Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i Home New Zealand

I’ll start with an apology. You might have picked up that we went through a very large renovation on our little house in Beach Haven last year. It’s fair to say I went on about it a bit. Okay, I went on about it a lot. But there’s something about renovating that takes over your life. The trials, the tribulations, the joys and small victories. You talk to people at a party and quickly launch into a five-minute speech on the way your decking timber runs across the deck and then up the balustrade. Their eyes glaze over, they start to look around the room, and – just as you stand there showing grainy shots of the half-built roof on your phone – they back very slowly away. And you…

Acclaimed Texan photographer Bryan Schutmaat discusses his work, on show at Photobook/NZ. Bryan Schutmaat’s first monograph, Grays the Mountain Sends, was published in 2013 to international critical acclaim and his work appears in museums and private collections around the United States. “A book is physical and lasting,” says Schutmaat of the form. “It can convey profound concepts, engaging narratives, or unique points of view.” Grays The Mountain Sends was based on the poetry of Richard Hugo? Hugo was from Seattle, but he spent a large part of his life living in and writing about Montana, which is where much of Grays the Mountain Sends was shot. The way he expressed the sorrow and beauty of the American West was something I wanted to emulate in my own way.…

Until recently, the hotel offering across Auckland has languished as limited and lacklustre – a weak point for travellers to the city. But with international operators responding to design and travel trends, the industry is finally undergoing a shift to refined, bespoke options. Naumi Hotel, owned by Singapore’s Hind Group, is a new offering near Auckland Airport that showcases site-specific design and how that’s achieved with local talent. Multi-disciplinary design studio, Material Creative, has applied its skills in spatial design and interior architecture to the 195-room, 10,500 square metre project. “We believe in authenticity and this resonates in the creation of inspired interiors,” says Toni Brandso, one half of the Material Creative team. Established a decade ago with Liv Patience, the duo extends its talents across the hospitality, residential and…

“The thing with alterations is that they present limited choices. There’s so much decided before you get there. It’s working with something rather than trying to force too many ideas on it. It’s about teasing out the structure and the pattern of the place that suits the existing house, how the clients live, the budget. I try to do work that just makes sense, that looks and feels right, that doesn’t try too hard.” “It’s usually worth asking for a pre-application meeting with a heritage planner present, so you can sound them out on your proposed scheme, and take on board any concerns before making the resource-consent application. I’d suggest being aware of the heritage overlay objectives and how your scheme relates to these. If you are making a clear addition…

Project Villa renovation Architect Megan Edwards Location Herne Bay, Auckland Brief Redesign living spaces and create new connections to the outdoors. In a street lined with heritage homes in Herne Bay, Megan Edwards has sympathetically renovated a 1900s villa, creating a sophisticated series of living spaces that extend to the garden. The owner asked Edwards to bring light into her existing living spaces, so that they were both comfortable and elegant. “We wanted to create a sense of luxury with interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces that took advantage of the light and the garden in the way that the original house hadn’t,” says Edwards. While the rooms at the front of the home – main bedroom, music room and office – remain relatively unchanged, the back of the home has…

Keeping the existing boundary restricted the design. How did you create interest in the home? MIKE HARTLEY The roofline to the entry side of the house was a continuation of the existing outline, however we were able to play with the form by hollowing out an entry court at the lower level. This sculptural approach followed through to the northern side, where we were able to introduce a private courtyard off the main bedroom at the upper level. Internally, we were able to manipulate the rake and height of the ceilings. This, combined with the introduction of skylights at critical points, defines and varies the spatial experience of the home. The bathrooms are some of the most luxurious rooms in the house – how did you go about forming a…

What attracted you to this project? A family with interesting needs and aspirations and site. They are passionate, arty and I felt they would be receptive to some of our ideas. The brick is striking in the setting – is it an underutilised building material in New Zealand? Brick is an amazing material. It has a very human scale and is something that I used a lot when I was working in London. The New Zealand building tradition has been dominated by timber and while I like wood, brick in this context for these clients, who were used to dealing with clay, was an obvious fit. In terms of ‘lifetime costings’ it’s hard to beat. What do you enjoy most about the home? An enthusiastic family using and living in it…

In a neighbourhood where the front wall and pool are emblems of suburban family living, enigmatic architecture may be hard to find. Yet this home, with an entrance along a curved sleeper pathway between landscaped mounds, delivers surprise from start to finish. Tim Dorrington and Sam Atcheson of Dorrington Atcheson Architects had a clear directive for the 1100-square-metre section in Kohimarama. A neatly typed list of 32 points and a selection of photographs was an exemplary brief – evidence that this sense of surprise is no accident. A typical suburban setting at the front gives way to a green vista over Madills Farm at the rear. Poplars and oaks tower above dog walkers and joggers – and on Saturday mornings, the air is punctuated by the trill of the referee’s…

As a spatial-design lecturer, what lessons can we learn from Megson? How the inter-relationship of spaces with regards to the x, y, and z axis make for an environment that continually has you discovering new things about its architecture as you live in it and how, with the abstraction of interior volumes, you can sculpt space. What would you have done differently? Every designer is different, so I guess a lot. However, I wouldn’t ask for this Megson design to be any different... well, perhaps a more significant bathroom. Where do you find pieces that suit the house? I scour online and visit vintage stores for contemporary and mid-century furniture that has the right lines, and 70s artworks and objects that have the right form and colour to complement or…

Keep an eye on these pages in coming months for ticket information and updates on our events. Or sign up at homemagazine.co.nz/signup to receive our regular email. We’d love to have you on board! MAY 2018 Design Forecast All the design trends you need to know about in 2018 crunched into one day-long design workshop. You’ll be ferried around central Auckland design stores to chat with some of the most knowledgeable industry buyers in New Zealand. Many of them will have just returned from the Milan Furniture Fair, the world’s centre for contemporary design across furniture, lighting and homewares. Fresh with new inspiration, our design ambassadors will be keen to share their latest discoveries with a select group of enthusiasts, and to impart practical information on how you can update…

Sam Hartnett In this issue, our long-time contributor photographed an Auckland apartment (p.110), a house by Claude Megson (p.136), and one by Ken Crosson in Coromandel (p.98). How would you describe your approach? I prefer to work with hard directional light, so I start by feverishly checking the weather report. I usually end up circling the building multiple times, taking the same shots in variations of light – as the light changes, the forms change. Coming from an art photography background, I probably focus more on textures, light, form and materials. I think a lot about paintings when I’m shooting. The Megson house was constantly bringing Mrkusich to mind – his paintings would look great in that house. Tell us a bit about your own home. We live in someone else’s home,…

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki won a World Architecture Award when it opened in 2011, after a multi-year refit designed by FJMT and Archimedia. It ignited something in the city: finally, Auckland had a gallery of which to be proud. The gallery is beautiful and a runaway success: 500,000 people a year visit and it attracts world-beating contemporary shows – Yayoi Kusama’s The Obliteration Room is just finishing up, and Julian Rosefeldt’s Manifesto (a 13-channel film starring Cate Blanchett – see p.24 for more) opens on February 24. That it does so amid a crisis of funding is all the more remarkable. Since 2011, Auckland Council has reduced the gallery’s operating budget from $9.2 million to $6.8 million, including a $1.1 million cut last year. It now operates with…

There was a lot wrong with the original, but what was right? You don’t often come across Deco houses in Auckland, and while small and awkward on the inside, the exterior had good proportions, interesting materials and a well-considered composition. It was in original condition, no bad 80s renovations to peel back, which was a great place to start. It was very compartmentalised, but the spaces worked well to be re-purposed as bedrooms. It also had a generous front yard, a great section, with a big old puriri tree. And it had great owners with great design sensibilities. How much work did you have to do to the old house? We tried to alter as little as possible. We made minor internal adjustments between the two bedrooms. We decided it…

How did the design pan out? There were a few iterations to get the right feel. The challenge was listening and delving into what the clients wanted, engaging in the smaller scale and respecting the existing building. The form inevitably comes from the site and what the clients are telling you – you almost become a ‘method architect’. How would you describe the quirks that arose from this renovation? Weaving things into the existing structure gives some oddities, nooks and crannies that you would never design, but they become interesting features. What’s the thinking behind the two kitchen sinks on opposite walls? When you’re at the bach, meal preparation is often done by a number of people and requires different work stations. One bench has space underneath so when there are lots of people…

What did you set out to achieve with this renovation? A transformation of the existing living spaces, so that they were light and enjoyable to occupy. The project involved a modest change to some spaces that were average – they were stiff and dark. In terms of light, the larger northern window was transformative. An unusual verandah on the rear of the house – probably not original – was changed to become a usable outdoor room with the Louvretec roof allowing moderation of westerly light. The effects of light enliven the room now. We also created a garden bedroom using the old monopitch lean-to. We know creativity loves restraint. How did the consent process for a 1900s villa in a conservation area impact the plans? I originally had more radical…

It was important that the strong visual language of the column-and-beam construction remained clearly legible. Entering Kristina Pickford and Michael Wolfe’s apartment in central Auckland’s historic Dilworth building, your eye is immediately drawn to an exquisite stool placed in the corner of the living room. It’s a stool made familiar by Ikea’s appropriation, but was originally designed by the Finnish architect, Alvar Aalto. However, this is no ordinary Aalto piece. It’s an original bought while Pickford was in Helsinki in 2011, attending an international symposium on the conservation of modern buildings in Finland, hosted by the Alvar Aalto Institute. The chair is from the ‘Fan Leg’ series for Artek (the three-leg version is a rare find) and dates from 1954. It’s quite beautiful and still has its original leather upholstery. “The…

What were the main challenges you faced building in the heart of suburbia? Making sure the concept was compliant with the planning controls. These were fairly onerous due to the slope of the site and the position of some of the retaining walls meant our height-to-boundary planes had to be taken from fairly low. The first version of this home was scrapped because of budgetary issues. How did that inform the second and current design? We collaborated with the contractors, outlining spatial parameters and a budget of area for earthworks, retaining and decking. This gave us some ‘rules’ to fit within and it worked out really well. From this point, until signing a contract, there was very little movement in the budget. The process with our clients the first time…

Design— Art and design throughout the country – plus plenty of new products to covet.…

It’s not just a trend. Our approach to home building is changing with the arrival of technology that’s making our lives safer and more convenient. Think security cameras that can tell a person from a thing, smoke alarms that actively search for fire and communicate by speaking to us. There are devices that give you remote control over lights, locks – and, of course, it can all be operated from your smartphone. As the New Zealand-owned company that has always been committed to generating 100% renewable energy, Meridian is dedicated to integrating technology that helps look after you, and the world around you. Meridian recently partnered with leading smart home brand Nest to bring the best in optimised and automated home technology to New Zealanders. Protect the nest With Nest…

The gallery space is key to connecting the old and new. How does it work? EVA NASH Kate and I like to compare and contrast the old with the new, so the gallery link becomes really important as it acts as a transition space between the old villa and the new, modern extension. It does this with a change of materials, volume and scale. Talk us through the interior design. KATE ROGAN We see the interior design as part of the architecture and in our initial discussions and presentations to the client we talk about furniture placement, colours and materials. Our clients entertain regularly, from impromptu dinner parties to larger functions, so the furniture and layout had to suit. The mid-century modern side board was the only piece of furniture…

Project Family home Architect Christopher Beer Location Sandringham, Auckland Brief Reorganise the interior within the same footprint. Anyone who’s ever lived in a villa will be familiar with their twin joys and dilemmas – not least the owners of this transitional villa in Sandringham, Auckland. The original house was built in the 1920s and despite airy rooms and a high stud, it became progressively less useful as you proceeded from front to back. Plus – thanks to an unsympathetic subdivision in the 80s – the view was directly onto the neighbours’ driveway. There were three large airy bedrooms, a generous bathroom and pleasantly wide hallway, which led to a cramped kitchen-living-dining space; the back bedroom led to a sunroom that was never used. There was no storage, and the living…

Project Ralph family home Architect Bonnifait+Giesen Location Paekākāriki Brief To transform a 50s stucco home for contemporary family life. If a ship sets sail for a voyage, where every wooden plank needs to be replaced or restored along the way, is the craft that eventually returns to shore still the same ship? Theseus’ paradox puzzled the ancient Greeks and it’s just as relevant today. A decade ago, Matt and Kirsten Ralph bought a 1951 stucco house in Paekākāriki on the Kapiti Coast. Matt, a builder, had worked on baches in the area, turning them into permanent homes, and he recognised the potential in this one. To bring the dwelling up to date for their family of four, the Ralphs turned to Wellington architects William Giesen and Cecile Bonnifait. Their solution was to add two extensions, essentially squaring…

Strange layout and lowered ceilings aside, what attracted you to the place? We wanted an apartment in the true centre of Auckland and a heritage building was our preferred option. We spent one weekend looking at various inner-city apartments and took no longer than five minutes in each, with the exception of this apartment. I loved the essential form of the space – the high ceilings, the modular arrangement of the concrete columns and beams and the northwest aspect. The steel windows were also appealing – the quality of light throughout is beautiful. The clincher was the long view over lower Queen Street, the Cloud, Shed 10 and out to the harbour beyond. Tell us about renovating the apartment. Logistically it was challenging. The location made it difficult for contractors…

A gentle rework for a 1970s classic in the bush Rafik Patel sits on a ‘Silver Lake’ chair by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso in the living room with his son Zidane, who reads on the ‘Florence Knoll’ sofa by Florence Knoll for Knoll. The ‘Lotus’ armchair to Rafik’s left is by Rob Parry for Whitmore’s Arti Domo. A ‘Red and Blue’ chair by Gerrit Rietveld sits in the corner. The rug is ‘Emergence’ by Louise McGregor for ID-Collection by Designer Rugs. The artwork above the living area is ‘Towards Eden’ by Geoff Tune. In the background, the artwork in the study is ‘High Houses, Sarajevo, 94’ by Lebbeus Woods. Even the most rudimentary research on architect Claude Megson throws up the fact that he was something of an egotist. His…

Here they are! In December last year, the three judges for Home of the Year 2018 sat down to decide which 12 projects to shortlist for judging. It’s always a tough call, made even harder this year by the quality and sheer number of entries. We are delighted by the geographic spread. There are projects from Waiheke Island to Hanmer Springs via Akaroa and Taupiri, with a particularly strong showing from Canterbury. Similarly, there’s a lovely mix of established practices (including previous winners Herbst Architects, RTA Studio, Parsonson Architects and Crosson Architects) and newcomers, including Braden Harford from Maguire and Harford in Christchurch and Dan Smith from Edwards White Architects in Hamilton. Keep an eye on Instagram @homenewzealand or follow #homeoftheyear2018 for an inside look. Thanks, as ever, to our…

Recently, I met up with a group of my one-time design students, some of whom I haven’t seen for more than a decade. One of them, a young woman now possessed of a slightly intimidating style, albeit evolved from her younger self, gave me initial cause to worry as she sat next to me at the end of a long table. What might we talk about after the initial enquiries into health, current occupation and location? Of course, we could have revelled in ‘remember when’ but since we weren’t in the same class – instead I was her teacher – that dynamic was a slightly challenging one for a Sunday afternoon at the pub. I needn’t have worried. Our conversation quickly and naturally segued into what was really top of…