HOME covers the best New Zealand architecture, design and interiors. It features inspirational, ingenious and just plain breathtaking homes from all over the country – as well as new restaurants, exciting art and the latest furniture releases.
Not so long ago, I sat in on a session in which the inimitable Caroline Montague of Matisse advised a group of design aficionados to forget about trends when buying new furniture and think more about things you love: heirlooms, collections... and one ‘wrong’ thing that sets off everything else. It made me feel a lot better about my own decidedly ‘eclectic’ house. We have too many books and an odd-ball collection of vintage pieces – a table by Parker Furniture picked up on Trade Me, a set of Ligna bentwood chairs found on the side of the road and restored – along with ceramics and glassware, inherited and collected. We have a minor addiction to armchairs, including a ‘Safari’ chair by Kaare Klint for Carl Hansen, which was a…
Tom Morris For this issue, the author and former design editor of Monocle magazine visited an apartment on the river Thames, where Kiwi architect Giles Reid has worked his magic (p.104). What did you like most about visiting the London apartment? The position was incredible, right on the bend of the river looking east and west to quaint bridges in either direction. The attention to detail in the home was also quite spectacular, especially with the Japanese touches. Tell us about your book New Wave Clay: Ceramic Design, Art and Architecture . It looks at a fresh generation that's reinvigorating an age-old art. Focussing mainly on the design world, it’s a global survey of some of the most interesting things being done with ceramics at the moment…
Design— Beautiful pieces for the home, food for the mind and new spaces that will enliven your senses.…
June officially marks the beginning of winter: what better time to kick back and enjoy explorations of design and architecture on the big screen? The annual Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival runs throughout the country, with screenings in Christchurch and Dunedin scheduled for June and July. Making your way through the entire programme might require a few days of annual leave; you can reflect on how strong your work ethic is during Konstantin Grcic: Design is Work. The documentary follows Grcic (creator of the ‘Chair_One’ for Magis and widely regarded as one of the most innovative contemporary designers) for a year, providing the proof for his statement that, “Design is… hard work, serious work.” Serious work also goes into spending six decades in architecture: It’s all a Plan looks…
Brothers Charles and Patrick Williams recently opened Williams, an elegantly spare all-day eatery in a new building designed by Architectus in Wynyard Quarter, Auckland. “We came into the space wanting to strip it back,” says Charles of the new project. “We wanted something timeless.” Simplicity aside, what motivated your design objectives? CHARLES WILLIAMS We worked with Gerrick Numan of Millé design to draw up the space. We wanted it to be an oasis from the busy urban life in Wynyard Quarter. It was designed to be a breath of fresh air, where people can slow down and enjoy good food and drink with company or solo. You previously established Ceremony café in Grafton, Auckland – is there any of its DNA in Williams? We loved the casual and fun atmosphere…
When Gosia Piatek launched her fashion label Kowtow more than a decade ago, ethical and sustainable values were her foundation. The brand’s new flagship store in Te Aro, Wellington, continues the theme of conscious fashion and considered design. Working with interior architect Rufus Knight, Piatek has realised a simple yet generous aesthetic with large storefront windows and gallery-like spaces. “The store opening is an opportunity to bring the Kowtow ethos into a physical space,” says Piatek. “Every detail was considered – from the recycled nylon rugs to the New Zealand-grown and milled timber.” Why did you open the store? GOSIA PIATEK We wanted to give Kowtow a physical home, somewhere we could show our customers what a Kowtow space looks like. We wanted it to be an extension of the…
