Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2021 i Home New Zealand

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…

DESIGN:04 Rescuing and upcycling edible food waste is all in a day’s work for Citizen. Originally working with Sawmill Brewery to replace malt barley with unsold bread from supermarkets, Citizen produced a unique craft beer. But its next vision took things a step further, and the Citizen team has now partnered with Waiheke winemakers Lost and Found to upcycle grape pomace – pressed grape skins that would otherwise go straight to compost. According to co-founder Donald Shepherd, piquette dates back to Greek and Roman times, when it was known as ‘iora’. “Nearly all European winemaking countries have their own version of piquette, but it isn’t an idea that has taken off in New Zealand, yet.” It’s a simple process, Donald says: you collect the leftover grape skins after the grapes have…

TOKYO RIDE Documentary, 2020 / Louise Lemoine, Ila Bêka This film puts the audience in the passenger seat of a Japanese architect’s classic car as he meanders through Tokyo. Shot in black and white, the film is an unscripted road trip in architect Ryue Nishizawa’s vintage Alfa Romeo as he takes us through some of his favourite spots, to meet his favourite people and to talk about architecture, city building, life, and beyond. In this era of limited international travel, this film acts as a delightful surrogate, an escapist and hugely insightful tour of one of the world’s greatest urban centres by one of its most passionate advocates. AALTO Documentary, 2020 / Virpi Suutari The ‘Matilda effect’ is a term used to describe the long-standing practice of male scientists taking all…

An original homestead, earthquake damaged but not irreparably, still stands on this Fendalton site, but it is now joined by a contemporary home whose distinctive gardens deliver an evolving narrative. The brief for Andrew Watson of AW Architects was to design a contemporary home that better reflected the clients’ current stage of life; a smaller footprint that spread out across a single level. The result is a home of sleek proportions and simple forms — afforded a sharpness by intricately considered detailing. Recessed windows create depth, while vertical cedar cladding expresses a clean linear palette beneath the gabled form. Concrete walls extend out from the gable, intentionally juxtaposing the timber and retaining the sharp symmetry. The house is sited at the rear of the section in close proximity to the…

Sherwood, Queenstown Chris Scott, executive chef at Sherwood, Queenstown, delightfully describes his latest garden-to-table dish: “A tomato tart, which is using all of the different tomatoes from the garden — we’ve got a pretty iconic black indigo rose tomato, which is stunning. We are using that with whipped avocado and our nasturtiums — we use the nasturtium leaves; we take the caper, which is the seeds; and we’ve also pickled the nasturtium flowers.” Situated on 3ha of rolling hillside in Queenstown, Sherwood benefits from stunning mountain views and an outlook to Lake Wakatipu. It prides itself on being a community hotel that is both local and sustainable. The 73 guest rooms benefit from a restaurant that is open all day for both guests and casuals. As part of the hotel’s renovation,…

The owners of the lodge were so taken with the location that they asked the architect and interior designer to take their design cues from the environment itself, explains interior designer Nikki Burnet of ES Design. “With the bathrooms in particular, the tones are inspired by the exterior environment. We chose materials like the mylonite stone on the tops to create a look that is both beautiful and organic,” she says. “The grain of the stone emulates the river, and the natural timber on the vanity echoes the trees outside. The rest is kept quite neutral.” Antique White Bars wall tiles provide this neutral backdrop and exemplify the designers’ attempts to balance the budget, explains Nikki. “The custom-made solid timber vanities with the beautiful stone tops were a real splurge,…

This yacht-like Northcote Point home in Auckland is a place of ever-changing light and shade — the sun falling into its hull in a myriad of lines and patterns that ebb and flow depending on its position in the sky. The same is true for the wind, with the house either embracing it or sheltering from it. Designed to allow various areas to easily traverse indoors and out, the configuration of spaces is dictated by the elements. When architect Pat de Pont of Strachan Group Architects first visited the site, he was greeted by the clients, who were sitting with their children under the shade of a mature elm tree at the front of a 1946 art deco–style house that was in a rather sorry state. “We were presented with…

What were some highlights of your pre-architecture career? Ironically, my architecture career has come full circle. I started out working for an architect, where I understood builders could realise something from nothing. I then became a qualified builder to experience the real-life implications of every line that is drawn — that was the highlight that has stayed with me while running my own architecture practice. How does your experience as a certified builder influence your design career? I now build in my head as I sketch a design. I constantly negotiate between the two professions: what design and construction methodology is best suited to a project and its context? I still dream big, but the builder is always whispering, “How can we make that more efficient to build?” What do…

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…

DESIGN:05 Architecture graduates Karolina Brock and Joost Leeuwenburg met at Unitec and recently formed the Auckland-based studio LeLa Architects. Their Swedish and Dutch backgrounds have proved a fitting match for the renovation of Karolina’s own Parnell flat. Here, she discusses some of the key changes in the space. “I definitely think that certain sensibilities and aesthetics of our heritage filter through to our design thinking. So many Swedes live in apartments and spend a lot of time indoors, so their homes have to really deliver in terms of light, function, and comfort. “When we bought it, it had its original 1967 layout over 65m2 : a one-bedroom with a small separate kitchen, a tiny bathroom/laundry, quite a large bedroom, and a big awkwardly shaped living room that was cut off…

The Home of the Year 2021 finalists have been selected. Across five categories: City Home of the Year, Rural Home of the Year, Multi-Unit Home of the Year, Green Home of the Year, and Small Home of the Year, these visionary homes represent the very best of New Zealand residential architecture. On these pages is a glimpse into innovative designs and beautifully considered spaces that make up this year’s finalists. By the time you read this, our judges will have visited all of these stunning abodes and be hard at work deliberating the merits and awe-inspiring details of each in search of five category winners and the overall winner, to be named Home of the Year 2021. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in early June, with the…

The bathroom design reflects Jonathan’s love of minimalism, with a square-edged engineered stone bathtub that echoes the forms of the house itself and a cleanly detailed oak timber veneer and super-white Dolomite vanity designed by the architect. Italian polished plaster, which is carried on throughout the house, is used to cover the walls. “This is an all-natural, lime-based Italian product that continues into the shower,” says Jonathan. “There is the benefit of no grout lines, and it’s also sealed with a matte finish, so it doesn’t give off a glossy look. We worked with the plasterer, who was Venetian, to create the soft grey colour.” As well as the glazed wall, there is an operable skylight overhead and a tall, narrow opening, covered in a panel of grey aluminium, to…

As a graphic designer, artist, and illustrator, it is Laura’s eye for colour that makes this bathroom pop. The statement pink-tinted concrete bath and basin were sourced from Concrete Nation, in a tone that is picked up by the chunky texture of the Italian floor tiles. Brass fittings lend patina and shine. “The palette I was going for in this space is based around natural tones,” says Laura. “I wanted earthy, rich textures and colours, and I definitely didn’t want it to be plain. We’ve had friends come around to visit who think it is outrageous — to have a pink bath and that floor tile — but we love it.” Despite being a departure from the rest of the space, the relatively low-key white subway tile in the shower has…

Portability, prefabrication, and cost reduction; throw in some notions of sustainability and wrap it in the idea that comfort and uniqueness are some of the most important goals of small-house architecture and you’ll start to understand the best aspects of this Gisborne abode. The design is a continuation of work that its Wellington-based architects, Bonnifait + Giesen — Atelierworkshop Architects (B+G), have been doing for some years now. The Fab series, and this Gisborne place in particular, takes much of what was learnt from B+G’s prefabrication history and seems to give it oomph and a touch more sustainable intent According to co-director Cecile Bonnifait, it began in 2006 with Port-a-Bach, a tiny prototype made from a shipping container, which, when shut, had a fully enclosed exterior shell and opened up…

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: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…

DESIGN:06 The Intrepid is a soon-to-open boutique hotel in Wellington’s bohemian heart: Ghuznee Street near Cuba Street. We spoke to its co-owners — Sean Golding, of Golding’s Free Dive bar and the Shepherd restaurant fame, and Alex Cassels, developer of the Park Hotel and various social housing projects — about the design and overall ethos of their new venture. How would you describe the personality/ soul of The Intrepid? Sean: A ‘low lux’ neighbourhood hotel. Alex: We wanted our own take on the accessible glamour that once made the Wellington hospitality business world famous. What inspired you in terms of hospitality or design, and what made you want to start a hotel? Alex: We have both been inspired by the unforgettable experience and service a great hotel can offer — the…

The festival is turning 10; congratulations! How will you be revisiting the past decade, and do you predict it will turn out to be a rebellious teenager? We’re so grateful for the support we’ve received over the past decade, especially from our loyal sponsors and audience. This year, co-curator Akiko Kurematsu and I have brought back a collection of some of our favourite films from the past 10 years — films you simply must watch or, if you’ve already seen them, happily enjoy again! I think the festival will always rebel a little bit — we do this by selecting quality films about wide-ranging themes, beyond architecture. We include design — in a multitude of applications — photography, art, urban planning, gardening, and the natural environment. Also, in this digital…

A ready-made tribute to the classic tub, designed by Patricia Urquiola, the Vieques Outdoor Bath has become synonymous with contemporary design. The new version in stainless steel allows it to feature in open outdoor spaces. Complementing the bathtub, the Vieques range has expanded to include a range of outdoor basins, including a pedestal washbasin available in a freestanding version that can also be used outdoors. Available in New Zealand exclusively from Matisse.matisse.co.nz…

“It was a beautiful house but just not the homeowner’s style,” says Angelique. “He wanted dark colours, a moodier look. The Henge aesthetic is characteristically very solid, dark, and modern. He loved it, so I knew straight away what he was after.” Darkly coloured and richly textured stone was a main ingredient in creating this look, with bluestone tiling appearing on external and internal walls throughout the house. In the bathrooms, the showers are clad in dark, 3m long sheets of Neolith, and, in the master en suite, this material also appears on the drawer fronts and vanity tops, where it creates a textural juxtaposition to the bluestone walls. The master en suite is on the third floor, with windows along one wall providing a wide-spanning view of the harbour. Measuring 10m…

“The building of a house is a bit of a punk thing to do,” says Callum Dowie, the architectural graduate, who, along with his partner Jessica Rose, designed and built this, their family home in Auckland’s Avondale. “The Ramones weren’t a very good band,” he continues the analogy, “so lots of people saw them playing and said: ‘Hey, I can do that! I don’t have to be a brilliant musician to be in a band that entertains a lot of people!’ So, the act of us building this house could be inspiring to others and be a little punk!” The two-storey home sits at the end of a dead-end street that borders a railroad track and is soon expected to have an access lane into Auckland’s main cycleway. It stands…