Design News

Architect Julie Stout has been named the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects 2021 Gold Medallist, the highest honour for architecture in Aotearoa. 

We catch up with Georgia Baker to talk about her bath towel company.

Interior designer Kirsten Ford set out to deliver a balance between a raw, industrial aesthetic and lush, rich detailing in the interior in this clifftop home in Auckland.

In Auckland’s Grey Lynn, a decidedly contemporary home combines a trio of materials to deliver versatile spaces of permanence and tactility. 

Part of an innovative development taking shape just outside of Raglan, a sculptural home cloaked in cedar delivers a powerful response to a vast and encompassing landscape.

The new Christchurch’s home for New Zealand arts, Ravenscar House Museum, opened its doors in November.

An exhibition by contemporary artists Brenda Clews and Claire Wallwork, opening this week at The Grey Place in Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau, explores the unique perspectives of nature, rebirth and renewal. 

The faceted kitchen island and bathroom vanity basins at architect Matt Brew’s Eastern Beach house are a thing of beauty

Despite the obvious challenges that came with 2021, for New Zealand Winemaker of the Year, Jules Taylor, the year was one worth remembering.

Whether you’re searching for the perfect gift for the budding host, planet protector or mindful minimalist, treat yourself and your loved ones with a special something from our festive gift guide. 

Te Papa’s latest exhibition, Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist, opens its doors this month. We spoke to Te Papa’s curator, modern art Lizzie Bisley.

When it came to building their family bach on the edge of Raglan Harbour, the owners of ethical development firm The Parsons Project kept their company ethos at the front of mind.

We spoke to interior designers Gerry Hetet and Anna Hill about Eastern Beach House’s striking beachfront design. 

This house near Christchurch’s Hagley Park was designed by repatriated architectural designer Case Ornsby as his family home.

Ahead of the release of their latest collectables, Countdown asked two architectural firms to design the supermarket of the future

HOME’s digital manager Katie Delany rounds up the latest in alfresco style.

The much-anticipated arrival of Slow in Ponsonby coincides with their launch of Bryon Bay brand Sarah Ellison. 

The annual Dulux Colour Forecast 2022 has arrived, and as we are spending more time in our home than ever before, the timing could not be more prudent.

The PET Lamp Project serves as strong proof that, in design, the process is as important as the end result. Likewise, if the process has been underpinned by ethical goals, then the broader, social impacts of a design object can be significant.

Designer Rugs uses 100 per cent New Zealand wool that is either tufted or hand knotted in Asian countries, where these traditions have been passed down through the generations

On a suburban site in Nelson, Spanish environmental activist Jose Cano spends hours meticulously photographing his subjects underwater

As eye candy, Evergreen Architecture: Overgrown Buildings and Greener Living is a delightful amalgamation of global architecture and landscaping.

At 26 Aroha, a sense of community and drive for sustainable living has enhanced the lives of the many residents of this apartment complex.

We spoke to Sam Caradus from Crosson Architects about how their recent project, Light and Clay, was designed to be a positive contribution to the community, neighbourhood and street. 

Exceptional displays of colour and a wealth of adventurous innovations were showcased at the 2021 Dulux Colour Awards. 

Architect Jeremy Chapman started his own practice five years ago. We caught up with him about his latest projects, and what’s next for JCA Studio.

Photographer Mary Gaudin travelled to Milan to capture the best of the much-anticipated design event for HOME, held in September after an 18-month hiatus.

A new book by Bridget Hackshaw highlights a critical collaboration between three men: an artist, a sculptor and an architect.

The New Zealand designers behind bath textile brand Baina — Anna Fahey and Bailey Meredith — are often inspired by the built environment.

Passive House, the international design standard, is gaining popularity around New Zealand due to its ability to reduce energy consumption and a home’s impact on the environment. 

This rural Wairarapa artist’s studio is informed by a need for highly regulated, natural light, a roofline that echoes the hills around it, and the desire to tread lightly on the land.

The newest member of our team Emily Wakeling is spending her lockdown on the edge of Lake Taupo. We caught up with Emily to catch a glimpse of her envious views. 

The art community of Aotearoa is mourning the loss of one of our most influential artists, Billy Apple (ONZM).

Videographer Paul Brandon is usually scaling the country, capturing our featured homes. In lockdown, Paul is taking the time to unwind.

Sam Caradus has been spending some quality time with his two Bengal cats and his partner Maggie during the lockdown.

HOME’s digital manager Katie Delany is the driving force behind HOME’s social and web channels. Here’s Katie’s experience of lockdown so far. 

Interior designer, mother and owner of HOME’s August/September cover house, Fiona Fillmore, is spending her lockdown working through foreign films.

Art Director Day Barnes is the creative soul behind the pages of HOME, and a constant source of laughter in our office. From his bubble in Whangaparoa, Day shares his take on this level four lockdown. 

HOME’s editor-in-chief, Clare Chapman, is mother to Emma and Toby and a self-confessed coffee addict. Here’s Clare’s lockdown in five questions.

Maggie Hubert is a post-grad student and architectural researcher at Crosson Architects. We caught up with Maggie (and her Bengal cats) to hear what they’ve been up to in their bubble.

We caught up with photographer Simon Devitt to see how he’s keeping himself busy during the current lockdown.

With the perfect recipe of design ethos, material, site, form and function, tiny houses aren’t what they used to be.

We explore Bill Culbert | Slow Wonder (currently at the Auckland Art Gallery) through the lense of residential architecture and interiors.

Evelyn McNamara’s Lake House is somewhat monolithic in form and uses a robust combination of materials that exudes a strong presence and a feeling of being protected. It could be deemed brutalist, but there is something more also going on here. 

The simplest way to describe this 2021 finalist in the City Home of the Year category is: three concrete pavilions tied together by a highly sculptural copper form. Those two materials were selected for their durability, thus minimising the need for maintenance and allowing the owners more family time. 

This month, Dawson & Co. exclusively launched in New Zealand one of the oldest and most important luxury Italian furniture brands: Molteni&C.

We sat down with BMW New Zealand managing director Karol Abrasowicz-Madej to talk sustainability, electrification of the BMW fleet, and the future of green vehicle design. 

Taking inspiration from the work of South African artist William Kentridge, where the studio is the artist’s castle — a place where they can play king or buffoon — a new exhibition entitled A safe place for Stupidity will explore the work of New Zealand photographers. 

One of our favourite book purveyors, Wellington’s Unity Books, has selected a trio of art, design, and history to keep us visually fit.

The floor comprises a large percentage of the available area in any room to add character, texture, and comfort. Here are four houses where the use of carpet and rugs adds an enviable elegance. 

As the mercury drops, we’re sitting down to appreciate the wondrous world of architecture and design in these recent books.

Concrete is a sought after material in contemporary residential design, becoming a central part of our architectural vernacular. Here are five homes whose architects have delivered excellence with the undeniable beauty of concrete.

Marlborough-born spatial and leather goods designer Annabel Smart has worked for an enviable number of firms including Fearon Hay, Architectus, and Melbourne’s Hecker Guthrie.

After some significant crises, the furniture and light brand formerly known as Douglas and Bec is now known as Snelling.

No white in the common areas was a key part of the brief for this boutique Wellington hotel—a place for bold, whimsical spaces with a certain intrigue.

Italian cinema is renowned for its impeccable sense of style. Be it music, fashion, food or acting, the Italians have a way of making moving images with a serious touch of stylistic flair.

This immaculately presented book tracks the history of Cavit & Co. from its humble beginnings — in its owner’s spare bedroom — to some of the business’s most impressive assignments, including New Zealand embassies overseas and luxury hotels in the Pacific.

Photographer Mary Gaudin turned her lens to the opening weekend of the 2021 Venice Biennale — an exploration of architecture in a changing world.

We spoke to 2021 New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal winner, Dave Strachan of Strachan Group Architects about his career to date, and where to from here.

Until relatively recently, fireplaces were similar in function and aesthetics. That’s no longer the case and as the mercury drops, we’ve rounded up the latest in contemporary fire design.

At the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival 2021, don’t miss Tokyo Road, a celebration of architecture in Tokyo.

One must-see film at the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival 2021 is Mario Botta – The Space Beyond.

We chat with Clare Buchanan, co-curator of the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival, to explore the highlights, ideas, and most unforgettable moments from this year’s programme.

Former singer and guitarist Lloyd Anderson has turned his attention to furniture, crafting pieces inspired by the harmony and proportion of music. We spoke to Anderson about his Northland workshop and his design process. 

Lindesay Construction has built some of New Zealand’s most distinctive and unusual homes, the latest being the Dune House by Cheshire Architects. We spoke to William Lindesay about bringing a complex design to life.

We spoke to Karolina Brock of LeLa Architects about how her Scandinavian background influences her design.

Art and Conversation: We spoke to Justine Olsen, curator of decorative art and design, from Te Papa on her latest exhibition Modern Living: design in 1950s New Zealand.

As we near the one-year anniversary of Covid’s untimely arrival, we look back at how artists from around New Zealand hunkered down and what lessons they learnt from staying at and creating from home. 

Eastern meditations and Wes Anderson–like interiors: we select some books that sit firmly on our wish-list.

Katie Brown dances around molten glass in a pit in the former headquarters of the Whanganui Chronicle, delicately imparting an intricate narrative into every piece.

We tour some of New Zealand’s most stylish retail spaces, showcasing furnishings designed and made to transform your home. 

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we spoke to six women architects on their influences, what inspires them and what they most enjoy about their work. 

Cooper and Company’s transformation of the Britomart precinct in Auckland’s waterfront was a game-changer not just for the City of Sails but as a wider-reaching example of respectful and forward-thinking urban regeneration.

There is an undeniable grandiosity to the Park Hyatt’s inner sanctum, a sort of cathedral-like, gasp moment at being confronted with a huge, vertical void filled with modulated light and a powerful architectural statement.

This hotel chain from across the ditch has been making inroads in New Zealand since 2015 when it purchased the quirky, art-filled, Museum Hotel in Wellington and refurbished it with visual cues that range from the circus-like through to French cabaret.