Innholdsfortegnelse for December - January 2023 / 2024 i Home New Zealand

This issue is all about taking time out; it's a celebration of life outdoors, and the spaces and places that enhance connection with our natural environment. We visit some incredible homes in locations that are equally striking. In an ancient pōhutukawa grove in Piha, we explore a home and studio with two distinct personalities: the extrovert, a glass pavilion high above the canopy looking out towards the sea, and the introvert, an intimate space nestled below the boughs. Near the Catlins coast in one of the country's most remote locations, we visit a modernist concrete home that appears as if dropped from above; a rocky outcrop in a boulder-strewn landscape. On the cover is Ridge Retreat, a holiday home on a tiny island. It's a simple place, inspired by a…

Ascend a few stairs and you're suddenly within a dark, atmospheric space. The word TALA is mounted on the back wall; the ambiguous area illuminated by a flickering candle. The first scents of smoke and fire fuel a growing sense of anticipation. Guided by staff to a stone plinth, guests are invited to take a small offering — a Samoan drink of hibiscus, coconut, and sago. “This is an opportunity to stop, to engage in a moment,” co-founder Debby Onesemo tells us. The journey continues through a narrow opening and into the main restaurant. It is an intimate space anchored by a large cooking fire that emulates the traditional Samoan umu, and an open kitchen. Some guests are seated around the kitchen bar, chatting with chef Henry Onesemo. Others are…

Ironclad Pan Co was founded in 2019 with a simple mission: to create a sustainable product that would mean a return to beautiful craft and traditional techniques. “This is a delicate ecosystem we are part of. A Teflon pan has an average lifespan of two years. Our products have a 100-year guarantee, or three generations of daily use,” co-founder Kate Slavin explains. That ethos has underpinned every new product release, including its most recent — and premium — piece, the Heirloom skillet. “It's a handmade piece made to be handed down that can be used on almost any type of cooking surface including induction cooktops, camp-fires, and barbecues. WIN An Heirloom Skillet, valued at $529! And receive a lifetime subscription to the Ironclad Recipe Vault. Visit us on Instagram to…

Lodged between two mature trees — its apex marking a middle ground — this cabin is neither obtrusive nor dwarfed; it stands proud, with its face to the sun and the Craigieburn Range and its back to the peaks of Porters Pass. Oriented towards the northwest, its immediate view is onto a bush reserve, creating an intimate connection with an ever-changing landscape. “It's a lovely way to engage with the wider setting — you can look out and see the colours changing with the seasons, or, on a windy day, just take in all the movement,” says co-founder of Studio Well, Ben Comber. Approach is from the south, where the full extent of the A-frame is evident. Here, there's little sense of what's within. “It's not until you get inside…

Dotted along the street front are retail, hospitality, and boutique office spaces, including architecture studios and the Aesop store. The most recent tenant of the Gertrude Street space now occupied by Kowtow was a milliner, so, as Rufus describes it, the space “had not only had a genuine connection to the community but imbued a sense of creativity”. Kowtow's brief was simple in a sense. “They wanted to evolve the spatial display model we had originally developed for the Wellington store, highlight the principles of their circular design philosophy, and continue to underscore the use of sustainable and locally sourced materials throughout the store.” Conceptually, the space aims to articulate the life cycle of cotton. “Through a series of tactile prompts and display elements, we wanted the space to invite…

Rethinking brick Glass bricks innately change the perception of what a wall can be —inviting natural light through what would otherwise be perceived as an opaque surface. A new collection created by Australian designer Tom Fereday and Eco Outdoor is designed to challenge and inspire: to rethink traditional brick — a foundational building block. Known as Mano Glass Bricks, the collection is cast by hand, creating raw, uniquely textured organic surfaces. Part of the larger Mano Bricks Collection, the glass range is available in three shapes, including a curved brick. Despite their solidity, each hand-cast brick offers an almost liquid appearance, with an immersive translucency that strikes a balance between luminosity and reflection. Used outdoors, glass bricks can create playful and intrguing sculptural elements within a landscape design. Freeform Embracing…

Following their launch in 2022 and three sold out limited edition collections since, luxury blanket brand Noa Blanket Co has released Limitless, a collection of three, always available, woven-to-order blanket designs that considers the art of slowing down; appreciating the big and small things. “Weaving is a slow and deliberate process and this range will be woven to order — an intentional decision that aims to reduce waste and the environmental impact of overproduction, (weaving only what we require) but more so, reminding us to appreciate each moment — acknowledging that the most precious things in life are not fleeting, but thoughtful and long lasting,” co-founder Whakaawa Te Kani tells us. “A totally future-focused approach can inhibit our vision and the limitless potential of each lived experience — with our…

The deep, brooding ‘On the Quiet’ Pinot Noir 2021 vintage is the first organic wine produced by Jules Taylor. Violet, poached plum and stewed tamarillo notes overlay darker hints of blackberry and vanilla compote. The nose is completed by smoky, earthy spice and hints of cocoa and cinnamon from the French oak barriques. This Pinot Noir has an elegant structure embracing a beautiful balance of berry fruit and savoury flavours. The idea for On the Quiet came originally from a single barrel, hidden at the back of the cellar and kept ‘on the quiet’ from her husband George. Today, these wines are better known and have evolved into a curated series of small batch wines — a personal indulgence for Jules in which to experiment with alternative winemaking approaches, including…

Architect Camden Pyke of Yoke was presented with a clear brief. His clients, a recently retired couple, wanted a city bolthole for the week; weekends would predominantly be spent on the coast north of Auckland. They wanted elements of formality, and space in which to hold the occasional meeting; there had to be privacy, and there was the desire to capture sea views. Above all, the house had to create a distinctive language within a low-maintenance environment. “The original 1930s house had been added to over the years with additions that stepped down the site, so you felt like you were in a dark, damp cavern. The brief was to create something that achieved the opposite: a contemporary, warm home of light and bright spaces,” the architect tells us. The…

Stronger together BookHub (bookhub.co.nz) is a world-first collaboration among independent bookstores across Aotearoa, giving book lovers access to more than one million titles. The site's geolocation feature enables you to select titles from the store closest to you. If it is nearby, you can opt for click and collect; alternatively, you can have the book couriered to your home. The service supports local independent booksellers — and for that reason, we like it. Here are some summer reading recommendations from the fine crew at BookHub. Bird Life By Anna Smaill Te Herenga Waka University Press Set in Japan, Bird Life is a lyrical and ambitious exploration of madness and what it is like to experience the world differently. This is the second novel by Booker Prize longlisted author Anna Smaill,…

“Our clients already had what was, on paper, an enviable backyard set-up, with a swimming pool, decks, and pool house,” says Matt Jeffery of Johnston Architects. “However, the lack of connection between these elements meant the outdoor spaces were awkward to use and therefore under-utilised.” With a brief to improve connection between the three elements and the indoor/outdoor flow from the main house to these spaces, the Johnston Architects team, along with Bespoke Interior Design — which had completed significant design work in the main house for the client previously — set to work redesigning the space. “The focus centered on the practical and logical replanning of the spaces. This included a major refurbishment of the pool house to include a workshop and storage space — almost doubling the ground…

“There is an aura associated with the lake that draws you to it,” says architect Gary Todd. “When the owners of this property approached me to design a new home for them, we both wanted to embrace that aura and create enhanced experiences through the incorporation of architectural water features. “There is a journey of sensory discovery that begins with the reflecting pond at the entrance to the home then switches to a filtered view of the lake through the stair treads and living space,” Gary explains. “This, in turn, opens up to the pool terrace and the infinity-edge swimming pool, which visually merges into the lake, then switches again to the sensation of the waterfall and then further to the sound of water lapping at the lake's edge. Interestingly,…

There is no material street frontage to this home of two parts, tucked away in an ancient pōhutukawa grove. Ascension to the living pavilion is by way of a tiered stair that moves between external and internal environments, and takes the visitor on a journey from street level, past the minor dwelling, and up 13 metres to the highest — and main — part of the house. At its most elevated point, this Piha home is unmistakably coastal. The cantilevered form floats within and above a vast pōhutukawa canopy, with sight-lines out to the west to the surf break and the sea. In summer, the canopy transforms into a dramatic red carpet, over which the iron sand is just visible. At its lowest point, it is inward facing and speculative.…

The launch of Lucy Tupu Studio in New Zealand coincides with the release of a vibrant collection, the result of a dynamic collaboration between Lucy Tupu and Max Gimblett. The pair first met in New York in 2016 at a New Zealand design event. The following week they were in Max's studio discussing how they would work together. Lucy says, “We went through a lot of his works, and it was the colourful ones that really stood out to me. It wasn't to replace his artwork in any way, but rather another medium for his work to be expressed. Vibrant, contrasting colour is sometimes central to Gimblett's work and it was this distinctive element that I was excited to replicate. It was an honor and an inspiration to transform his…

Each year, WOW opens entries to designers located anywhere in the world who are aged 18 or over. Across three recurring sections: Aotearoa, Avant-garde, and Open, as well as three specific to each annual event, designers are asked to push the limits of imagination and medium. In 2024, the three specific themes encompass a diversity of conceptual ideas including the natural world, geometric abstraction, and surrealism. “WOW finalists come from all corners of the globe and a broad spectrum of creative and technical disciplines. Our designer community is made up of fashion, textile and industrial designers, jewellers, costumers, architects, engineers, sculptors, painters, crafters, gardeners, doctors, and even boat builders,” WOW head of competition Sarah Nathan says. Entries are open for New Zealand-based designers until 1 May 2024.…

“This project was all about creating connections between the main house and the pool house, which are linked by a covered outdoor walkway, fireplace and barbecue area running adjacent to a lap pool. We wanted to echo the concrete block of the exterior, and in doing so a concrete floor was always the only option,” says interior designer Jane McAulay of Bespoke Interior Design. “It was selecting the colour that was most important. It had to be a cool tone, and one against which we could place the Taj Mahal stone bench — a material echoed in the kitchen of the main dwelling. “Peter Fell has such a varied, beautiful selection of colours. We knew immediately that we wanted a colour from the Premium Charcoal range. We found a really…

MUSEUM Ngā Taniwha o Rūpapa / Dinosaurs of Patagonia Te Papa, Wellington 16 December 2023 – 28 April 2024 On loan from Argentina's Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, this exhibition, featuring a collection of 180 million-year-old fossils and life-sized cast models, including the enormous Patagotitan, is sure to wow would-be palaeontologists of all ages. tepapa.govt.nz ART Guo Pei: Fashion, Art, Fantasy Auckland Art Gallery 9 December 2023 – 5 May 2024 Designer of the Yellow Queen gown worn by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala and subject of the 2018 documentary Yellow is Forbidden, Guo Pei is an internationally renowned Chinese fashion designer who is sought after by A-listers the world over. On display for the first time in Aotearoa, this exhibition brings together more than 60 of her lavish garments,…

Like Louvretec's other Opening Roofs, when the blades on a Retract Roof are in place overhead, they can be rotated to an open or closed position, allowing for adjustable sun control or shelter. The difference with the Retract Range is the ability for this roof to seamlessly slide away, revealing the sky above. In this house, two Retract Roofs were used side by side to create an alluring versatility. When closed, the roofs allow for a covered connection between the main abode and pool house, and a sheltered place to sit fireside or enjoy the summer breeze in the shade. When completely open, the space changes dramatically. At night, the deck below becomes a place to sit and enjoy the night sky; during the day, a place to embrace the…

“The site overlooks a little bay in Abel Tasman. It's one of a series of bays that are very difficult to get to, so, when you do arrive from the long, winding road through the hills, it's very rewarding,” architect Greg Young of Young Architects says. “They're beautiful little golden bays, and this one is facing north. There's a smattering of baches, people are out on boats and jet skis. You often see stingrays in the water. It's quite wonderful.” Comprising dual stacked ‘pods’, the upper of the two was designed as the owners’ sanctuary; a place to retreat to, separate from the main house. Accessed via external stairs, it is nestled into the uppermost part of the hillside site and separated into two smaller forms connected by a glazed…

The symmetry of the jacquard offers a sense of balance, while the checkerboard infuses an element of nostalgia. Taking inspiration from mineral tones and earthy hues, the cement and rhus tones form an unexpectedly alluring combination. The cement, a clean, cool blue-based grey is warmed through the addition of rhus. “Best paired with natural materials, this collection is intended to complement stone, wood, and concrete interiors — adding warmth to the bathing space,” BAINA co-founder Bailey Meredith says. “We collaborated with Lilli Waters to capture the four-piece collection at the tranquil Marra Marra Shack, located in New South Wales, Australia. Explorative of time with self, the collection evokes a sense of groundedness and calm. We were intrigued to explore the moments of stillness post-bathe —reconnection to self — and the…

“When I was approached about the project, there was an existing single-storey, 1960s house and a small salon — from which one of the clients runs a business — that had been built in 2014,” says architect Kate Beilby of Milieu. “While the decision was made to demolish the house, the clients wanted to retain the architecturally designed salon, and, with its unique trapezoidal shape, it became one of the design drivers for the new house.” Other factors, too, dictated the size and orientation of the house, not least of which was the clients’ desire for a swimming pool. “The property borders a reserve along the western boundary, which meant we were restricted in terms of how close we could get to that. To the front of the property is…

It's a house that celebrates the moment; it is highly attuned to the tides, the changing winds, the movement of the sun, and seasonal variances. Architect Paul Francis had spent a significant amount of time in the area over the years, often staying in a house that was designed by the late Lillian Chrystall in the 1970s. It became, as Paul puts it, the reference house. In its ultimate simplicity lay a timelessness — something that sparked a deep connection between the original and the new as the design journey developed. “That house has stood there, almost unchanged, for all those years. It's clad in cedar, with ply inside, and stainless steel finishes — it's as durable as it gets.” The island location meant a host of challenges when it…