Home New Zealand April - May 2021

Living in cities for most of my life, I’ve always had a somewhat idealised notion of the concept of ‘isolation’, the word conjuring up images of long summer days and trips away soaking up the beautiful stillness of uninterrupted expanses of rural New Zealand. Isolation didn’t mean physical isolation but a temporary respite from all things urban, and that was a beautiful thing. That was, of course, until it became part of a formative new lingo: a contemporary lexicon we all know too well — quarantine, herd immunity, location of interest. So, what does isolation mean now? What does it mean for design and how we inhabit our homes? It’s in that vein that we put this issue together. The houses we feature cover diverse settings, but of note are the…

The finalists of the 26th Home of the Year awards have been revealed! As we were putting this issue together, three champions of New Zealand architecture were travelling the country, from Coromandel in the north to Omaui in the south, deliberating on the 2021 Home of the Year finalists (and winners). Thank you to Richard Naish of RTA Studio, Jessica Walker of Bureaux, and HOME’s Federico Monsalve for their incredible efforts over the past few months. Their task was no easy feat; the quality of the entrants was exceptional, and the categories were hotly contested. Thank you also to our Home of the Year 2021 partners, BMW, Dulux, Fisher & Paykel, and Studio Italia. Preview the finalists on page 26, and look out for our next issue, which will be dedicated to…

Paul Brandon (videographer) How did you come to specialise in architecture? I’ve been a freelance videographer for 10 years, filming weddings and commercial work. In my travels through Europe, the architecture really inspired me. It was this that stirred me, so I put my hand to filming it and have found a new love! What is the secret to properly portraying static buildings in a moving-image format? There’s something beautiful about the stillness of a home, and the way it interacts and comes alive with its surroundings and those who dwell in it. Trees blowing, a shadow from a person walking by, a curtain blowing in the breeze. I’d rather they do the moving and not the camera. I enjoy the intrigue and contemplation that a still shot brings. Has…

DESIGN:01 US-based New Zealander Kate Newby’s exhibition at Wellington’s Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi unfolds as a set of confident and challenging interventions: simple and unexpected transformations of the space – the gallery’s windows replaced with panes of handmade glass cast with holes, and a new poured concrete floor that rearticulates the building’s eccentricities. Extending beyond the building, Newby has laid hand-carved clay tiles on an overlooked loading dock and, further afield, inserted a ‘drain’ of tiles formed over the thighs of attendees of workshops she staged while preparing for the exhibition. Drawing on the urban fabric but refusing to defer to its utilitarian imperatives, Yes Tomorrow will run until 30 May 2021. adamartgallery.org.nz…

DESIGN:02 Aotearoa’s largest public architectural festival will open its doors in May to tell the story of Christchurch, covering Gothic to contemporary design and spanning residential, commercial, public, and sacred spaces. More than 40 buildings will be opened to the public over the weekend of 15-16 May, from a tiny but treasured seaside church built by the community in 1869 to public buildings completed in 2021. openchch.nz…

DESIGN:03 Driven by the ethos of her brand and lifestyle, sustainable sleepwear designer Dee Johnston’s central Wellington home is a place of calm, considered spaces. Unfolding over 90m2 , it embodies a utilitarian approach. “One of my most cherished childhood memories is of my baba washing out plastic shopping bags and hanging them on the clothesline to dry, then folding them into neat triangles ready for the next week’s grocery shop,” she says. “I think it is in looking back that we gain the power to move forward in a meaningful way in every aspect of our lives. In my home that translates to pieces that are utilitarian in nature; that are made to last. The feature wall in my lounge – an original retaining wall – has been treated and…