Design News

White light

Sitting in the 2022 Rural Home of the Year, it is as if you are part of the forest canopy that extends out from the striking ridgeline where this house stands.

A wool renaissance

In the case of wool, there’s a long list of benefits that are hard to match, spanning everything from human health to technical properties. 

A clifftop vision

There’s something alluring about white concrete. Combine its vibrancy with exceptional formwork and a daring architectural vision and the result is spectacular.

Urban encampment

A high-profile Auckland home with an interesting history, designed by Bossley Architects, was recently demolished. Architect Pete Bossley talks to Melanie McDaid about the project and its heritage.

By the river

Known as Hills Village, this new precinct was designed thoughtfully and with purpose to foster the well-being of its inhabitants. 

Coastal hues

On an elevated site above the Tara Iti golf course, a low-lying pavilion sits subservient to the landscape. The materials, neither ostentatious nor pared back, were selected to blend into its surroundings. 

Rural simplicity

Ten years ago, in an old abandoned surfboard factory in Raglan overlooking the estuary, custom furniture brand WRW & Co. was born.

A defining experience

Here in New Zealand, Italy is celebrated for its exceptional standards in espresso, mozzarella pizza, and, of course, design. Studio Italia delivers the latter, proudly representing leading Italian furniture designers.

Velvet and steel

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.

An urban lantern

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

Home of the arts

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

Material style

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

A joyful drop

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

At home for the holiday season

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. 

Concrete beauties

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

SLOW in Ponsonby

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

The ethics of design

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.

The art of New Zealand wool

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

A living pool

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

Nature bound

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

Apartment living, with a twist

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

Designing a Westmere home of light and clay

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. 

In profile: Jeremy Chapman

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.

Salone del Mobile 2021

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.

Illuminating a winter lake house

The brief for the lighting design for a home on the shores of Lake Rotoiti was simple: the light source was to be invisible, and the output needed to deliver pools of light, subtly. 

Cotton and tiles

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

Taming Light

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.

HOME in five with Nat Davis

HOME’s commercial director Nat Davis is not used to being kept in the same place for too long. She’s our resident whirlwind and a driving force behind the brand’s success. 

HOME in five with Emily Wakeling

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. 

Remembering Billy Apple

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

HOME in five with Paul Brandon

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

HOME in five with Katie Delany

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. 

HOME in five with Fiona Fillmore

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

HOME in five with Day Barnes

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 in five with Clare Chapman

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.

HOME in five with Maggie Hubert

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.

Culbert at HOME

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

A bunker by the lake

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. 

A house of ebbs and flows

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. 

Designing a sustainable future

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

The road to green

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. 

The artist behind the lens

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. 

Good reads

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

Architecture according to bees

At the heart of photographer Anne Noble’s exhibition Conversātiō at Queensland Art Gallery is a cabinet where a colony of bees lived.

Coffee table décor

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

Studio 11:11

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.

How to select the best outdoor heating

Whether it’s a cosy fire pit to sit around on long summer evenings, or a high performance woodburner to heat up the outdoors in the colder months, a myriad of ways exist to bring an outdoor space to life.

Interiors Paradiso

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.

Cavit & Co – Timeless Luxury

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.

Tokyo Ride

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