Enjoy the best of New Zealand this summer with Daniel Le Brun

HOME New Zealand is pleased to offer our readers the chance to celebrate summer with Daniel Le Brun Brut NV.

A premium Methode Traditionelle made right here in Marlborough, Daniel Le Brun is the culmination of 12 generations of French champagne-making heritage. With aromatics that consist of fresh strawberry, citrus and orange peel, Daniel Le Brun is perfect for raising a glass to the festive season. It's available from supermarkets and fine wine retailers for around $30.99 per bottle, but to help you toast the festive season, we have three Daniel Le Brun bottles worth $30.99 to give away.

To enter, email homenewzealand@acpmagazines.co.nz - simply tell us why summer in New Zealand is a special time for you and be in to win!

Please note you must be 18 years or older to enter. No purchase is necessary. The promotion commences on December 23 2010 and closes on January 21 2011. Winners will be notified by January 27 by email. Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash.

We like: The Glass Room

A work of fiction, with modernist architecture at its heart: we're a little late to the party with The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (it was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2009), but it is certainly worth adding to the Christmas gift list of any architecture-obsessed friend who hasn't already devoured it. Not that it's a book for architecture enthusiasts alone, as its roller-coaster plot will engage even the flightiest readers.

The book is a ripping fictional yarn set in a real house: Mies van der Rohe's Vila Tugendhat, designed and built from 1928-1930 in the Czech Republic and now recognised as a World Heritage Site.

The book captures the optimism of the times, embodied by Mies' shimmering modernist architectural creation, and follows the home's Jewish owners as they are forced to flee the chaos and bloodshed of the Nazi invasion. We highly recommend it. You can find out more about the Vila Tugendhat at the link here.

We like... Magno Radios

If you're still on the hunt for a fabulous Christmas gift, go no further than a Magno FM radio. Not only does this stylish radio play AM/FM, but the larger sized radio also has a USB port to plug in your ipod.

Designer Singgih Kartono wanted to manufacture a product that was sustainable as well as socially beneficial - the radios are hand crafted by Indonesian carpenters and crafts people in areas with high unemployment. And, for each tree used in production, a new one is planted.

You can find these delights as well as other Singgih Kartono designed products at Simon James Concept Store.

Outtakes - Ian Athfield in Nelson

Architect Ian Athfield doesn't do many houses - these days, his time is mostly occupied with larger projects such as stadiums and apartment towers. But that doesn't mean he's lost his touch: here at Mapua, near Nelson, he has created a fascinating home for Halfdan Hansen and Juliette Fox and their two daughters. The house is featured in our current issue, but we wanted to share some of Simon Devitt's shots of it here that we couldn't fit in our article.

Halfdan told Ath, as he's known, that he wanted a long, villa-like corridor. Ath delivered a more dramatic version of it, with a low, dark ceiling and dark floor. It creates a great feeling of compression when you're in it, making the light-filled spaces off it seem even more compelling.

As you travel down the hallway, every new space comes as a complete surprise. You can see this fishpond (above) out a small window from the hallway. The view below is from Juliette's studio across the pond to the main bedroom.

And this is the view of the house from the street (below), a mysterious object that almost demands to be explored. We hope the coverage of the house in our current issue is enough to satisfy the curious. We thank Juliette and Halfdan for their generosity in allowing us to publish the house, and applaud the creativity and inventiveness of their architect.

My Favourite Building: Matthew Arnold

Christchurch graphic designer Matthew Arnold's favourite building is Peter Beaven's masterpiece, the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building, which dates from 1964. The photograph is by Stephen Goodenough.

Here's what Matthew had to say about his choice:

Matthew: "Peter Beaven designed this building in 1962 as part-monument, part-utility shed. The tunnel links Lyttelton Port to Christchurch city. It was a major engineering feat at the time and an important transport route. On its own the tunnel looks like a hole in a hill, but this architectural masterpiece at one end gives it much more clout. I like to imagine up top there’s a Starship Enterprise-style control bridge with large levers and dials that control things like the weather, petrol prices and Oprah’s weight. If we ever have to pack up modern New Zealand and leave it as we found it, we should just leave this building (and maybe Ian Athfield’s Wellington house) with a note saying, 'You’re under video surveillance', to ensure nobody tries to renovate."

We contacted Matthew to ask him to do this piece because we like Christchurch Modern, the blog he created after moving to Christchurch. It's a homage to that city's great modernist homes, and well worth a browse.

We like: Gisborne's PAULNACHE gallery

Gisborne's PAULNACHE gallery proves that you don't have to live in one of the main centres to enjoy regular visits to top-notch dealer galleries. Matthew Nache (below left) and Gene Paul set up PAULNACHE over five years ago, and now boast a roster of artists that includes Joanna Langford, Ben Pearce, John Walsh, Robert Jahnke, James Ormsby and Dion Hitchens. Many of the artists have connections to the East Coast themselves, so their presence on the walls of this gallery makes even more sense. Check it out if you're passing through the first city of the sun this summer. The photograph is by Paul McCredie.

We like: Dunedin's Modern Miss Vintage Clothing

There are many good reasons to visit Dunedin. One of them is Modern Miss Vintage Clothing, the store run by Violet Faigan (below) at 21 Moray Place. Violet's impeccable eye and excellent connections have resulted in an ever-changing collection of vintage gems that has won her fans from the fashion and art crowds from all over the country. So when you're in Dunedin, be sure to go and browse. The photograph is by Graham Warman. You can also sign up on Modern Miss' Facebook page.

We like: Garth Chester chairs

We are excited to feature these chairs (designed by Garth Chester) in a photo shoot tomorrow, they will appear in the Feb/March issue of HOME New Zealand magazine - our art-focused issue. They are part of the Douglas Lloyd Jenkins collection, to be auctioned at Art+Object auction house on Thursday 24th February 2011. We've borrowed a few other goodies to shoot as well, so look out for it in our first issue next year (which is on sale on February 7)!

See the Art + Object blog here.