Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Home New Zealand

I’ve found myself on the other end of the publishing process this issue: after umming and ahhing for months, there’s a little story (p. 76) on our old house in Beach Haven, Auckland, in our annual renovation special. It has been a strangely exposing experience, giving me a glimpse of what owners and architects go through every time we write about a house they’ve laboured on for years. Indeed, as I write this I’ve just had a mild freak-out and have asked our long-suffering designer Sara Black to have another look at the layout. What about that angle? But you can’t see this! Can we have another look at the shoot? Oh no not that one – I always hated that bit! On the verge of pulling it entirely, I had…

Dehei means ‘at home’ in Swiss German: an admirable goal if ever there was one. Daniela Schmidhalter was looking for affordable bed linen with a minimalist, natural aesthetic – finding none, she set about designing her own. Dehei bed linen is made from a beautifully soft, natural cotton marle in blocky colours ranging from green to tobacco via peach, and comes in a re-useable cotton drawstring bag rather than plastic. “I really believe bedding can make a difference to the way both kids and adults sleep,” says Schmidhalter. “My boys say sleeping in their Dehei is like sleeping in their favourite T-shirt.” Speaking from experience, we couldn’t agree more. Dehei dehei.co…

If a movie director was scouting for the perfect, archetypal painter’s studio, they’d be hard pressed to find anything better than Cat Fooks’ space in Onehunga, Auckland. On the ground floor of a former primary school building, the dilapidated timber-lined room is messy, paint-splattered and packed with finished pieces, works-in-progress, and rejects that may – depending on Fooks’ mood – live to fight another day. In 1982, the building was gifted to the local community and became the Onehunga Community House. As yoga classes and Toastmasters meetings unfold upstairs, Fooks gets down to the serious business of creating whole universes of objects and paintings, thick with bright enamels and oils. Fooks couldn’t believe her luck when she took over the studio in 2012. “It meant I had the security and…

Where did you and the owners start your conversation? Interestingly, the owners said they didn’t want a garden. Maybe a few vegetables, but not a garden. They wanted the house to sit among the vines. That, and a few other requirements, suggested that the typology we really should be adopting was very simple and elemental, in the form of a rural shed or barn – as opposed to a house that was semi-secluded and quite complex by comparison. What details did you spend the most time on? Things like how the walls hit the floor, the door jambs, the door frames, the hardware on the doors and the things that people touch. The junctions of the windows to the walls, the ceiling to the wall, where the lights hang, where the windows sit within the…

How do you make people feel at home in such a large house? A focus on connectivity and proxemics is key in larger spaces. Feeling at home is about feeling safe, secure and comfortable. Acceptable personal space is highly variable so it’s a juggle when the brief is for a large home. It’s easy to start to feel distant or exposed in a larger footprint. Visual connectivity can increase your perception of proximity to each other. Also, not being afraid to tighten or narrow spaces within a larger volume can help ensure there are more intimate spaces among the larger areas. Talk us through how you managed connectivity within the house. Arranging the programme around a central arrival point and incorporating a central garden allowed glazed areas that look across…

How did the project with Ruth Buchanan come about? Ruth is an artist we know well. We commissioned a new work by her for an exhibition at the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane in 2015. Ruth was an important sounding board for us when thinking about taking the job at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. She did a residency here in 2016 that focused on the Govett-Brewster Collection; the museum’s original mandate and acquisitions policy, and how they have been employed over time. Considering how best to acknowledge the important 50-year history of the gallery and also to think critically about where we should go next, both the collection and our commitment to working with living artists seemed essential. Ruth brings together both of those essential elements in a really…

A project to create affordable homes in Chile led architect Alejandro Aravena of Elemental into the Pritzker hall of fame in 2016. The same year, in a move to help tackle the global housing crisis, the 48-year-old released open-source plans for four of the practice’s social housing designs. Aravena’s reputation as a socially engaged architect is firmly cemented and his philosophies form the foundations of the Santiago practice, which has a breath-taking wealth of international projects. As lead writer, Aravena covers many of these projects in fascinating detail and with wonderfully engaging humour. Musing on his sketchbooks from student days, he says: “It’s almost a miracle that I ended up approaching architecture the way we do today at Elemental. The amount of bullshit, pedantic intellectualism and obtuse jargon of the university…

Michael Moore-Jones At the University of Oxford, Michael wrote his thesis on Gordon Walters. In this issue, he wrote about a beautifully restrained house in Marlborough designed by Stuart Gardyne (p. 94). You recently moved to Auckland from Wellington via Oxford, tell us a little about this path? Wellington is home, but I grew up internationally and then studied in the UK, the US and Singapore. At some point while I was at Oxford, it hit me that despite the marvels in the galleries and libraries, what really mattered to me was all the culture we have in New Zealand. It’s such an exciting time here right now, and I didn’t want to keep watching from afar. You wrote a story for us (August/September 2018) about the Wellington home by…

When I lived in Berlin, one of my favourite spots in the city was a Korean hole-in-the-wall called Angry Chicken. A dark little place lit by a neon sign, the fried chicken was always cooked to perfection – fresh, hot, crispy. Punters picked their preferred anger level, from friendly (no spice), through ‘so angry’ and ‘so, so angry’, all the way to ‘furious’ – which was hotter than the seventh circle of hell. So when I found out about Obar Snack Bar – a new lunch spot specialising in Korean fast food in Auckland’s Chancery – I didn’t delay a visit. The food is excellent, the portions are enormous, and the fit-out brings a welcome bit of Seoul to the CBD. Obar Snack Bar is part hole-in-the-wall and part diner:…

1— ‘Wood-fired Teapot 3’, $134, and ‘Beer Mug’, $44, by Duncan Shearer from Kaolin, kaolin.store. 2— ‘Tub Jug’ carafe by Atelier BL119 for Muuto, $198 from Bauhaus, bauhaus.co.nz. 3— ‘Essence’ Champagne glasses by Iittala, $59 per pair from Simon James, simonjames.co.nz. 4— ‘Opal Cone’ floor lamp by Tom Dixon, $1770 from ECC, ecc.co.nz. 5— ‘Pond’ mirror by Ferm Living, $685 from Slow Store, slowstore.co.nz. 6— ‘Papatūānuku’ by Robyn Kahukiwa, $3500 from Black Door Gallery, blackdoorgallery.co.nz. 7— ‘Parsley Seed’ antioxidant facial treatment by Aēsop, $73 from Aēsop, aesop.com/nz. 8— ‘Tape Cord’ outdoor dining chair by Nendo for Minotti, $7805 from ECC, ecc.co.nz. 9— ‘Fragment’ dining table by Simon James for Simon James, $8123 from Simon James, simonjames.co.nz.…

What do you do with the drunken sailor? In, it seems, you get him to pour your concrete – at least, that’s the story Matt Arnold offers for the wonkiness of the original floors at 71 London Street, a former ship chandlery now serving as the studio of Sons & Co, the website design studio Arnold co-owns with Tim Kelleher. “Our builder joked that back in the day when they needed extra labour they’d go down to the pubs and say, ‘We need 10 men!’” Arnold and Kelleher took on the building in early 2017, after operating for several years out of a worker’s cottage in Addington, to where they had retreated after the 2011 earthquake closed their studio in downtown Christchurch. They enjoyed the cottage’s domestic informality, but eventually they…

A modest home and a generous cabin, this is a stripped-back design for PAC. Talk us through its workings. SAROSH MULLA We don’t believe that money should be a barrier to good design. PAC Studio has a reputation for making obsessively detailed houses, and the Pahi house is no exception. Instead of concentrating on crafted and labour-intensive detailing – not possible given the budget – we put our energy into the equally rewarding pursuit of efficient and compact planning, with a generosity of volume and light. Much of our energy was spent on the proportion of rooms, positioning of windows and abiding by a relentless grid module. What materials have you used and why? AARON PATERSON For the exterior, we used shiplap cladding from Abodo, a New Zealand-owned company that makes…

How much did the site influence your design? The environment always influences the design. The home is sited to experience the mountain views – to the south, the spectacular and ever-changing Remarkables, and to the north Coronet Peak and Brow Peak above Arrowtown. The site is prone to southerly winds, so the home is aligned on the east-west axis to provide a sheltered northern landscape. The western sun is beautiful to look at, but overheating is a factor in summer. The solid concrete elements are located on the west to limit glazing on this end, while still affording views. The slope of the site lent itself to lower the floor level at the west end for the sunken lounge. Inspiration comes from the ‘Kaufmann’ house designed by Richard Neutra in Palm Springs.…

Call it the year of the retreat. Every Home of the Year is different, and this year, to our surprise, the majority of the 10 houses on the HOTY shortlist are on spectacular sites in coastal areas. This means a lovely, scenic trip for our Australian judges, Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan of Melbourne’s Kennedy Nolan, along with me and local judge Jack McKinney. From the cliffs of Tutukaka to Wanaka, via Kuaotunu and Waiheke Island, the judges will see some very nice spots. It’s not all beach, though: there are city houses and multi-unit projects, too – including offerings from Studio2 and Cheshire Architects in Auckland and Bull O’Sullivan in Christchurch. However, for the first time in a while, there are no small houses on the list – we…

It couldn’t be more simple. The ‘Pressed’ chair by Harry Thaler is made from one sheet of 2.5mm aluminium, into which the outline of the chair is cut, and reliefs pressed. The chair is shipped flat, with its four spread-eagled legs appearing for all the world like a surprised stick figure. On arrival, it’s assembled by bending the legs and back into place – at which point the reliefs give the legs structural integrity, not to mention a cheerfully humanoid shape. Thaler trained as a goldsmith, and conceived the chair while studying for his Master of Design at the Royal College of Art in 2010. The chair was an instant hit, and picked up by cult design company Nils Holger Moormann the following year: it now comes in a rainbow…

Tell us what you do and why you do it. I’m a director of MAU Studio, a regenerative design and development practice that responds to complex societal challenges. MAU Studio was founded in 2016 from our desire to support vulnerable communities. We’ve since developed a regenerative model that includes education programmes, architectural projects and community development initiatives in Aotearoa, the Pacific region and the Philippines. This work aligns with my cultural values, who I was raised to be, and what I am truly passionate about. You interned at Fearon Hay and Jasmax, but experience in community architecture led you to work in the social realm. How would you describe social design in New Zealand and the Pacific? Arguably, social/regenerative design has always been an integral part of indigenous Pacific Ocean communities. The…

Christchurch arts and social-purpose engagement agency Brown Bread has a reputation for getting involved in what it calls “exceptional missions”. Its first project was to help raise a million dollars for the Christchurch Art Gallery to purchase Michael Parekowhai’s ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’, a bronze bull on a grand piano, and nothing since has suggested any dimming of willingness to take on challenging projects. In keeping with that theme, in 2018 Brown Bread relocated from shared offices to its own space in a building that most people had written off as impossible to save. The former Midland Club on Oxford Terrace was a Christchurch landmark for three-quarters of a century before the Canterbury earthquakes struck the three-storey, salmon-pink wedge set beside the Avon River. Designed in the Palazzo…

Project Bungalow extension for a growing family Architect Andrew Meiring, Andrew Meiring Architects Location Westmere, Auckland As families grow, the stress of renovating can seem like more hassle than it’s worth; sometimes it’s easier to sell up and put the money towards a bigger home. But architect Andrew Meiring’s recent extension to a classic Westmere bungalow is an example of how a family can stay put and future-proof their home, without costs blowing out. Meiring’s clients Peter and Sara Lorimer had a clear programme of the spaces they and their young children Jasper and Chloe needed. Peter says they wanted “a really cohesive indoor-outdoor relationship, where the family can live in one space together”, but have private spaces to escape to as well. The site presented challenges: because of the…

Why did you and Dulia choose this shed to make your home, as opposed to other buildings on the farm? The farmhouse suits the people who live in it currently and we like the idea of building a community. The shearing shed was a good size for us and seemed to have a history worth exploring, both in terms of the family and also in terms of the change in farming practices here in New Zealand. It had a familiarity and charm. How did you deal with insulating the shed to make it habitable? That’s really important as being here in Canterbury farmland during the winter gets very cold. The floor was easy, as there was plenty of head space to get under. All the external walls had new walls…

Ruth Buchanan: The scene in which I find myself / Or, where does my body belong Until 22 March 2020 Govett-Brewster Art Gallery 42 Queen Street New Plymouth govettbrewster.com 20/20: words of wisdom Wayne Youle Until 29 March 2020 Pātaka Art+Museum Cnr Norrie & Parumoana Streets, Porirua, Wellington pataka.org.nz The Falls John Reynolds Until 5 April 2020 Dunedin Public Art Gallery 30 The Octagon, Dunedin dunedin.art.museum Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art Until 31 May 2020 Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, Auckland teuru.org.nz…

Melvin ‘Pat’ Day, who died in 2016, was an artist who often fell between the cracks. As an art historian and museum director who ran the National Art Gallery in Wellington for a decade, his painting itself was sometimes seen as a mere side hobby. With Day’s love for the European tradition, his paintings – an unusual mix of tame and academic with raw and brooding – often sat uncomfortably in a country trying to discover its own style. This large and lavish book brings together the different strands of Day’s life and work. Excellent biographical essays by Gregory O’Brien mix with scholarly essays by the likes of Julia Waite of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. The book helps to reevaluate artists like Day, who spent extended periods living and studying…

I like to walk. It’s a bit of a waste of time, though. Usually – like a lot of people, I guess – I’ve just got to get from A to B as fast as I can. If it was possible to teleport I’d probably do that. But I’d miss the walking. In Lines: A Brief History (Routledge, 2007), anthropologist Timothy Ingold says there’s a difference between travelling and being transported. Transport is leaping across time and space from one place to another. A person transported “barely skims the surface of the world, if not skipping it entirely, leaving no trace of having passed by or even any recollection of the journey”. They experience the interval as an inconvenience to be overcome. Sometimes I want transport, for space and time…

“I’ve been a town-rat since I was 13 or 14. The fancy girls from my school went to Newmarket. But if you didn’t have money, you could hang out on K’ Road, where there’s less predictability, a bit of character and surprises to be found in nooks and crannies. In the past decade it’s largely bucked the broader trend as society has become more stratified – even though there’s change in the air, there’s still something egalitarian about this place. St Kev’s is where heavy metal and experimental electronica in Whammy Bar mingles with old bookshops, where fine coffee meets late-night sake, and where my mate Lucy (who also happened to debut her punk band at Whammy) massages punters in her small business pop-up-turned permanent shop [Nicetouch] next to the…