HOME New Zealand

Copy editor and cartoonist Alex Scott found inspiration in our retreats at Piha (p. 78) and Great Barrier (p. 100). Tell us about your renovation. I moved into my little 1978 two-bedroom unit in Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, a year ago. It had differen

We moved to a new place last weekend. It’s actually pretty great, even though it’s not ours: the Auckland property market seems to have a shortage of houses that you’d actually want to buy right now, so we’re renting for a while. It’s a little old wo

The New Zealand Institute of Architects recently announced its national awards in Queenstown, featuring a number of our favourites – both recent, and not so recent. Patrick Clifford’s own home was named the first Home of the Year back in 1996 and thi

Each April, Dulux assembles a panel of architects, interior designers and media to judge entries from Australasia – and specifically, to judge their use of colour. Open to any project that has used Dulux paint, it’s an esteemed award, hotly contested

Tell us what you do and why you do it. I’m an industrial designer with a passion for lighting design. I spend most of my time designing bespoke feature lighting, as well as limited-production pieces. It’s a really interesting part of the design world

Tell us about the challenges of building on Kawau. It’s not without its complications. It requires careful planning and a builder who’s engaged and willing. The site is remote and everything needs to be barged over – plus the contractors were going o

How does the sleepout work with the original bach and the site? The sleepout is a stand-alone structure at the rear of the site. It sits directly behind the original bach and was elevated to create an open living space below. This platform is not a s

Where do you draw the line on what to include and what not to include within a modest footprint? The starting point from the clients was modest – somewhere to sleep, somewhere to bathe and somewhere to cook and eat. By referencing camping, there was

What does the bach mean now? Nicola Herbst— We have two separate lives – different sides of the same coin. We have a city existence and a bach existence. They’re a wonderful antithesis, and it has always been like that. It never changes for us. Lance

You’ve managed to design a home on a fairly public site that’s not only discreet but very private. How did the design for this tricky site unfold for you? We like to keep it simple, and courtyards are brilliant when privacy and shelter are an issue.

How is the kitchen placed within with the plan and how does it relate to the rest of the house? It’s at the back of the house and connects to the courtyard, which connects us with greenery and to outdoor living in the courtyard. Were there any desig

How does the kitchen function, physically and aesthetically? The length of the kitchen works really well for food preparation, cooking and clean up, which can all be carried out in their own zones. The vertical elements hide away the fridge, pantry a

Tell us about the Companion concept. Our new range of cooking companion products provides choice and design freedom for customers. It includes a combination steam oven, microwave oven, warming drawers and a coffee maker that are designed in modular s

You spent some time in the ‘Abberley’ house by RTA Studio on HOME Tour. What makes it work? The architect and owners arranged the spaces within the house to create a generous and social space, where the kitchen is anchored in the centre of the home,

Sure, the context is Nordic, where climate heavily influences material choices, but little is lost in translation. Interpretation into our own vernacular is loud and clear. Rain screens, timber cladding, ply lining, folding roof lines, barn-style dwe

When you announce, perhaps a little too grandly for your own good, that you’re throwing in the city for the good life in the country, the first thing people say is “how brave”. This is to be expected. You are showing off; they think you’re bonkers. I