Our new book: great New Zealand modernist homes

We're so pleased with our new book, Modern: New Zealand Homes from 1938 to 1977, which we've created in conjunction with the kind folks at Random House publishers. It'll be in bookstores from November 1, but we wanted to tell you a bit about it here before it comes out. 

The book's jacket features a photograph by Patrick Reynolds of a home designed by Reginald Uren in Raumati in the mid-1960s. When you get your copy, you'll see the jacket (like the rest of the book, designed by our friends at Inhouse) folds out to reveal a bigger view of the house.

Under the jacket lies this foxy linen cover with embossed lettering. Yum. 

The book, which has 350 pages between its gorgeous covers, is a compliation of features of our favourite mid-century homes from the magazine in the last decade or so, with the addition of some that have been newly photographed for the book. The shot below is of a spread from the book featuring the Donner House, designed by Auckland's City Architect, Tibor Donner. It was photographed by Mark Smith and styled by Katie Lockhart.

There are 24 homes in the book, modernist gems from Auckland, Hamilton, Thames, Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, Raumati, Wellington, Christchurch, Hokitika, Dunedin and Alexandra. All of them show mid-century New Zealand as a place of great sophistication and inventiveness. Most of the homes are still in marvellously good condition, as liveable today as they were when they were first completed - including Wellington's Halberstam House (below), designed by Henry Kulka and still occupied by Lucie Halberstam, the daughter of the original owners. This photo is by Paul McCredie. 

The book also features homes designed by, among others, Ernst Plischke, Bill Alington, Robin Simpson, Vladimir Cacala, John Scott, Ivan Juriss, Ted McCoy, Jon Craig, and Sir Miles Warren, whose magnificent Selby (below, photographed by Paul McCredie) near Havelock North features along with a home Sir Miles designed in Dunedin that has been shot especially for the book.

We're including the shot below just to make it clear that this isn't just a picture book. In fact, it includes the work of some of the country's best architectural writers from HOME's family of contributors, including Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Julia Gatley, Linda Tyler, Adrienne Rewi, Lara Strongman, Andrew Barrie, Bill McKay, Michael Findlay, Alistair Luke and Claire McCall. 

There are also plans of almost every house, and helpful biographies of the architects involved. 

One of the many nice things about the book is the way it traces modernism's development in New Zealand from textbook flat-roofed homes to later experiments in combining European modernism with this country's cottage vernacular, where homes such as Jon Craig's near Wellington (below, photographed by Paul McCredie) combined pitched roofs with open-plan living rooms. 

We're pleased to be able to offer the book for the special price of $70 (RRP is $75) including postage, from www.magshop.co.nz/modern. You can pre-order your copy there now. We really hope you enjoy it. 

Canterbury Architecture Awards 2013

The New Zealand Institute of Architects has just announced the winners of the 2013 Canterbury Architecture Awards, and we're delighted to present them for you here.

First up, the homes: the two images below show the Annandale Shepherds Cottage and Annandale Homestead on Banks Peninsula, both sensitively restored by Pattersons, which won awards in the Heritage and Sustainable Architecture categories.

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Next, a home many of you will recognise from our Home of the Year issue last April: the Clifton Hill House (below), originally designed by Ernest A. Kalnins in 1965 and sensitively renovated by Duval O'Neill of Herriot + Melhuish.

Another award-winner in the Housing category was this home (below) by Sumich Chaplin Architects. 

Also in the Housing category, this house in Ilam (below) by C. Nott Architects.

Matz Architects designed this home in Merivale (below), also a winner in the Housing category. 

This house in Fernside (below) by Wilkie + Bruce Architects also picked up awards in the Housing and Sustainable Architecture categories.

This holiday home (below) at picturesque Ngaio Point, Akaroa, is by Wilson & Hill Architects and also won a Housing category award.

This home (below) at Pentre Terrace won a Housing award for Cymon Allfrey Architects.

C. Nott Architects' second award in the Housing category is for the 'Tekapo Tractor Shed' (below), which is actually a shed-like holiday home.

Two projects at Christchurch Airport also received Canterbury Architecture Awards. The Air New Zealand Regional Lounge (below), designed by BVN Donovan Hill and Jasmax, won awards for Commercial and Interior Architecture. 

Also at Christchurch Airport, the Integrated Terminal Project (below) by Warren & Mahoney and Hassell won an award for Commercial Architecture. 

There were three winners in the Public Architecture category. First, the Selwyn Aquatic Centre (below), designed by Warren & Mahoney, which also won a Sustainable Architecture award in recognition of its passive energy utilisation.

Another award-winning pool complex: Timaru's Caroline Bay Aquatic Centre (below), designed by Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar Brebner Team Architecture. 

Christchurch City Council's own architecture office designed the Aranui Library (below), which picked up a Sustainable Architecture award in addition to being recognised in the Public Architecture category. 

The St Margaret College's Gymnasium and Chapel project (below), designed by Athfield Architects, received an award in the Education category. 

The repair of Harper and Julius Houses at Christ's College (below) by Wilkie + Bruce Architects won a Sustainable Architecture Award for the sensitive restoration of this Category 2 Heritage building originally designed by Benjamin Mountfort. 

The University of Canterbury's James Hight Undercroft (below) won an interior architecture award in recognition of Warren & Mahoney's transformation of a space bicycle storage area into a student hub. 

Athfield Architects picked up an award in the Commercial Architecture category for their work on the Fendalton Road shops (below). 

And Fulton Ross Team Architects won an award in the Sustainable Architecture category for their work on the New Regent Street shops (below). 

Last but not least, Herriot + Melhuish Architects won an Interior Architecture award for their work on Sala Sala Restaurant (below), which also features in our current issue. 

All the winners of the Canterbury Architecture Awards are now eligible for consideration in the New Zealand Architecture Awards, which will be announced in May next year. We'll keep you posted on those, of course - as well as the other regional awards as they're announced over the coming months.

Our new cover: An Auckland home by Athfield Architects

Our new issue is out, and should be on newsstands around the country today. It features a photograph by Simon Wilson of an Auckland home by Athfield Architects. The shot was styled by Amelia Holmes (and includes a 'Husk' chair by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia from Matisse, rugs from Studio Italia, a cushion and cloche from Everyday Needs and bookshelves from Studio Italia). 

Pop out and pick up your copy today - we hope you enjoy it. 

 

Book now: our latest Style Safari

Good news: we're holding another of our popular Style Safaris - a day of design-store tours and expert briefings guided by HOME editor Jeremy Hansen - on October 18.

The all-day Style Safari experience includes visits to five Auckland design stores, briefings on the latest international design trends at each destination, and lunch at Cibo. 

The October 18 Style Safari includes briefings on new furniture arrivals from the teams at Studio Italia, Simon James Design, Matisse, Backhouse Interiors and Corporate Culture. 

You'll be transported between each destination in luxurious vehicles provided by our event partner Mercedes-Benz. It's a hassle-free way for you to get ahead on all the latest design developments and to see what's in stock and on order in Auckland's best design showrooms.

Numbers on the Style Safari are limited to 50, and our last event sold out quickly, so purchase your tickets now. They're available for $95 from Eventopia - click here to reserve your place! 

Meet the Architects on September 11 at Auckland Art Gallery

We're delighted to invite you to Meet the Architects, our free evening where you can hear some of the country's best architects in conversation with HOME editor Jeremy Hansen and see slides of their recent and upcoming projects. We're hosting the event with our Home of the Year partner, Altherm Window Systems.

 
The event is being held at the Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium at 6pm on Wednesday September 11. Entry is free, but please RSVP to Ashleigh Webb, awebb@bauermedia.co.nz, if you're keen to come - it's important we manage numbers so we can fit everyone in. Architects who attend get 15 CPD points.

Here's who'll appearing on stage:

Nicholas Stevens and Gary Lawson, designers of the Home of the Year 2013, will talk about the winning house and their exciting upcoming projects, which include a medium-density residential development in Auckland, and a theatre in Hawke's Bay. 

The Headland House by Stevens Lawson Architects. Photograph by Mark Smith.

Aaron Paterson and Dominic Glamuzina of Glamuzina Paterson Architects (recent winners of two NZ Institute of Architects' New Zealand Architecture Awards) will talk about their Lake Hawea House, a finalist in the Home of the Year 2013, as well as other upcoming projects. 

The Lake Hawea House by Glamuzina Paterson Architects. Photograph by Patrick Reynolds.

Sally Ogle and Ben Mitchell-Anyon are the designers of The Dogbox, the Whanganui house that was a finalist in the Home of the Year 2013. They'll be talking about designing and building that remarkable house, as well as the other projects they've got coming up. 

The Dogbox by Patchwork Architecture. Photograph by Paul McCredie.

The talk will run from 6pm and finish about 7.15pm. Please come along - it's not only a talk for architects, but for anyone who's interested in design. We look forward to seeing you there.

Our new cover: Fashion Houses

Behold! Our new cover, which New Zealand subscribers should receive today and which will hit newsstands on Monday. We hope you like it. It's a photograph by Sharrin Rees of a beautiful Sydney home designed by expat New Zealand architects Chris Adams and Bianco Pohio (who are also, as you'll see, experts at creating beautiful, calm interiors).

In the photo, the blue 'Clip' chairs are by Lorenz Kaz for Bedont, and the '91' table is by Alvar Aalto (who also designed the teaware on the shelf behind). The blue vase is by Bitossi. 

This issue is our annual focus on the connections between fashion, architecture and interior design. Some of the homes we've selected for it are owned by people in the fashion biz, and others were chosen because we think they say interesting things about the directions architecture and interior design are heading today. 

We're really pleased with the issue and hope you like it too. Thanks to photographer Sharrin and to Chris and Bianca for helping us create such an arresting cover. 

We'll preview more of the issue's content for you in our posts next week. Have a great weekend. 

We like: Milse's sweet treats at Auckland's Britomart

We like the sublime, sweet offerings of dessert restaurant and patisserie Milse (pronounced 'Mil-say', and is Gaelic for 'sweet') as much as we like its dramatic interior. 

The cocoon-like space in Auckland's Britomart opened recently and supplies desserts to neighbouring Ortolana restaurant as well as hosting diners at tables of its own, and offering takeout. 

The space was designed by Cheshire Architects. HOME editor Jeremy Hansen spoke to Nat Cheshire about the design, and to Milse's executive pastry chef Brian Campbell about the amazing food. These photographs are by David Straight.

HOME What was your brief for the space, and how did you go about filling it?

NAT CHESHIRE, CHESHIRE ARCHITECTS Within this left-over back-alley space we needed to offer an immersive and transformative experience, shaping spaces around some of the most ambitious dessert cooking in the country. We were inspired by the Arabian history of dessert-making to create an interior that folds together the crystalline structure of sugars and the delicate tracery of carved wooden moucharaby panels.

HOME How does it feel to be in the space?

NAT CHESHIRE The goal is a world of quiet delight within a chaotic left-over geometry surrounded by service lanes and delivery trucks outside. Milse has a cave-like intensity within the quiet complexity of its filigree surface. We hope this means it feels like another world entirely.

HOME I remember people eating their feelings at Death by Chocolate in the 80s. How is Milse different from the dessert restaurants of that era?

BRIAN CAMPBELL, EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF I think people are now eating a lot more casually – it’s the norm to restaurant-hop. Our approach is to focus on the best of seasonal products as well as showcasing premium ingredients such as chocolate and spices to give people an amazing dessert experience, whether they’re eating in or taking away.

HOME What’s your favourite thing on the menu at the moment?

BRIAN CAMPBELL I like the passionfruit and apple salted caramels.

NAT CHESHIRE I am trying to eat my way through everything, one hemispherical salted caramel gelato cake at a time.

Milse is at 27 Tyler Street, Britomart, Auckland, ph 09 368 9487 (no reservations accepted).