar sense of earthy serenity can be found in the adjacent main living space. After the creation of numerous prototypes, bespoke linen curtains by multi-talented fashion designer/ craftswoman/painter Beth Ellery were carefully constructed to maintain privacy from the neighbours. The curtain tracks and lighting here have also been thoughtfully managed to ensure the calm tranquillity of the room remains. Complete with bespoke cabinetry to hide all the usual AV fandangles, the media room reveals another sophisticated Bureaux detail. Rather than have a carpet threshold at the >
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OPPOSITE “When we start with a project like this, we create a palette and pull everything in — floor, plaster, rug samples — then wait until it sings,” says Jessica. “Often it takes those little interior moments for you to feel like you’ve got the character of the room right.” Some of the finer details in the kitchen (where maple timber is combined with Utopia marble on the wall and bar nook benchtop, and Bengal Black granite on the remaining benchtops, both from SCE Stone & Design) include steel handles custom-designed by DBJ Furniture, tapware by Dornbracht from Metrix and stools custom-designed by Bureaux and crafted by DBJ.
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Every room in this house has its own character, and each has a part to play.
door, they cleverly created a border of timber and inlaid the carpet — or more specifically, a luxurious silk rug in a deep sea green. A wide fireplace grounds this room with its steel surround and stone hearth, and the rich charcoal tones of fumed maple panels make an appearance in here too. Bureaux’s level of care and attentiveness is equally evident in the powder room and ensuite. “I like bathrooms that feel like rooms, as opposed to service spaces,” says Jessica. “I’m a big fan of taking timber flooring through the bathroom with a rug, a side table — so it feels like a room you might spend some time in.” In this abode, the bathrooms very much feel like somewhere you could happily while away your time — perhaps in the ensuite’s deep bath with its view of the ocean through the shutters. Every room in this house has its own character, and each has a part to play in a narrative carefully written especially for this home and this family. “There’s an identity that a project gets given that’s just theirs — it can be admired, but not easily replicated,” says Jessica. “What we give our clients and their interiors is their own language — we create it just for them.” In this case, it appears that language expresses this family perfectly.
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THESE PAGES The restful main bedroom is bathed in diffused light that flows in through louvre windows and is filtered by linen curtains. The headboard is a custom Bureaux piece fabricated by DBJ Furniture, the Bureauxdesigned console features the same custom steel handles as the kitchen, and the inlaid Mini Loop rug by Nodi is pleasingly flush and plush underfoot.
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LEFT Also a Bureaux design, below a 73s wall light by Bocci, the shelving in the ensuite incorporates another motif, the use of dowels. The Haring table is by Minotti and the Eve bath is by United Products from The Kitchen Hub. OPPOSITE The oak dowels of the custom powder room vanity lend a lightness to this piece, with its Italian Fossil Grey stone benchtop from SCE Stone & Design, Latis basins by Omvivo and Vola tapware from Metrix. The Sasaab Limestone tiles in the shower are also from SCE Stone & Design, the steel shower door and Bureauxdesigned handle were crafted by SaintLeo, the Vola towel rail is from Metrix, and the mirrors by DBJ Furniture are hinged to conceal extra storage.
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MEANT TO B E The development of this dwelling has been quite an evolution, but everything ended up exactly as it should. WO RDS C atherine Ste el
PH OTO G R APHY Sam Har tnet t
THE PROJECT Andrew Watson of AW Architects and his interior designer partner Jessica Bartlett built this fourbedroom home in Christchurch’s Sumner for themselves and their children Zoe (14), Jono (12) and Romeo (8).
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ABOVE Landscape architect Paul Roper-Gee of Canopy’s vision for the garden was soft, meadow-like planting to offset the bold lines of the house and provide seasonal flavour when looking down at it from above or walking through it at ground level. OPPOSITE Jessica on the path leading to the back of the house, below the main bedroom window, where Andrew set back the framing so it hides the gutters and roof finishes. PREVIOUS PAGE The home’s steel portal frames and flexible DonoBrace steel braces emphasise the honesty of the build. Here, the facade deliberately excludes windows for privacy, while the black folded steel structure at the top of stairs provides a sense of enclosure on arrival.
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t was meant to be a bachelor pad — small, simple and bach-like. On a hillside in Sumner in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, this simple abode would be part of Andrew Watson’s plan for a fresh start. “I was happy for just a shack with a barbecue and space for me and the kids,” says the director of AW Architects. But while he was in the design phase, his vision for himself and his children Zoe and Jono took a turn when he met interior designer Jessica Bartlett. It’s said good things come in pairs, and in this case, they sure did. Eventually, the couple approached
the build together, expanding the home’s design to include Jessica and her son Romeo. To that end, Andrew’s original plan for an L-shaped, three-bedroom dwelling was reimagined into a U-shaped four-bedroom one that reaches out to embrace its elevated site. The hillside location is what Andrew refers to as a “Goldilocks” zone — not too high up the hill but not too low to miss out on the sweeping vista. “We get the benefits of being near the flat — close to public transport and the kids are able to walk to school — yet we also enjoy a lovely green view over the tops of the trees. If our house was one layer above, we’d
be looking down on rooftops instead.” This is a site Andrew knew well before he started his original design, having worked on an even earlier design for it for its then owners that didn’t come to fruition. Then the opportunity came up to buy it himself. “The original scheme was based on ideas I’d worked on with the previous owners regarding where certain parts of the house would be — kitchen and living in a spot to accommodate the views and sun, and all else scaled back to accommodate the landscape,” he says. “After I met Jessica, the house developed from a basic house into a home that complements the site. It’s what should have been from the get-go.” >
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The hillside location is what Andrew refers to as a “Goldilocks” zone.
ABOVE On the deck at the front of the house — which Andrew says “functions as another room within the grid of modules” — is an Aruba Platform sofa from Soren Liv. Like the home’s Abodo cladding and laminated macrocarpa entry steps, the Garapa timber used for the decking was chosen for the way it silvers off naturally over time. OPPOSITE Zoe’s bedroom opens onto the courtyard at the back of the house, which takes in a view of the Port Hills. Her duvet cover and pillowcases are from Città, and her cushion is from A&C Home. Beside a Bistro table and chairs by Fermob from Jardin, Jessica planted pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) that now hangs low, softening the look of the exposed brick wall. “We discussed plastering the wall, but we like the rawness of it,” says Andrew.
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ABOVE LEFT Religion by Nathan Mac Ryde. ABOVE RIGHT The picture window in the living area mirrors the window of the same style in the main bedroom. “We wanted them to be as large as possible, but they’re not full height, so furniture can be tucked under them,” says Andrew. Positioning the Reed sofa by Nonn close to the glass in this space means the family can “lie there and be in the view”. Surrounded by walls in Resene Wan White, some of the other details featured here include curtains by The Makers in Icon Everyday Paliano linen, a Rolf rug from Città, a Ghost coffee table from Freedom and built-in cabinetry by House of Joinery.
What the couple has created is a “suburban apartment”, complete with a sheltered courtyard facing the hills and a deck looking seaward from the living/kitchen/dining area. Celebrating aspects of apartmentstyle living on a single level, “It’s small-scale family living but with the benefits of suburbia and its surrounding space,” says Andrew. “Low-energy and low-maintenance, the home is a sanctuary due to its cosiness and serenity.” One thread that has remained throughout the dwelling’s evolution is its prefab modular structure. The home was always going to reflect
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this model; in fact, the prefab process inspired the design. “The house is based on a grid of 4.8m 2 modules, each representing a different aspect: the living and kitchen module, the dining module, the service module and the bedroom modules,” says Andrew. “Around that, it was based on a prefabricated process of building, such as floor cassettes and wall and roof panels.” It’s a lesson in efficiency, allowing the creation of a weather-tight shell in a short amount of time. “Once the shell is locked in, you can get away from the elements and finish work quickly,” says Andrew. “Also, the place is locked up. Measuring joinery units and
installing plumbing can happen in tandem with finishing the home’s exterior. It’s a way of de-risking the project, so the building isn’t in the elements, especially when you’re building in winter. Tools are dry and accuracy is better. Everyone benefits.” Local materials were also a key factor in this build. “We were able to go and get the products, fabricate them in the factory, then ship them to the site and flip the house up relatively quickly,” says Andrew. “We weren’t relying on machinery from Germany or wall panels from America.” The home’s layout encompasses a main bathroom and laundry in the >
LIVING The couple has created a gallery wall in the living area for the art they’ve picked up over the years. “We liked the idea of keeping our collection in one space,” says Jessica. This snapshot includes pieces by Julie Bartlett (two works top left), Alice Sarginson (two works bottom left), Julia Morison (middle), Anton Mogridge (bottom middle) and Stanley Donwood (bottom right).
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“We thought it’d be nice to have pods for a gym or yoga studio, but we keep coming back to asking ourselves, ‘Do we need to do that?’”
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ABOVE LEFT & OPPOSITE The couple designed the kitchen to be practical and connect with the living area inside and out via the deck. “This means that when the doors are open, it’s one big space,” says Andrew. “We set the kitchen asymmetrically, so we have tall cupboards at one end, then cooking, coffee, sink and other lower elements at the end closest to the living room. Originally, we had the stools [custom-made by Buxeda] at the other end, then when we came on site, we saw where the view over Sumner is, so we moved the seating to take it in.” Notable décor details seen opposite include a Friday armchair by Zeitraum and a Captain Flint floor lamp by Flos from ECC. ABOVE RIGHT Highlights here are the artworks by Simon Edwards and Bellhop lamp by Flos from ECC.
middle of the floorplan, with bedrooms on one side and living/kitchen/dining on the other. The grid of modules lining up with each other means space flows freely inside, while outside some exterior walls have been replaced with doors that open wide for unimpeded indooroutdoor flow, allowing rooms to blend with the landscape, increasing their size. Despite the easy flow, intimate spaces can form. Wing walls between the dining and living areas slide out to close off the living space, bringing a fluidity to the home that’s ideal for a family of five. The sliding doors to the laundry and main bathroom can be closed or opened for a more spacious feel.
Having resided here for two years, Andrew calls it an experiment in living. “Now we know what these spaces mean in terms of the dimensions, and how it feels for us as designers going forward into other jobs and spaces,” he says. “We know what works, so it gives us a point of reference that’s pretty cool.” Now a member of the AW Architects practice, Jessica took charge of the interior design. Her creation of simple, calm colour and material palettes using natural and restrained inclusions is a nod to the natural beauty of the home’s surroundings. “I wanted the interiors to be made from honest materials and feel very serene,” she says. This is perfectly
juxtaposed by structural interest, such as the wing walls and built-in furniture. Although future expansion is in the back of Andrew and Jessica’s minds, they can’t help but be reminded how good they have it right now. “We thought it’d be nice to have pods for a gym or yoga studio, but we always return to the fact that we have about 10 more years of the children living at home and the house should accommodate our future requirements when space opens up,” says Andrew. “So even though we have grand ideas, we keep coming back to asking ourselves, ‘Do we need to do that?’ We hope the house will accommodate us for a long time.”
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ABOVE Unlike the picture window in the main bedroom, the one in the living area doesn’t open, so this window on the gallery wall caters for ventilation instead. “I like to design houses that I can walk around and open windows to ventilate them,” says Andrew. “The kids’ bedrooms have top-light windows for both ventilation and security.” The exterior Abodo Vulcan cladding system is made from heat-treated laminate timber. It forms a decorative layer, under which is a membrane that provides moisture control and airtightness. OPPOSITE Opening to engage with the courtyard garden and late afternoon sun, the dining area features a Soul table by Nonn from Simon James and vintage dining chairs from Mr Mod. The flooring throughout the house is hard oak with an Osmo Wood Wax finish by Timbers of New Zealand.
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ABOVE LEFT Romeo’s bedroom includes a rug from Kmart, a Willowby cube table from Ico Traders, an AJ lamp by Louis Poulsen, a print by Evie Kemp and bedding from Wallace Cotton. ABOVE RIGHT The home’s uncomplicated aesthetic is embraced in the main bathroom with simple matte Kapela tiles from Designastyle and oak veneer cabinetry that ties in with that in the ensuite. The Cox tapware is by Paini and the Luv sink is by Duravit. BELOW Zoe brought a little colour into her sleep space with a feature wall in Resene Half Wax Flower, which creates a nice, warm glow at the end of hallway. OPPOSITE In the couple’s soothing suite, a pristine white duvet cover and pillowcases from Città team with an Ava throw from A&C Home. Their wardrobe is a Spectrum Eco wardrobe by Plytech, with leather pulls custom-made by Buxeda that are repeated in the kids’ rooms, a hall cupboard and the sideboards in the living and dining areas.
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Fo r goo dn ess’ sa ke What’s a wellness-focused interior designer when she’s at home? A pro who turned her house into a health-promoting oasis.
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Philippa Prentice
Michelle Weir
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THE PROJECT Interior designer/social worker Rachel Barthow of One Something Studio and her husband Matt — a programming director at Warner Bros Discovery — built this fivebedroom home in Auckland’s Mt Wellington for themselves and their children Zanthe (4) and Sullivan (2).
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f Rachel Barthow was a foodstuff, she might be granola — in the best possible way. For a start, eating a bowl of this wholesome fare at her dining table while watching her two young children play nearby is one of her all-time favourite things to do. Add to this that she does so in the home she designed to be visually and mentally nourishing using the principles that guide her wellness-focused interior design practice and you get the picture. Having begun her career as a mental health social worker, Rachel came to interior design through additional study that saw what was a therapeutic and creative outlet for her own self-care become a new yet surprisingly complementary profession. “Initially, I thought pursuing it would be a departure from my previous life, but instead I’ve realised how much social work shapes my world view and approach to design,” she says. Today, at the helm of One Something Studio, she uses interior design as a tool to make spaces that better her clients emotionally, psychologically and physically. “I believe design has huge potential to enrich our daily lives and enhance our mental health,” she says. “I ask myself how each room I create helps to meet
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its occupants’ needs and achieve a sense of fulfilment — mind, body and soul, essentially.” The house in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland’s Mt Wellington that Rachel and her husband Matt designed for themselves (a long-term project funded in part by renovating the existing 1960s dwelling on the 1200m2 section, then subdividing to add two new homes) is a lesson in how a budget can be configured to allow for expenditure on the things that will enhance your life the most. Although building an architecturally designed home is the couple’s ultimate dream, they developed this abode pragmatically to provide for their growing family. That meant a relatively simple shell was the order of the day, made less generic through inspiration taken from the iconic Kiwi villa, in terms of colours, materials and details like the sweet bay window at the front of the house. They got it all right by enlisting the expertise of architectural technician Bruce Parker and Rachel’s brother-in-law Daniel Harris’s company Optic Build to execute their design, which placed the focus on the efficient use of space and creating a neutral backdrop on which Rachel was then able to work her magic. The build was a long one — not the 18 months they “naïvely” envisaged but, all up, four years. Towards >
LIVING Engineered oak flooring from Hurford installed by Good Wood runs throughout the lower level of the home, where the walls, ceiling and trims are in Dulux Mt Aspiring Quarter. Rachel surprised herself by using so much colour when putting together this scene, which sees a vintage lamp and record player and artworks Blue Stripe at Concorde by Sofia Lind and Tu M’Aimes En Couleur — Vessels by Bonnie Gray top off a Candy sideboard by Le Forge. “I can get overwhelmed by too much colour, but this is its own little vignette and I get a lot of joy out of it,” she says.
“We have heaps of storage, which helps organise the kids’ chaos.”
LIVING Part of a long process of sourcing the ideal items, after a lengthy search, Rachel spotted this amazing vintage mactan stone coffee table on Trade Me. “It was such a perfect fit for our colour palette and aesthetic that it felt like kismet,” she says. Another example of perseverance paying off, due to Covid hold-ups it was several months before the couple’s Atelier sofa could be delivered from Coco Republic, during which time they happily went without while they waited for their ultimate piece. The side table in this living space is also vintage, Rachel made the floor lamp from a shade she found on Etsy and a Kmart base, the Benji armchairs are from Contempa and the rug is by Sarah Sherman Samuel from Lulu & Georgia. Lots of natural light is ushered into this house through creative apertures, while a combo of dimmable downlights, wall lights and lamps allow the mood to be altered as required.
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DINING When integrating old and new, Rachel likes to pick pieces that are a nod to design eras she enjoys and have a tactility to them that makes the house feel lived in. After a six-month search, she found the vintage travertine twin-pedestal dining table the week they moved in. “I tried to think of every way someone might describe it in a Trade Me listing, then saved each one as a search. I’d check it every day and got a bit addicted, but I finally found it, right down to the dimensions I needed so it wouldn’t feel lost in this relatively generous space.”
the end, Rachel became enamoured with early postModernism, “so at the last minute I added some features with more texture and movement into the plan, including the rendering on the rangehood in the kitchen and the fireplace in the living room, the rangehood arch, and the breeze-block fence outside.” Along with the careful consideration of space and light, the central thesis of Rachel’s practice is her use of organic forms and earthy hues for their calming, down-to-earth effect. “If I can bring in these tones through the natural colours of the materials I use, I find it even more aesthetically fulfilling, so I have elements that do this in every room of our house,” she says. “I also like to practice mindfulness, so I use natural materials to create a sensory experience involving how objects look, feel, smell and sound. It all helps to ground you and connect you with the world around you, and also connect a space to its wider environment.” Successful styling is often as much about what you leave out as what you put in, and Rachel has walked that line expertly here. A minimalist at heart, she says a pared-back layout and palette allow her to breathe. “The introvert in me loves an uncluttered home where I can recharge, so every item is chosen for a reason.
A lot of my styling is about letting each piece have its moment, so it’s not competing for attention, and I find editing very therapeutic.” All this earnest intentionality might have you craving a heaping bowl of artificial colours and flavours, but actually, this brand of goodness is anything but boring. Case in point are the moves Rachel made with details like the statement tiles in the upstairs bathrooms. “I think considered risks work when the materials are natural, the design is more than just a trend and there’s an emotional pull or a story behind it,” she says. “We had the luxury of time to let design decisions marinate over the course of our project. In the end, I realised I still loved those tiles after mulling them over for about two years, and another two years later I still love them — win!” Rachel says serenity washes over her whenever she opens the door to this beautiful blend of family-first practicalities and super-stylishness. “Matt and I put our whole hearts into this and I feel a real sense of peace when I’m here.” The patience — and utmost care — required to arrive at this point has undeniably proved a virtue that’s resulted in some true food for the soul, for which this happy family can thank goodness.
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KITCHEN Amid Rachel’s palette of natural materials, a gentle arch motif repeated throughout the house prevents the relatively standard spaces feeling boxy. In the kitchen, the rendered (with Carrara limestone render from Italian Eco Style), tiled (with Carrara Herringbone mosaics from Quantum Flooring) detail surrounding the rangehood was in response to some of the spacial constraints Rachel had to work within. “I realised that a lot of the kitchen designs I love have high ceilings and tall cabinetry, but this space is quite wide and has a ceiling height typical of many Kiwi homes, so if I carried the upper cabinetry across the entire width of it, it might have felt compressed. The arch shape solved this issue by bringing a dynamic element to the design and breaking up the room.” The cabinetry in crown-cut Bestwood American white oak veneer was made by IQ Kitchens/KAS Furniture and the benchtops are in Aoraki Prime Stone by Prime Panels.
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“At the beginning of the project, we didn’t have kids, and by the end of it we had two!”
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TOP LEFT & OPPOSITE Felted Cable Bay Nikau carpet from Carpet Court extends from the stairwell to the home’s upper level. “I had so much fun putting together the kids’ rooms and played with colour a lot more — they’re the only rooms in the house that don’t have all-white walls,” says Rachel. When she and Matt put up the Vintage Safari Animal removable wallpaper by Livette’s Wallpaper in Sully’s nursery, she realised its background hue was a slightly different white to the warmer shade on the walls, so she decided to repaint the panelling in Dulux Golf Green — to great effect. REMAINING IMAGES ABOVE The well-considered details in Zanthe’s room include a Sandie mural by Joy Kinna from Anewall on the wall, a pendant light that Rachel DIYed, a Speckle plant stand used as a side table from Early Settler and Flisat bookshelves from Ikea. On her Bungalow bed from Freedom are sheets from Adairs, a duvet cover and pillowcase from Città, and a quilt and cushions from Burrow & Be. Her Criss Cross wall hanger is from H&M.
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ABOVE Sully sleeps in a Caravan cot by Kalon from Nature Baby, under a canopy Rachel found on Etsy, in sheets from Wilson & Frenchy, with a Billie blanket from Over the Dandelions. OPPOSITE The Beach Club West Coast encaustic tiles in the main bathroom were designed by Sarah Ellison Studio. “I’ve admired her work for years and this was the perfect opportunity to use them,” says Rachel. “The earthy tones really resonate with me.” Along with the Kordura benchtop and basin by Michel César, the Tablo 900 vanity is from Bath Co, while the mirror was custom-made by 360 Glass, the Cross Assembly tapware by Infiniti Technology is from ABI Interiors and the Newark bath by Newtech is from Plumbing World. To the latter, Rachel added an oak Bath Bridge caddy by Mood.
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“I like to spend time in a space and really think about what it needs and what it’LL feel like.”
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BELOW & OPPOSITE, BOTTOM RIGHT Inserting furniture — a Curve footstool by George Collective and an Etta side table by Amalfi Homewares, both from Onceit — into the ensuite has proved ideal for taking a seat and popping clothes and other essentials on. The feature tiles are Sarah Ellison Studio’s The Beach Club Scallop tiles, complemented by Victoria White Satin Ripple tiles from Tile Depot. OPPOSITE, LEFT The couple’s bedroom is their private retreat, so Rachel opted for ample texture to make it feel cosy, including a custom-made bouclé headboard; marine-striped and sandalwood-hued bedding by I Love Linen; and a Monday pillowcase, Lazo and Haast cushions, a Resort bedspread and a Cabin blanket by Città. The Scanlon Accent nightstands are by Cozymatic and the Leo lamps are by McMullin & Co from A&C Homestore. Rachel is an art lover gradually building a collection. Some of her favourite pieces include her and Matt’s Monet prints, “which take me back to our travels, when we got to see the originals in real life. I’m also obsessed with ceramics and have some pieces by local potter Kirsten Dryburgh that I absolutely love” [like the jug on page 97, and the vase pictured opposite, top right, both from Ornament].
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Lighting and Objects
Ponsonby, Auckland goodform.co.nz
L. Ercolani
15 Williamson Ave,
Canvas Media Unit, by Norm Architects
IO Side Table, by Lars B. Fjetland
Designer Furniture,
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Extract
An unexpected material appears in this space, although it’s not entirely out of left field — in fact, it comes from the paddock outside. Flock to page 118 for our profile of a property that’s in Australia but has ties to Aotearoa through its four-legged residents and Kiwi-created appliances.
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FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS —— Outside in
MOMENTS LIKE THIS WO RD S Philippa Prentice
PH OTO G R APHY Simon Wilson
A series of fortunate events combine to create a wholly wonderful experience.
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THIS PAGE It’s easy at spectacular sites to focus on the vista as the one big showpiece, but here the architects have ensured many other facets of the home also shine, such as the kitchen, with its pitched ceiling and biscuit-hued wall in planked, brushed American oak veneer leading into the scullery; and the sophisticated entry (opposite) designed to be somewhere life can take place. “Our ability to scoop out more space in the lobby made a big difference [to the existing dwelling],” says Ben. “There’s covered space to greet people, to step back, and to have that moment before you go up the stairs.”
FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS —— Outside in
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f life is made up of moments, this Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland alteration and extension project might be a metaphor for it. The first happy happening was a serendipitous run-in that saw Mike Hartley of Lloyd Hartley Architects get chatting to one of the homeowners at a party, only to discover he and his wife were in the market for someone just like him and his practice partner Ben Lloyd. “And we’d just received our brand spanking new business cards that very morning, so it was like, ‘Well yes, I’ve got our business card — give us a call!’” The homeowners and their young children had been living in their Herne Bay property’s existing 1960s home for several years when they met Mike — long enough to know what was great about the sloping, west-facing site overlooking Cox’s Bay (interesting topography, an unbelievable vista), what they appreciated about the house (its sturdy brick-and-tile structure) and what they wanted to change (the poky rooms, the lack of connection to the outdoors, the unfortunate garage doors that greeted you when you reached the end of the long driveway). “It was about engaging with all the views and the sunset out to the west, but also trying to connect to the hillside, so we had intimate moments as well as great expanses,” says Ben. Forging a link with the landscape while creating a sense of arrival from the driveway was Ben and Mike’s first design move — one that resulted in another a-ha moment. “I’d scribbled a note on a Post-it, taken a photo and sent it to Mike,” says Ben. >
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ABOVE The joinery in Duratec Matt Black (including these APL Architectural Series stacker sliding doors and Metro Series clerestory windows) blends beautifully with the landscape, external cladding and interior colour palette for an enduring look Mike describes as “great forever”. “You know when joinery is doing its job when it isn’t the hero element in a space. To use a sporting analogy, they say that in cricket, you know a wicket keeper’s had a great game when you don’t notice them. This joinery is like a wicket keeper having a great game. You don’t necessarily notice it because it’s doing its job.” OPPOSITE “Stairs are always a really lovely part of any architecture,” says Mike of this prime example. “They’re one of the very few times when humans actually touch buildings. You get light switches, you get buttons — they’re all very underwhelming, but stairs…”
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FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS —— Outside in
Outside in —— FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS
“But it never came through,” says Mike. “We caught up a few days later and Ben was like, ‘What did you think of that first move?’ — and as I replied, ‘What first move?’ my phone went ‘Ping!’ It popped up right then and it was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s really good. We should do that.’” Doing away with the unsightly garage and actioning Ben’s idea made a feature — the home’s first special moment — of a covered carport and handsome entry lobby that offers plenty of room for life to happen well away from cars. From this first arrival point, you have to climb to the existing home’s second storey in order to engage with the outlook — something that goes against the grain for Kiwis, who like to step out onto the lawn. To cater to this, Mike says, “another key moment in the design process was questioning how we could create ‘bridges’ from the house out into the site. By lengthening the building, we were able to reach out and touch [the hillside] and access it through the joinery at that end of the upstairs hallway.” This home dubbed the Herne Bay Hideaway champions more of a slow reveal than an instant ta-dah, inviting you to step into several special zones in the building before you’re dazzled by the flashy main event — the mic-drop of a view in the open-plan living space. This second moment of arrival sees the bay revealed through more joinery from First Windows & Doors that lets you not only see the seascape but also step out into it through APL Architectural Series stacker sliding doors in the dining area and playroom, and APL Architectural Series sliding doors elsewhere. >
TOP LEFT The APL Architectural Series stacker sliding doors seen here in the dining area (and opposite, linking the main living space with the west-facing deck) have flush sills for easy indoor-outdoor access. ABOVE The sunset-soaked bench seat in the main living area is the place to be in the early evening. OPPOSITE A black aluminium all-weather roof that matches the joinery and a warming fireplace with a garapa timber surround that morphs into the deck turn this corner of the outdoor space into a comfortable spot in which to socialise year-round.
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KITCHEN Early on in the project, the team had a discussion about wanting to create a colour and material palette that was of its time, but timeless. With veining reminiscent of pōhutukawa branches, the quartzite used for the kitchen benches kickstarted a selection of complementary additions after the homeowners fell in love with it. Above the side bench, a Metro Series sliding window handily puts the barbecue within reach.
Outside in —— FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS
“There are certainly plenty of little moments here that are really nice — all of those things that we spent a lot of time labouring over.”
“The views and access were really important, and so was getting lots of light into the living spaces — and having those great expanses of glass definitely helped with that,” says Ben. In the living and dining areas, First Windows & Doors ThermalHeart roof windows and Metro Series clerestory windows usher in even more rays and allow the home’s inhabitants to watch the clouds by day and the stars and moon at night, something Mike describes as “magical”. Another of the wow moments he and Ben created was in the ensuite, where the shower is topped by a roof window “with none of the joinery showing, because of the way we were able to detail it — you’ve just got stone going right up to the sky. At certain times of the day, you get dappled light coming down through the pōhutukawa and it feels like you’re showering outside.” Actually, this entire room is replete with First Windows & Doors Metro Series windows, and Mike says, “It was a bit surprising for us to be able to put that much glazing into a bathroom yet have it feel entirely comfortable, but it’s completely private because of the garden nature of it, and the external louvres guide you forward over the view of the neighbours’ tennis court and out to the trees along the cliff line.” “There are certainly plenty of little moments here that are really nice — all of those things that we spent a lot of time labouring over,” says Ben. “It’s great to see people enjoying this house and adding their own flourishes to it.” Moment by moment, piece by piece — and so are the days of our lives. firstwindows.co.nz
TOP LEFT Ben and Mike like to place as strong a focus on the smaller spaces in their homes as they do the larger ones. Floor-to-ceiling mosaic tiles that echo the tones of the pendant light, tapware and basin help to make this powder room exceptional. ABOVE Natural hues, including the blues and browns in this artwork, Harmonic End by Grace Wright, also draw the colours seen outside in. In the stairwell, “There’s that sort of haptic moment with the brass of the front door rolling through into the brass of the handrail and leading you up,” says Ben. “Interestingly, the stair structure is actually a retrofit of the existing stair.”
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Outside in —— FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS
ABOVE Like the one at the entrance to the main living space, this roof window by First Windows & Doors above the ensuite shower is thermally broken to retain heat. Its ThermalHeart technology sees an additional insulator stitched into the core of the aluminium window system, keeping warm and cold areas separated for a drier, healthier home that’s cosier in winter yet cooler in summer. OPPOSITE With narrow frames designed to maximise the view, more APL Architectural Series sliding doors and custom windows combine with First Windows & Doors louvres in the main bedroom. This sleep space (and the laundry beside it) has the pleasure of its own private deck, which borrows an elegant view of the neighbours’ tennis court without sacrificing privacy and provides an external connection to the home’s lower level.
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“At certain times of the day, you get dappled light coming down through the pōhutukawa and it feels like you’re showering outside.”
ENSUITE First Windows & Doors louvres also feature in the ensuite, offering bathers the option to easily connect with the garden if they wish to. “Bathrooms are often highly tactile, which gives us an opportunity to experiment with materials and textures,” says Mike of this luxurious private zone that expertly responded to the brief for a spa-like sanctuary. “It’s so much fun.”
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Outside in —— FIRST WINDOWS & DOORS
bed kitchen
scullery
ensuite
living/ playroom
laundry
robe
office
dining
living bed
bed
bed
bath
FIRST FLOOR
store
future additional living
courtyard garage entryway
GROUND FLOOR
ENTRYWAY “We wanted the entry to be quite refined, but robust enough to be able to handle the details of life,” says Mike of this zone featuring custom windows from First Windows & Doors. “The wall in the hallway hides all the shoes, all the kids’ stuff, bags, but you’ve still got this moment of beauty. And it works in both directions — part of it’s about arrival, but it’s also about the long goodbye. You know how people kind of linger and you have those final conversations? We wanted to give them that chance to rest, and in some cases sit down and maybe even crack open another beer on that bottom step and just sort their lives out!” Perched atop the travertine flooring on the left, a custom-designed sculpture by Chris Charteris is an artistic inclusion.
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Elevating its surrounds to herodetail status has made this house something you don’t see every day.
RAISING THE BAA
I
t’s highly likely that at some stage, you’ll come face to face with a sheep eye-balling you through the floor-to-ceiling windows in this house. Led by Fiona Dunin of Melbourne’s FMD Architects, the design of this rural dwelling on Tasmania’s Bruny Island quite deliberately planned for that kind of calm ovine contemplation when responding to a brief for a low-maintenance home with a close connection to its immediate and wider surrounds — a contemporary interpretation of the Australian farmhouse. The homeowners — a couple who divide their days between this working sheep farm and city life in Melbourne — also sought a house that could accommodate just the two of them for most of the year, and 20 or more guests at other times. The resulting shed-like dwelling (named Coopworth after the property’s woollier residents, and humbly situated directly in a paddock with not so much as a fence around it) provides that with ease, in a home that reinterprets the local architecture in a palette of rust-coloured corrugated steel and brick — a nod to the historic red shacks dotted over the island but in a hue closer to that of the earth. The angular forms of the home sit beneath gabled, hipped, dormer and skillion rooflines, the silhouettes of which similarly call to mind the island’s ramshackle >
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Case study —— FISHER & PAYKEL
WO RDS Philippa Prentice PH OTO G R APHY Adam Gibson
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shacks, as well as its rugged mountain ranges. The roof is without gutters to reduce maintenance and leaks — instead, rain flows naturally and quite beautifully down the double-glazed windows into channels on the ground that shepherd it away from the building. Interesting window niches and frameless glazing pushed right to the edge of the concrete floor slab capture the northern light and views of the paddocks, plus the peaks and waves in the distance, immersing the occupants in the landscape, and the beauty and brutality of the wild, changeable weather at this southern end of the island. Coopworth’s sustainable initiatives all but eliminate its running costs. Supported by solar and rainwater storage solutions as well as septic tanks, the house is off the grid. Assisted by a wood burner and fans, it’s passively cooled and heated through inclusions like the ventilation wall panels on the western elevation that harness the wind. The ceiling is sealed with clear, polycarbonate sheeting, the portion over the dining space and kitchen complete with a standout addition of Coopworth wool that both enhances the ceiling’s thermal performance and celebrates the home’s agricultural connections, forming an artistic abstract fresco. >
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LEFT The calming, minimal, utilitarian interior palette — which champions birch plywood wall panels and exposed concrete — reinforces the serenity of the site. Some of the ingenious daybeds can be seen set into the floor on the far right of this shot of the main living area, one of the northern spaces in which the homeowners spend most of their time. BELOW & OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT Key materials in the kitchen include laminate benchtops, terracotta-coloured ceramic tiles and aged brass tapware. Below a Fisher & Paykel 90cm Integrated Rangehood, there’s a Fisher & Paykel 9-Function Combination Steam Oven with a 36L capacity. It allows food to retain its moisture content, nutrients and colour but doesn’t just steam — it also has grill and fan functions. In the island, the Fisher & Paykel 9-Function Self-Cleaning Pyrolytic Oven has a 85L capacity, and moisture level control via ActiveVent tech. PREVIOUS PAGES Lined with Coopworth wool from the farm’s own sheep, the feature ceiling defines the kitchen and dining space while providing a visual connection to the sheep grazing outside.
Case study —— FISHER & PAYKEL
Upstairs, the fern green of the carpet is in keeping with the earthy colour palette.
ABOVE Interesting angles in the upstairs office, courtesy of the exterior rooflines. TOP RIGHT The Fisher & Paykel 90cm Gas on Glass Cooktop has a wok burner and two semi-rapid burners for precise control that can perfect a slow simmer for sauces or an intense heat for searing steaks. Opposite it (and visible top left), a Fisher & Paykel Integrated Double DishDrawer dishwasher with knock-to-pause functionality is positioned on either side of the sink in the kitchen island, which was crafted from timber recycled from the farm one of the homeowners grew up on.
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Diverse spaces — generous, intimate, private, shared — allow the owners to adapt this house to suit their needs throughout the year. This ability to close it down when only they are here, the compact footprint (a deliberate ploy to maximise the use of the surrounding arable land), and the lowered ceilings in the service areas and three bedrooms also contribute to effective climate control. Even the thick mattresses and upholstery of the window seats/sunken daybeds are purposeful, absorbing heat in summer yet allowing the sun to penetrate the concrete flooring beside them during winter. Described by the architect as being “like a giant slumber party for the grandkids”, camping-esque sleeping arrangements (secret bunk beds built into cupboards made private by curtains, and the aforementioned daybeds running along an internal eave on the northern periphery of the home) cater to the owners’ desire for the house to expand for guests. The farmhouse-style kitchen does the same in hightech style. In the open-plan main living zone on the lower level of the two-storey abode, it reflects the emphasis on entertaining, allowing the owners to enjoy a seamless transition between kitchen, dining and living, and linking with the outdoor courtyard complete with a second fireplace for all-seasons use.
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Secret bunk beds and sunken daybeds cater to the owners’ desire for the house to expand for guests.
Case study —— FISHER & PAYKEL
RIGHT In the ensuite on the home’s western side, locally made, leatherwrapped bathroom fittings and accessories make an appearance amid the red brick tiles that reference the chimney stacks of the island’s shacks and speak to the earth outside. The recessed bath allows you to feel as if you’re alone with the sheep that graze right there in the paddock. BELOW & OPPOSITE, RIGHT Favouring natural and local products, Coopworth’s exterior and interior material palette is a reflection of the rural setting. OPPOSITE, LEFT Fisher & Paykel’s 90cm French Door Fridge Freezer integrates flush with kitchen cabinetry. Its ActiveSmart technology contributes to the home’s energy efficiency by adapting to how its residents live; it adjusts its internal temperature, airflow and humidity to constantly maintain the ideal temperature, cooling and defrosting only when needed, which also keeps food fresher for longer.
Leading appliances by Fisher & Paykel were chosen early on in the interior design process to ensure they could be seamlessly integrated into the kitchen’s simple scheme. In the adjacent laundry (which is also located near the mudroom — an essential ingredient for a working farm), this includes a 10kg front-loading washer and 9kg heat pump condensing dryer with an eight-star energy rating, while in the kitchen, an integrated rangehood, fridge freezer and double DishDrawer dishwasher are slotted into the timber panelling. As part of a distributed arrangement of appliances that lets multiple chefs work independently and efficiently at the same time, two Fisher & Paykel ovens and a Fisher & Paykel cooktop provide a large prep area when hosting, with a pleasingly minimal appeal. All the other appliances are electric and feed off the solar array, but the cooktop cleverly provides gas as a backup in case of solar failure. With everything and everyone so expertly catered for, it’s fitting that this project has been the recipient of numerous awards and short-listed for several more. As much as the watchful gaze of the animals outside is due to their intrigue with their human neighbours, it might also contain some admiration for a home that definitely doesn’t follow the herd. fisherpaykel.com
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Regional New Zealand is a great incubator of talent, so when Susan Badcock dreamed of opening a gallery, she felt her hometown of Geraldine calling.
Members of the renowned Badcock family have each carved out their own artistic niche, and today, three generations of their work adorns the walls of VJG VQYPoU ITCPF QNF RQUV QHƂEG t VJG PGY JQOG QH 5WUCP $CFEQEM )CNNGT[ 5WUCPoU YQTM KPENWFGU JCPF EQNQWTGF ƂPG CTV RJQVQITCRJ[ UVKNN NKHG NCPFUECRGU CPF RQTVTCKVU #NUQ QP FKURNC[ CTG RQTVTCKVWTG NCPFUECRG CPF ICTFGP YQTMU by her acclaimed father John, and traditional landscapes in oil and watercolours D[ JGT NCVG ITCPFHCVJGT &QWINCU .QECVGF QP VJG OCKP UVTGGV VJG ICNNGT[ CPF The Mailroom shop below it have established themselves as essential stopovers HQT QP VTGPF VTCXGNNGTU
susanbadcockgallery.co.nz
themailroomgeraldine.com
Product profile —— PLUMBLINE
Reward for bravery Bolder choices in your bathroom offer real returns, making a functional space the place to be. You probably don’t bet on your bathroom being the best room in the house, but put extra design thinking into these spaces and they can spark some serious joy. So what do you have to work with? Take the walls to the next level with panelling or tiling; opt for dark timber, tiles or paint for an inner sanctum effect; use lighting and candles for cocooning ambience and enchanting shadows; and make your fixtures and fittings standout features. Right now, we’re enamoured with this sculptural bath and basin by new Melbourne brand Meek (the brainchild of brothers Joshua and
Benjamin Gullaci), which is available in Aotearoa exclusively through Plumbline (whose extensive, quality collection of bathroomware is always up with the play). Fluting is a strong look, yet with hints of ancient Greece, it’s also classic, and when expressed in an enduring, humble material like this engineered composite concrete, it’s one that stands the test of time. Bathrooms must first and foremost be functional, but yours could also be exceptionally beautiful. Dare to think differently and your private time could become the time of your life. plumbline.co.nz
GREEK CHIC The Doric Pill bath in Mid Grey (top) and Doric Rectangle Vessel basin in Off White (above) are also available in Charcoal Black. Plumbline stocks many of Meek’s other creations too, including pedestal basins that combine concrete with oak in a range of colours. All are meticulously handcrafted and have a lovely tactile finish that’s a luxe pleasure to touch before you turn on the tap.
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DRY SPELL
In their new book, Wild, writer Noel Kingsbury and photographer Claire Takacs visit an Ōtākou/Otago garden that enchants with a magical array of plants thriving without a drop of extra water.
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Extract —— DESIGN
o Wakelin’s half-acre garden in the Central Otago region is dominated by its surroundings: mountains that reach up to 2000m. There are no obvious boundaries, and the garden, as she notes, “may be under an acre, but I feel like I’ve got thousands of acres”. She feels she has “a very strong connection to the landscape, my place of standing — tūrangawaewae in Māori”. The plants in Jo’s garden blend in with their surroundings through their form (gently curved, hummocky shapes, generally organised into rounded planting borders) and their colours (muted greens, greys, fawns). The bleached grass of the pasturelands, the grey rock and the occasional dark-leafed evergreens are all echoed in the garden, the forms and colours becoming more tangible here, as if the vast landscape has been distilled down, concentrated. “It’s very dry here — 250 to 400mm of rain a year, six to eight weeks with no rain, often above 30ºC in summer and -10ºC in winter,” says Jo. “It’s a tough climate, and it’s very windy.” She adds that the soil is a “low-nutrient, gravelly glacial outwash”. Inputs are minimal: no feeding, no pest control and, crucially, no watering, although there is a large pond that provides a somewhat damper habitat for some native species, such as the dramatic clumps of New Zealand flax >
OPPOSITE This is a garden that uses the forms and textures of exposure-tolerant plants to create an oasis in a majestic but harsh landscape. The planting doesn’t look at all out of place and achieves harmony largely through variations on the low sub-shrub form, including the tight green cushion of Euphorbia spinosa. Among grasses, the tussock form is typical of dry habitats; here, the native silver tussock (Poa cita) grows around the pool. Rusting metalwork pieces, remnants of the area’s mining history, are used as focal points.
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THESE PAGES Occasional contrasts, such as the yuccas (Yucca filamentosa and Yucca gloriosa ‘Colour Guard’, above left) make the most of a dramatically different environment and tune in to a subconscious association with desert habitats. The low hummocks of false dittany (Ballota pseudodictamnus, above left, front) are typical of plants adapted to dry environments. Yellow Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa) and the pink flower structures of Euphorbia myrsinites illustrate two variations on this theme, and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Pacific Blue’) is a well-known example of this plant form. Nepeta tuberosa (beside it, with the purple flowers) is a droughtadapted species with spikes of intense colour that provide interest in early summer but die back later. The silver foliage of many of the plants here is an adaptation to reduce water loss; the silver-leafed plant with yellow flowers is woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum).
(Phormium tenax), one of the iconic plants of the South Island. Local stone plays an important part in this garden. One low mound of stones forms a shape that echoes that of the surrounding boulders. “It mimics the early goldminers’ tailings, piled rock by rock during the gold rush in the 1860s,” says Jo. “I also built mine rock by rock!” New Zealand’s native flora is very singular, particularly visually. There are few species with prominent or colourful flowers, but many with distinctive foliage colours and strong shapes; nearly all are evergreen. Many of these species are used extensively in landscape design elsewhere, particularly in Britain and France, where the climate is roughly similar; indeed, Britain has seen a growing New Zealand aesthetic across its public spaces since the 1990s. Here, in a harsh steppe habitat, the range of native species that will survive is limited, with relatively muted colours and forms.
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Jo’s a teacher of horticulture at a local college, and passionate about the ecology of the region. When she started this garden in 2005, there was a strong urge to use only regionally native plants. She’s done a lot of what she calls “eco-sourcing” — collecting the seed of wild plants such as the kōwhai (Sophora microphylla) in an effort to get more people to grow them in gardens. However, she describes herself as “a bit of a magpie”, and loves the colours of exotics. The result is a garden of two halves: one dedicated to native plants and one to non-native exotics. The latter area is closer to the house, while the former forms the bridge between landscape and garden. “I decided to try to keep them separate,” says Jo. “I trained as an ecologist. I cannot bring myself to combine them.” Although Jo consciously rejects European models of gardenmaking, it is, ironically, a British gardener who helped shape her thinking about what to do here. Beth Chatto (1923–2018) >
Extract —— DESIGN
“Without supplementary watering, I feel connected to the larger climate cycle I live within. I think it actually intensifies the seasonal pleasure in the garden for me.”
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DESIGN —— Extract
was possibly the most influential gardener of the latter part of the 20th century in Britain, as she introduced the idea, now perhaps obvious, of choosing plant species on the basis of the existing garden habitat. Her gravel garden, created on the site of a former carpark and part of a larger overall plot, was possibly the most influential garden of the period. Jo is one of many who are inspired by its selection of drought-tolerant plant species and by the aesthetic of low-growing plants scattered across a gravel-mulched soil. The gravel garden comes into its own in severely water-stressed situations. Gravel mulching helps stop water loss from the soil, keeps roots cool and creates a visual linking element that can flow from one part of a garden to another. It’s also a very good backdrop for showing off foliage shapes and colours. The visual appeal of dry gardens like Jo’s revolves around a set of shapes and colours that are essentially year-round
features. A surprising range of species flower throughout summer until autumn, many of these being common Northern Hemisphere border species, such as stonecrop (Hylotelephium spectabile). The fact that plants from stressful environments are generally evergreen provides continuity, although Jo notes that “seasonal change is hugely rewarding in this garden, especially given that I don’t soften the effects of summer by watering. Without supplementary watering, I feel connected to the larger climate cycle I live within. Autumn rain comes, and the plants respond. I think it actually intensifies the seasonal pleasure in the garden for me, compared to an earlier garden where I did water.” Pragmatically blending a love of colour with a strong sense of local identity and a commitment to growing local flora, this garden succeeds visually by making a seamless connection between its dramatic surroundings and an ornamental version of ecologically appropriate planting around the house.
Edited extract from Wild: The Naturalistic Garden by Noel Kingsbury with photography by Claire Takacs (Phaidon, $88).
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CATALOG
PLUMBLINE —— Bathrooms
BOCONCEPT —— Interior design
NOHO —— Seating
Plumbline’s range of contemporary and traditional bathroom and kitchen products is carefully selected for its enduring quality, exceptional design and outstanding value. With one of the most comprehensive bathroom collections in New Zealand, it’s your one-stop destination for your bathroom or kitchen project. Visit a Plumbline showroom or the website for the latest ideas.
BoConcept are experts at making design, furniture and colour come together. 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.
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info@boconcept.co.nz boconcept.co.nz
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BLUM —— Hardware
FREEDOM —— Furniture & homeware
HOMESTYLE —— Content creation
Blum develops cabinetry hardware based on years of research and creates high-quality, inventive storage solutions for your entire home. Visit a Blum showroom in Auckland or Christchurch to discover their range of products and services, and be inspired for your next home project while experiencing the original Blum quality first-hand.
Texture — Freedom’s all about it. Incorporating their organic shapes and natural neutrals, curate a collection of pieces to create a space that’s unique and brings a sense of quiet calm to your home.
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. Get in touch to learn how to further the reach of your next campaign.
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AUTUMN | WINTER 2022 weavehome.co.nz | @weavehomenz