Design News

Tones of tranquility

Perched above a small settlement in the Marlborough Sounds, this home exists in perfect unity with the dramatic coastal landscape over which it looks.

World of colour

Entries are open for the 38th Dulux Colour Awards, an Australasian programme designed to shine the light on colour in design.

The modern chainmail and its myriad design uses

The reinvention of a material traditionally used as armour into a contemporary architectural fabric used for everything from solar screening to dividing and defining interior spaces, and creating kinetic sculptures is a story that begins in the costumery department of the Lord of the Rings film set.

What are the benefits of bamboo as a construction material?

In the West, bamboo has typically been used in landscaping, either as an ornamental plant or for screening purposes. However, in the East, the true versatility of bamboo as a construction material has been long known and utilised. Here, we explore its myriad uses.

Empathic lightness: Inside Kowtow’s new Melbourne store

In a late-1800s building of timber, brick, iron, and bluestone in a character-filled street in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, New Zealand-brand Kowtow has opened its first international boutique, designed by Auckland-based interior architect Rufus Knight.

Spatial identity

The winners of the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects 2023 New Zealand Architecture Awards were announced in November. We explore some of the winning projects.

Natural clarity

Designed to merge into its coastal environs, this island home utilises board and batten cedar cladding to create a gentle visual rhythm that moves gracefully between indoors and out.

The sky above

Taking the operable louvred roof to the next level, the latest innovation from Louvretec is the Retract Roof range — Opening Roofs that completely open or close at the touch of a button.

The plunge pool, redefined

Not quite a pool and not quite a spa, the Stoked Stainless Plunge Spa strikes a perfect balance between the two with a piece that embraces the art of relaxation outdoors.

On the quiet

The slopes of Marlborough’s Southern Valleys are home to a new organic vintage from award-winning winemaker Jules Taylor.

Decadence underfoot

In a pool house that opens to a mid-century modern home in Remuera, an interior palette was designed to reflect the original architectural language and create a strong narrative between old and new.

Iron outdoors

Inspired by cast iron handmade in the 1800s, the antique finish of this contemporary cookware could, at first touch, pass as a ceramic surface.

Be seated

Industrial designer Lucas Wotawa on his latest furniture pieces, upcoming collections and a story of refinement.

Surrender to the sunset: Two Fijian resorts not to miss

These two very different tropical getaways in the Fijian islands offer an alluring escape. Immerse yourself in the stunning landscapes of Vomo Island or stay in a contemporary overwater bure at the adults-only retreat of Fiji Marriott Momi Bay.

A dynamic dance

Portraying the versatility of its designs through the grace of dancers, Belgian design house JORI is a conceptual realisation of ergonomic comfort woven into the forms of contemporary interior pieces.

Float away

This New Zealand brand draws inspiration from the rewards and challenges of life by the sea: simple, relaxing and beautiful but rugged and unforgiving.

Win a trip for two to Fiji

Win a trip for two to Fiji including four nights accommodation at exclusive adults-only retreat Matamanoa Island Resort.

Strokes of colour

The 2024 Dulux Colour Forecast is a sumptuous splash of warmth, nostalgia, and vibrancy. We explore the three alluring palettes: Muse, Solstice, and Journey.

Tropical opulence

Designed by New Zealand architect Richard Priest, a luxury development in the turquoise bay of Malolo Island — a few miles away from Fiji’s largest island Viti Levu — is Vunabaka, an enclave of expansive private homes.

Over water

We chat to AAPi Design, a Fiji-based architecture firm, about the development of tropical modern resort architecture in the Fijian islands.

Inspired retreat

Rediscovering the beauty within simplicity, the latest from Australian furniture atelier MCM House awakens a deep appreciation for the art of restraint.

The geometry of motion

From bringing the indoors out, to cabinetry that spins to reveal its contents, Hettich is elevating interior and alfresco design options with its innovation in the mechanics of movement.

Artistry at home

The manipulation of a material, whose inherent qualities speak to permanence and solidity, into sculptural forms that move effortlessly between the design realms of lightness, whimsy, and decadence.

Wild landscapes

Sculptor Simon Max Bannister’s works carry a powerful essence, often becoming symbols of our relationship with the environment and the wildlife within it.

Passive hub

One of only five office buildings in the world to achieve Passive House Plus certification, and the first outside of France, has opened in Wanaka.

Theatrical colour

The refurbishment of Wellington’s St James Theatre received a coveted accolade at the 2023 Dulux Colour Awards, being named the New Zealand Grand Prix winner. We talk to the designer behind this majestic restoration.

Locality

We take a look at some of the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects 2023 Local Architecture Awards winners.

The pool

This pool house is a dichotomy of sorts — on a residential site, it is commercially proportioned — and meticulously considered as both a public and private facility.

Cast forms

We speak to graphic designer turned product designer, Kate Slavin, about her experience in moving from two dimensions to three, and the intricacies of designing a product to outlive our generation — and the next.

Brass decadence

It’s the finer details that make a home, and that’s no exception with Windsor Hardware’s latest range of handcrafted bespoke cabinet handles.

Creative intention

A newcomer to the design scene, Auckland-based Kanat Studio is quickly making a name for itself. We spoke to its co-founders, Kate Pilot and Natalia Glucina, about their emerging aesthetic and creative voice.

Fluid solidity

This new iteration of a sought-after solid surface is at the forefront of an entirely new level of design freedom.

An urban gallery

On the threshold between residential and commercial precincts, a concrete building was designed as a link between the two – sensitive to each and with an undeniable character of its own.

Sense of place

Known for her moody, ethereal style, Greer Clayton explores the form, tonal resonance, and texture of a landscape to evoke an engaging representation of the environment she occupies.

At Marlborough Sounds

This home that steps down a bush-covered hillside in what is arguably one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand is both a statement and a piece of architecture that recesses subtly into the beauty of the landscape that surrounds it.

Colour, enlivened

Three New Zealand projects took out top honours in the 2023 Dulux Colour Awards. We take a look at their sophisticated and vibrant brushstrokes.

Sunrise over Milan

The recent Milan Furniture Fair 2023 has just finished. Its legacy of forms, colours, materials and sunny-bright ideas has just begun to be discussed. We check out some of the highlights.

The edge of possible

The Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival 2023 is underway, running until 25 June in a selection of theatres around the country.

Wanderlust

Barcelona-based New Zealander Bergendy Cooke, the 2021 Home of the Year winner, has designed a hotel in Marrakech, Morocco for an Austrian hotelier, and the result is as intriguing as it is memorable.

Curtain call

The Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival is about to hit the big screen around New Zealand. Here’s a couple of highlights, selected by the HOME team.

Evocatively off

Think burnt orange-red hot sauce, mustard-tinged olive dirty martini, grunge eyeshadow and circular voids. We talk to the designers behind a new tapware range that embodies this eclectic group of concepts.

Falling leaves

Capture the essence of autumn with these rich tones and biophilic pieces, curated by our editor.

The shape of connection

Award-winning Auckland food and lifestyle photographer Manja Wachsmuth’s work is direct, evocative and beautiful. We speak to her about her latest body of work.

Retreat or defeat

Aotearoa New Zealand is at a crossroads in its response to how our built environment manages climate change. Jo Bates talks to three architects about where to from here.

Places to belong

Known for their humanist architecture, created with an innate sensitivity to how people live, experience and move in the world, Nicholas Stevens and Gary Lawson were awarded the 2022 Gold Medal.

Street appeal

Exterior cladding is one of the most visual parts of any home, playing a key role in defining a building’s style, articulating its architectural moves, and introducing the aesthetic and tone.

Art and architecture

Utilising a dark grey coloured concrete as a central feature, the interiors of this home of art expand and contract around a vibrant form.

Decadent simplicity

French designer Jean-Marie Massaud is on a lifelong quest for synthesis, reduction and lightness. It is a symbiosis between his creations and the natural environment that he strives to reach, and his latest pieces for Poliform are no exception. We explore five of the newest, available in New Zealand from Studio Italia.

Down to earth

Inviting autumnal hues this season gravitate around an earthen palette, a tonal melody that gives rise to spaces of tranquillity.

Timeless charm

Delivering contemporary innovation,
Gerard Roofing’s concealed fastening
technology allows for beauty and
longevity.

The beauty of ambiguity

Timber garage doors have an innate beauty to them, one that lies in the natural variance of colour and grain, and the tactility and warmth the material provides.

Stone, dekoded

An abstract form on a rugged site between the Tasman Sea and rolling
farmland, this Gibbons Architecture-designed home is one of versatility
and connection, drawing in the outdoors and providing refuge from it.

The art edit

We explore the latest in New Zealand art from emerging and established artists traversing medium, geography, style, and subject.

Passage of time

Passage of time

Australian artisan rug brand Tribe Home has opened its doors in New Zealand. We speak to founder Tina Richards about the brand’s philosophy.

A spatial evolution

A spatial evolution

Simon James has a new home – a spacious, light-filled showroom in the heart of Mount Eden, casting the brand’s elegant, contemporary designs in an industrial setting.

Soulful

Hastings couple Adam and Nicola Mossman have a less is more approach. The result: a thriving brand whose ethos remains simple – local, natural and restorative.

Trinity Hill

Infamous for its Syrah, Trinity Hill Estate is a local – and international – favourite but it’s a new vintage that’s had people talking of late.

The age of the aperitif

Hawke’s Bay locals Kate Galloway and David Ramonteu are known for their certified organic artisan spirits and liqueurs. However, their latest offering promises a special indulgence.

Destination Hastings

From its Art Deco heritage to its working class roots, and an ever-evolving arts scene, there’s layer upon layer to discover in this small city with a big soul.

Art on tour

The summer months at Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings City Art Gallery promise a spectacular array of exhibitions – traversing the glaciers of Te Waipounamu, to clay, resin, oozing glazes, and shifting tides.

A visceral presence

Ben Pearce’s latest works exist at the intersection of fragile beauty and the confidence of brutalism. His pieces deliver both an arresting clarity and an intangible ambiguity.

Shifting hues

On the shores of one of Coromandel’s most well-known beaches, the coastal hues have a distinctive intensity. This home echoes those in its exterior materiality.

The taste of summer

In celebration of summer, HOME and 1800 Tequila came together to create four irresistible cocktails – a refreshing take on classic tequila recipes.

A timeless allure

This beautiful light-filled store in a Spanish Mission loft in Hawke’s Bay is an experience; a space of inspiration.

Elemental

Wedged between bush and sea, this Coromandel home is devised as a place of quiet; a place to bunker down, a place to escape to – and a place from which to enjoy the outdoors.

Taking the plunge

During a mountain bike ride about ten years ago, two mates got chatting. The result is a fresh – and entirely Kiwi – take on the hot tub.

The great escape

Arguably, there’s nowhere that says ‘Kiwi Summer’ better than the Coromandel Peninsula. We spoke to Bev Calder of Bayleys about the region and its hidden gems.

The tones of nature

For the owners of this Coromandel home, it was an interest in the older baches still dotted around the neighbourhood that provided the basis for their brief.

Inspirational architecture

Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects celebrated the best of the best recently, with its annual awards. We look at the residential winners.

The art of home time

We pair some of our favourites pieces from Bauhaus with artworks from Parnell Gallery to exemplify the shifting seasons.

The humble stripe

New Zealand towelling brand BAINA has released Collection 05, an interpretation of line and rhythm.

Fourth moon

Combining ancient techniques, a passion for Greek mythology, and an eye for design, Tauranga-based craftsman Mat Macmillan’s lighting delivers a calm beauty.

Bold and bespoke

We speak to the winner of the HOME + Samsung Bespoke Fridge Design Challenge, Hungarian-born Kiwi Erika Horvath Gaborovna.

Bold new waves

A new rug collection by Designer Rugs and Greg Natale has postmodernism and a bold ’80s sensibility at its core.

Maximalist glamour

The Royal Menagerie is a new collection by Mokum; it is a play on the idea of decadence and luxury – a contemporary take on 1970s Las Vegas glamour.

Honed perfection

In Bendemeer, this house of three parts delivers a tactile materiality perfectly suited to its alpine surrounds.

Product of the week

Latest HOME features

Owl’s retreat

This lake house by Rogan Nash Architects can function as both a retirement spot for a couple and a welcoming holiday home for several children and their extended families.

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Make it sing

A study on infill housing, this Sandringham home designed for a couple returning to New Zealand from California maximises a small footprint to deliver spaces of versatility within a simple but intriguing façade.

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Light catcher

Jose Gutierrez Architects transformed this character villa, located on a typical Grey Lynn street, into a contemporary oasis — a place that moves between lightness and solidity with a fluid grace.

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Cedar chevron

RTA Studio uses three boat-shed forms — at some points staggered and at others stitched into one — to create a flexible, multigenerational, lake-front, holiday house that succeeds on many levels.

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Quiet luxury

High above Waiheke Island’s Owhanake Bay, this pool pavilion speaks to the architectural nuances of the main home, while introducing its own distinct identity — a restorative space intuitively connected with land and sea.

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Lens to the view

In one of the most distinctive coastal environments in New Zealand, this large family home takes its cues from the dramatic beauty of the sound it overlooks, and follows the natural contours of the land to embrace the setting and disappear into the bush-covered hillside.

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