HOME in five with Sam Caradus

Architect Sam Caradus has been spending some quality time with his two Bengal cats and his partner Maggie during the lockdown. We asked Sam about what they’ve been doing to keep themselves entertained, and what he’s most looking forward to once we’re all able to reconnect.

HOME: What’s the best part of your view from home?

Sam Caradus: This wicked concrete bunker that our neighbours Mon and Shane live in! It was an electrical substation they converted into their home and constantly update in graphic colours. It’s a fun, funky expression of their personalities and it sits perfectly alongside their collection of Combi vans and Devon Rex cats.

H: What are you reading?

SC: The first issue of Island mag showed up last week and features an architectural space designed by a close friend who passed away a few years ago. It has been lovely to see his architectural expression being captured and celebrated in this way.

H: What are you watching?

SC: Our Bengal cats Frida and Leto are a constant stream of visual entertainment. They are active, vocal mischief-makers and lockdown is their ultimate vibe. They have been playing up to the constant human connection and make working from home super entertaining!

Frida and Leto

H: What are you cooking and/or baking?

SC: Maggie and I recently purchased a section and with the additional time and connection, we have been cooking up ideas for the home that we plan to build there. It’s an idyllic, magical little spot full of promise and possibility.

H: Favourite lockdown object?

SC: Our Vibiemme coffee machine was purchased off of a graphic designer friend a few years ago who was selling his business. It’s become a serious and essential part of the daily morning ritual.

Lockdown necessities

H: What’s inspiring you right now?

SC: The weekend prior to lockdown clients-turned-friends gifted Maggie and me a weekend to stay at the Light and Clay house (designed by Crosson Architects). We spent those precious couple of days by the fire, hiding in the TV nook, reading by the pool, and hanging with their baby rottweiler Nelly. I am inspired by their generosity, my deep connection to this house, and the idea of creating other homes like it for wonderful clients in the future.

H: What’s are you most looking forward to post-lockdown?

SC: I am constantly inspired by optimistic, fun, enthusiastic energy shared by others. The crew at Crosson Architects are providing the perfect daily hit of this at our morning and evening meetings. I can’t wait to reconnect in the studio and continue to do the work we do alongside this special collection of humans.

The awesome Crosson Architects team

 

Discover what our friends are up to in lockdown in our HOME in five series.

Latest video features

In the Coromandel, a home with a humble profile and a thoughtful design makes the most of a stunning location.

Built with awe-inspiring attention to detail, this Arrowtown home is a fresh interpretation of a familiar Otago rural vernacular.

This sculptural Northland bach is a perfect north arrow on a remote farm high above the sea.

With the sun on its bow and the community at its stern, this is a house in which the elements are always front of mind.

Trending articles

Design News

On Dorset Street

When interior designer, Campbell Johnson, returned to Christchurch from Europe, it was one of Sir Miles Warren’s Dorset Street Flats that caught his eye. It’s

Homes

City villa: A sleek Remuera renovation

Approach this 100-year-old villa in Auckland’s Remuera and there’s a beguiling sense of history and character, but there’s also a sense of something more.

Homes

Pavilion in the clouds

Five simple elements and the well-placed delivery of a stunning view define this minimalist, Hawke’s Bay home by Dorrington Atcheson Architects.